To create quality photographs we decided to focus on one of the many models of compact digital camera or better on a high-end SLR camera, so as to always obtain exceptional results in any light condition and in any scenario. But as we are used to using the smartphone to do everything, we cannot quickly transfer the photos saved on the cameras to the PC, so that we can retouch them or share them on social media or in chat, relegating the use of the camera only to Special occasions.
We must not be afraid of wasting too much time with a camera or an SLR, because there are so many methods to transfer photos from the camera to the PC, just choose the one that best suits your needs.
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How to transfer photos from camera to PC
We have collected below all the methods currently available to be able to quickly transfer the photos taken from the camera to the PC as quickly as possible; we will cover both methods that require a physical connection (cable or memory) and methods that can be used wirelessly (if the camera has wireless support).
1) Transfer via memory cards
One of the fastest ways to transfer photos from camera to PC is to directly move the memory card inserted in it (both micro SD and SD Card).
We turn off the camera or the reflex, we open the slot where the memory card is contained and we remove it by making a small pressure on it or removing it with two fingers.
Now that the SD or microSD card is removed, let's insert it in the slot for the memory cards available on the laptop or desktop PC; after insertion, the memory card will appear in the computer resources ( This PC ) and can be opened to view and copy all the photos taken with the camera.
If your PC is not equipped with a card reader, we can get one of the USB type from the link here -> UGREEN USB 3.0 SD Card Reader (10 €).
Once you have obtained this adapter, simply connect it to a free USB port on your PC to be able to insert all the main memory cards currently available for cameras.
2) Transfer via USB cable
If the photos we took are in the internal memory of the machine (therefore we have not used memory cards) or we do not want to remove the memory card we can use the USB cable supplied with the camera to be able to quickly transfer all the photos on the device.
To do this, first of all find the USB port on the camera (it could be exposed or covered by a small rubber flap, so check carefully) then connect the cable to a free USB port on your computer.
The camera should be recognized automatically by the PC with Windows, since it is a simple storage device (the camera will be viewed as if it were a USB stick).
Once connected let's go to This PC or My Computer, open the memory of the device and copy all the photos on it to the PC disk.
If the camera is not visible, it may be necessary to set a special mode available in the settings of the machine itself; we then check the user manual or the device menu to make sure that the camera or the reflex is set in "Mass storage device" mode and not in other modes.
If we do not have a USB cable to dedicate to the purpose, we can retrieve one compatible at the link present here -> Rampow RAMPOWMIC07, Micro USB to USB cable (2 cables, 7 €).
3) Transfer via WiFi
If our camera is recent enough it could support WiFi wireless connection, so as to connect it to our home network to transfer photos.
Given that in most cases the transfer speed via WiFi could be at a lower speed, to connect the camera to the PC via wireless we connect the camera to the WiFi network where the computer is present (by accessing the machine settings menu and enabling WiFi), then we open This PC -> Network to verify that the machine is visible as a network device.
We access the resource on the net to copy all the photos present
In some cases it will be necessary to configure direct access via WiFi Direct in order to transfer photos; if WiFi Direct mode is available with our camera, we will find the network to connect to (created directly from the machine) in the WiFi menu at the bottom right of the Windows bar; connect to it (with the password possibly provided by the machine) and finally open the device that will appear in the menu This PC or My Computer .
4) Transfer via Bluetooth
On some photographic devices there is also the Bluetooth connection which can be used to transfer all the photos.
Premising that this type of connection is even slower than WiFi and the USB cable (so let's use it only in exceptional cases) to be able to connect the camera to the PC via Bluetooth we turn on this feature on the camera and make it visible to everyone (if this is present vocals).
Once activated the Bluetooth on the camera we enable the same technology on the PC; then click on the Bluetooth menu in the Notifications center at the bottom right (on Windows 10) to view the devices available for pairing.
Once connected it will be possible to transfer the photos from the camera to the PC using the Bluetooth button that will appear in the bar at the bottom right of Windows (right button) and choosing the item Receive a file .
Now that the PC is ready we open the gallery in the camera, select one or more photos to be transferred then use the Share -> Bluetooth button to send the selected files to the PC to which we are connected.
5) Transfer photos via cloud
The last method we can use to connect a camera to the PC is to take advantage of cloud computing, so as to move files via the Internet.
If the camera in our possession has support for the cloud (such as Google Drive or Dropbox) we use the automatic upload of photos taken on the cloud via WiFi (we will use any WiFi, even when we are away from home).
The photos will be uploaded automatically, we won't have to do anything else on the machine.
Now we configure the cloud chosen on our PC (through the respective client offered by the service) to synchronize the photos available on the cloud in the PC memory, ready to be viewed and possibly moved to another folder.
We can deepen the topic by reading the guide available below.
READ ALSO -> How to save mobile photos on PC automatically with Google and Dropbox
6) Program to quickly transfer photos to PC
We can speed up the use of the methods mentioned above by using a free program such as Picmv, available for download from here -> Picmv (also available in a portable version).
Download the latest version in English (En) and open it; we will see the program interface as below.
Now we connect the camera via USB or wireless cable to see the internal memory or the memory card appear automatically in the program.
We select the photos that interest us, we customize the folders in which we will save the photo (by date, time and place, so as to find them immediately) and as soon as we are ready click on Copy to start the transfer of the photos from the camera to the chosen path on the PC.
