We had such a good discussion on lens hoods I thought i would ask another being a new person to dslr.
 Do you use a card reader or the cables from camera to computer to transfer your images from the camera to your computer. :)
  I bought a card reader and been using it.  Would I be better to use the transfer cables instead.
Curious how you do it. :)

I use cable. I just never took the card out from the camera and I have the cable right next to the computer so it's a matter of laziness in my case. :-D

Do whatever works best for you. Some people prefer a reader because it saves on the camera's battery. That isn't a big concern of mine and I almost always use the USB cable to download directly from the camera. I also prefer to handle the memory cards as little as possible to avoid damaging them or possible corruption of the data. That HAS happened to me when using card readers.

i always use the cable cos its less faffing than getttin the card out

Cardreader because it's so much faster. My D70 only does USB1.1 while my cardreader is USB2. That's the difference between 20 minutes or 4 minutes to copy all pictures.

Card reader;

Benefits;

1. Does not drain camera battery
2. Does not tie-up your camera while downloading images....put the full card in your pocket....put a new card in the cam...continue taking snaps.  Why would you want to put the other card back into the cam to transfer the images?
3. Eliminates the possibility of ANY electrical connection between your expensive cam and your computer....so, there is no chance that an errant voltage spike could fry your cams brains.
4. You can dump images to your computer....process them....then dump the processed image back onto an empty card via the reader...then take to your print shop.
5. You can use those cards as a thumb drive to transfer ANY data from computer to computer

Drawbacks;

1. Card corruption/data loss.....Has never happened to me....although it is possible.  I suspect that the bulk of causes are due to either improper use of the card/reader ( don't take out the card while the reader is in use and has not been properly shut down via the computer)...or faulty cards.
2. Extra expense...about $15
3. Another piece of hardware lying around...

Question for Kort.....So, when you take your images off your PC after processing and take them down to the local print shop to get printed....do you put them on a card again using the reader...or do you use a thumb drive or cd?  
Just wondering, because most of the quick print kiosks ( when I use them...and that is NOT often) in my area usually only have multi-card readers or cd capability...very few have usb connections...so, I have to put the image back onto the card...then into their reader...

@3dGuy...yes...I hear a D300 calling your name....

And I hear it's echo's in my empty wallet ;)

card reader. I have several cards and often need more than one (raw files). My puter has no front-side connections, so it's easier to use a reader.
Probably stupid, but I hesitate to connect my camera to the puter. You never know what could happen... I guess firmware is well protected, but having flashed several bios'es, I know what can go wrong.

Quote - 3) Another piece of hardware lying around...

My cardreader is built into my computer. I bought one that is de same size as a flopyydrive. It accepts a large variety of cards and it has an extra USB connection.

I see that iloco was curious about,

Do you use a card reader or ... to transfer your images ... to your computer?

Usually I use a card reader ... because ...

1. faster
2. no camera setup
3. no PC setup
4. no need to install ridiculous 'idiot-proof' camera software on the PC

... just create a destination folder and file to file transfer using windows explorer. 

I also noticed that gradient mentioned the,

Extra expense...about $15

I checked my favorite supplier: Computer Geeks -- they listed 33 memory
card readers within their Flash Memory / Card readers Category.  Their
prices were as low as $2.00.  They had some exotic items such as memory 
readers in combination with a USB hub, a HDD case, FDD, ... some were
even internal devices that mount in a drive bay on a desktop PC. 

While you're there, you should also look at their flash memory prices --
that way you can save on shipping costs and conveniently spend more
money at the same time.  LOL

--
Martin

@ Gradient: " Question for Kort.....So, when you take your images off your PC after processing and take them down to the local print shop to get printed....do you put them on a card again using the reader...or do you use a thumb drive or cd?" Easy, I don't. I rarely make prints on the outside. I have a perfectly good Epson printer at home and a very nice HP at work. Also, I use a MAC, and connecting the camera cable to the front port is quick and easy, USB 2 speed for some of my cameras, and I don't need any special setup, iPhoto reads it all. For RAW I just need the extra step of manually transferring them from the camera. Otherwise, it is just one or two mouse clicks for iPhoto. If I had to, I'd just thrown them on a CD (cheap) or on a thumb drive.

I have a card reader in my printer it works fine for me.

Thanks everyone for your answers.  I will continue to use the card reader.   I like it because its like a memory stick and so easy to transfer to different computers without having to install software for it. :)
  I have Point and Shoot Olympus C-50 and thats all I have ever used with it .   :)

@Kort;
Thanks....but that gets us into the "print at home" vs "print shop" debate...and I'm still on record as saying that you can't print them at home for less than what a print shop will charge.
Also as I said...if I do happen to take them to a kiosk for some "quickie" print...it has to be either card or CD as very few seem to have USB capability....so, for me it's easier to just blast the file onto a CF card, (rather than CD)and use that.

BTW...what's a MAC?............Is it like a Big MAC hamburger?..............................................just kidding....LOL!

@Fred255....so, you use a reader then rather than connecting your cam directly?

Great discussion here! I'm getting a reader tomorrow due to assignments with more than one system. It also makes so much more sense to me as those tiny little connectors on the cam side really don't look all that road worthy to me. Speaking of the road, yikes!, I have to pack for a shoot in Vail CO, have virtually no real winter clothes, and can't ski lol ....  :) And I'm doing an event where the dress code is "Mountain Chic"  What the heck that means I have no clue, have to wing it I guess.
"Cover me, I'm going in" ha ha
Cheers,

Kurt

@kurtsart....If the dress code is "mountain chic"...don't think you need to worry about the warm clothes or inability to ski......methinks most of the action will take place in the chalets.....LOL

Lol @ gradient!
Dress code is for an indoor event as you had guessed, but looking at my shoot outline includes photos of celebs on a ski lift .. brrrr :) Perhaps snow shoes, as the other photographer I'll be working with has skis.

I always use a card reader and now use lightroom to organise my files It is by far the fastest way..

Yep, card reader too...
in fact I have a combined USB hub / card reader and I use it all the time for all sorts of things (scanner connection, printer connection, external HD connection, USB Cruzer stick transfers, camera transfers, SD card transfers for music...)

Cable. It's just more convenient for me, as one or two USB cables waiting to be used are always connected to my PC. Speed doesn't really matter to me, as I usually don't take more than 30 or 40 photos a day. Takes a minute or two to download them to my computer, but I can always use that time to fire up a few other programs, check my emails, grab a coffee, or whatever I feel like. :-D