Updated 07/09/2006: added photos of various menus.
One of the reasons I purchased the 60GB iPod, over the 30GB model, was to have enough disk space to do some file backups while traveling. The iPod provides a great way to backup those precious travel pictures and is a means of clearing the camera's flash memory card. In order to import the data from your camera you will need to purchase Apple's iPod Camera Connector. This connector allows you to connect your camera's USB cable.
This setup works great with the DSC-W70, although I had some additional requirements which forced some file management on the camera. These requirements include:
- The ability to resize images with the camera for easy transfer to my T-Mobile MDA for emailing (I will discuss in further detail in my next travel technology entry).
- The ability to keep images and videos on the W70 's memory card for slide show purposes.
- Keeping the backup transfer times to a minimum.
As with most digital camera, a DCIM (Digital Camera Images) directory is automatically created on the memory card. Sony has chosen to create subdirectories named XXXMSDCF (XXX=101 - 999) they call folders. In the W70 this is a fixed naming structure and you cannot change it with the camera. The W70 has three key features to manage the subdirectories under menu.
Create REC. Folder. A new folder is created using the next sequential XXX number (p. 51 of user manual).
Change REC. Folder. Changes the folder to which the camera records images and videos (p. 52 of user manual).
In USB mode, Select Folder allows you to select which folder you would like to transfer.
In order to resize images for emailing, the W70 allows you to resize to VGA size (~100KB). In order to simplify the transfer of these files I created a new directory and made it the current REC. Folder (Change REC. Folder). In review mode, under menu the first icon allows you to select the folder you want to view, you then select the picture to resize, go back into menu, go the resize icon (6th from the left). Select VGA, the selected image will be resized in the newly created directory. This directory can then be transferred for emailing.
I could use the iPod for slide show purposes but the iPod does not play mpg (MPEG 1) movies, only mp4 (MPEG 4), so I my only choice is to use the camera. In order to make the slide show selection easier I started creating a new folder (Create REC. Folder) every morning before going out on our day's trekking.
The creation of a daily folder also helped with the backup to the iPod. When you connect the W70 USB cable (USB mode must be set to PTP, p. 34 of manual) to the iPod connector, you can select the folder you want to transfer under menu. The iPod creates a new "Roll 1, 2, 3,..., XX" for every import (Apple speak) for transfer. The iPod is now organized by day, where Roll X equals day. Once I arrived home I transfered each Roll from the iPod using Microsoft's Digital Image Library. There is no need to use iTunes, since Windows XP recognizes the iPod as a removable disk drive.
This worked great, and I loved having the security of a backup while traveling, however there is no way to delete a folder directly from the camera.
Comments