Konica Minolta Dynax/Maxxum 5D - USB 2.0 speed and firmware updates

[This followup was posted to rec.photo.digital.slr-systems and a copy
was sent to the cited author.]

Hi group

after years with compact digital cameras
including a Sony Cybershot P150 I finally
bought a dSLR camera. And an 18-200 lens.

Quite happy with functionality and picture
quality....

But, really unhappy about the poor (USB 1.1 - like)
data transfer rate. My CF card is a Sandisk Extreme III,
so the CF card is definitively not slowing things down.

Anybody has an idea about whether this can
be improved to the standard USB 2.0 high-speed
transfer rate ??

For the D7 the firmware can be upgrade (and improve
data transfer rate) - is this also possible on the
D5 ?? I find nothing (yet) on the Konica Minolta
web pages.

Kind Regards, Erik M R

 

I doubt hardware can be updated with firmware. The 7D was USB 1.1, and now
that Konica-Minolta is out of the camera business it's doubtful any more
support will be offered. You can but an USB 2 high speed card reader and get
the full speed transfer.

 

Darrell Larose () wrote in rec.photo.digital.slr-systems:

The Minolta Maxxum 7D is a USB 2.0 device. The first firmware was not
well written, and transfer speeds were around 7-8Mbps, which is USB 1.1
speed. The 1.10 version firmware corrected this, and gives 20-30Mbps
speeds. This is not the full 480Mbps spec of USB 2.0, but then no other
D-SLR camera comes close, and 20-30Mbps is about what most of them score.

 

Hi there

I had hoped that some tech genius
knew about a nifty trick - or someone
had access to a beta-version of a firmware
update (that will never be released now :-(...

As said, otherwise I am quite happy about
the camera+lens - marvelous pics and good,
logical functionality.

Just seen pics of Sony alpha-100 dSLR: the
Konica Minolta parentage is more than visible
as it looks extremely much as a D5/D7. But
with 10 MP instead of 6.1 MP.

Regards, Erik M R


[This followup was posted to rec.photo.digital.slr-systems and a copy
was sent to the cited author.]

 

Actually the trick here is to take the card out of your camera and pop it
into a $5 card reader, fast and you don't have to have the camera switched
on.

 

I've got a 5D and never even unwrapped the USB cable. Just take the
card out and put it in a cheap reader. Saves the camera batteries
and/or you can be reformatting other cards in the camera while you're
uploading photos to the PC.

 

I only worry about wear and tear on the male pins in the camera body.
So I prefer to hardwire the images over.

 

I don't understand why the camera power even needs to be used to read
the card. The USB should be enough power to power up the CF and read
from it without involving the camera.

I predict this "innovation" will soon (or eventually anyway) occur...

Cheers,
Alan

 

I keep seeing similar statements from people and it's got me wondering
what all the hub-bub is about. I've been popping CF cards in an out of
various devices (camera, PDA, printers, etc.) on almost a daily basis
for 5 or 6 years now and have never, and I do mean NEVER, had a device's
CF slot fail. Nor have I ever personally seen someone else have this
problem.

I'm not exactly someone you would describe as having a delicate touch so
I have to wonder, has anyone actually had this happen to them??

 

Alan Browne wrote:
I only worry about wear and tear on the male pins in the camera body. So

forget it, compact flash is generally rated at a minimum 10,000
insertions, so 10 times a day would still take 3 years to do.

I have never bothered to use the camera to d/load the images, only ever
used card readers, never have had a problem over the last 5-6 years,

so long as you don't try and stick the card in sideways in the typeII
slot you won't have problems with bent pins either.

 

well while you are waiting, the rest of us will just use card readers

 

No. I do no a lady who somehow managed to insert her card sideways into
her new D70 and bent most of the pins...

I know it's not a "great" reason, but it's what I do. I only have one
card so it's not necessary for me to be popping them anyway.

 

Alan Browne wrote:

DOH!!! "no" a lady? Sigh.

 

The 7D is USB 2. There was an initial transfer rate problem that has
been fixed and released by firmware upgrade (well over a year ago).

Cheers,
Alan

 

I do that sort of thing myself when typing fast, usually catch it before
posting but sometimes don't.

Neil

 

Actually I "no" a lady who bought 12 cards before she realised they
were reuseable!

(I also use a card reader with my 5D - one from Photomax that
automatically uploads to my on-line photosite as well as leaving a copy
on the computer - very handy.)

John
www.pictureofhealth.myphotomax.com - Free 5Gb of photo storage
www.pictureofhealth.pictureyourbusiness.com - making sharing those
pictures a business

 

<GUFFAW!>
Reminds me of a camera salesman decades ago who told me about a lady who
brought a sleeve of used flashbulbs (anyone remember flashbulbs?) into the
store and said, "I'd like to have these developed."