Camera
- Thread starter tinas
- Start date
Unfortunately, many cameras keep an internal, hidden "directory" of pictures taken by the camera. So although you can see the pics and copy them off of the camera, such cameras don't allow you to simply copy files back to the camera and have the camera display it. After all, the camera doesn't have to be designed to be flexible in the formats and sizes it displays, since all it has to display are pics it took itself (so it gets to "cheat" if it wants to).
If the advice above works, great. If not, there may not be much more you can do except to use the camera's memory card as file storage.
If the advice above works, great. If not, there may not be much more you can do except to use the camera's memory card as file storage.
How long will an image on a memory card survive? Will it last 5 years, 10 years, 20 years, etc.? For that matter how long will an image survive on a harddrive, DVD, CD, etc.? (I had really bad experience with VHS tapes where images were totally grainy in 10-15 years.)Anynym said:
It is unlikely that your camera would be able to read an image that you have transferred from a computer. It might if you took it with the same camera and had not made any changes to it.tinas said:
Why would you want to do this? Just curious.
There is some speculation that CDs will only last 50 yrs +/-. As for storing the files "digitally" on a card, as long as the card is not exposed to magnetic fields, or extreme heat etc it should be indefinite. But you may find that the technology changes so you won't be able to read the card. This will probably happen long before the file is corrupted on the card. I for one had a bunch of stuff stored and backedup via an archive application and when I went to XP the software wouldn't load to retrieve the files so I was screwed.Rockslinger said:
The reason to transfer a pic to a camera/card could be because she wants to share it with someone or show someone. I know I empty my camera card often.
If one has demand to transfer files often you could pick up a $5.00 memory USB drive. It's a lot easier and you can move all types of files easily.....
Anynym said:
I have owned 7 digital cameras and worked with many other cameras burning pics to CDs for the users. Each camera I came across kept its pictures within a folder and that folder was a different name on each camera. When I put the picture from the PC into the folder created by the camera, that camera would always view the picture as long as it was in JPG format and the resolution of the picture was equal to or less that the resolution of the camera.Damondean said:
If your camera directory is hidden anynym, just set the windows option to view hidden directories and this trick should work for you.
I use my camera memory card as flash disk all the time by putting data files outside the camera folder and pics within it and have not had a problem using the memory card in the camera in all cases except for my old 2 MP camera. The memory cards are so much easier to carry around than flash disk and as long as you have a small card reader on you(they come so tiny and cheap nowadays), you have all the benifits of a flash disk with the added use of being able to insert the card into a camera and add more pictures to it.
I have even used the same memory card for 3 different cameras and each camera viewed pictures within its designated folder just fine.
I just bought a Camera/MP3 phone for my girlfriend so my next future project is to try using a micro SD card in a camera that takes an SD memory card. Then I can take pics and move them from phone to Camera to Hard Disk. Anyone tried this yet?
Rockslinger said:
Your advice tboy is very much lines up with my experience burning critical company data to CDs and DVDs. I abandoned tape drives back in 1995 for the same reasons tboy mentioned and switched to CD/DVD for backup storage.tboy said:
CD/DVD is totally different technology from old VHS/BETA and backup tape drives. For a CD/DVD, laser beam glides over top of the disc and reads the data so there is no physical contact (friction) to damage the Disk. With the old tape technology, the data was stored using magnetic particles and there was friction (as well as surrounding magnetic forces) that used to misalign some magnetic particles each time you used the tape. This is why rockslinger used to see the "grainy" image mentioned.
When it comes to CDs and DVDs, the what you pay is what you get advice is the best advice to follow.
How long CDs last very much depends on the protective coating put on the CD and how well it is taken care of. In today's day with competition being so fierce in the CD industry, many companies cut costs on the CD by lowering the quality of the protective coating. The best advice if you want data on the CD to last a lifetime, buy a good name brand CD/DVD (if you have a hard time seeing the coating on the back of the CD, chances are there is not much of a coating there) and store it in an individual case or a dust free casing that holds multiple CDs individually.
Unfortunately, as easy as a memory card/flash disk is to transfer data, use it only for temporary storage not long time data storage. You will lose data much faster on a memory card or flash disk than you will data on a CD/DVD.
I have had pictures stored in my camera memory that "disappear" just a few months after they were taken. A flash disk stores data the longest if you frequently run a virus scan on it (this causes all the data on the flash disk to be refreshed) otherwise you will over time see some files starting to become unreadable. The newer flash disks nowadays are much more resistant to data storage losses then original flash disks that were created within the first 5 years of the technology.
Actually, with the VHS tapes, it was also a big mistake in the specification of the polyurethane that was used in the binder of the tapes. The stuff they used had the nasty tendency to absorb water from the atmosphere and become gummy and smear through a hydrolysis reaction that it underwent. This was a common problem with Ampex and 3M studio mastering tapes in the 70s, 80s and up to the 90s.Rockslinger said:
If you are concerned about how long your information will last when stored in any media, consider this: How long has that new medium been in use?
We know a lot about the life of ink on paper, because we've been using it for hundreds of years, but when the someone tells you a DVD is good for 50 years, that's just a best guess. They weren't invented long enough ago for anyone to actually find out. No matter how sophisticated a lab's accelerated aging test might be, it's a poor substitute for results from millions of users over real time.
So until those DVDs (or whatever) have actually been around as long as they're supposed to last, be very cautious. From time to time, go back and check on important files you've archived on any 'new' media, and be prepared to make fresh copies at the slightest suspicion there's anything amiss.
We know a lot about the life of ink on paper, because we've been using it for hundreds of years, but when the someone tells you a DVD is good for 50 years, that's just a best guess. They weren't invented long enough ago for anyone to actually find out. No matter how sophisticated a lab's accelerated aging test might be, it's a poor substitute for results from millions of users over real time.
So until those DVDs (or whatever) have actually been around as long as they're supposed to last, be very cautious. From time to time, go back and check on important files you've archived on any 'new' media, and be prepared to make fresh copies at the slightest suspicion there's anything amiss.
You have a good point about INK on paper OJ but don't anyone confuse inkjet with good old india ink. Photos printed on regular paper only last a year or so and if they are exposed to daylight? I bet you won't get 6 months out of them.
(I say this to warn people not to delete those photos just because they've been printed. If you want to keep them longer get photo specific paper).
(I say this to warn people not to delete those photos just because they've been printed. If you want to keep them longer get photo specific paper).
This is very disturbing. Dos this mean that pics of your baby son taken today could all "disappear" before he is a teenager? BTW Are CD's and DVD's equally good for storage?tboy said:
For your latter question, there's good information linked from here. (Scroll down into Section 7, question 7-5, and check out some of the resources linked from there.)Rockslinger said:
For the former question, I'd suggest google. , since there seem to be different opinions and approaches to photo preservation (including archival-quality ink and paper).
