The Secrets of the iPad Camera Connection Kit
Sharon Vaknin/CNET
With the third-generation iPad's ultra-high-resolution Retina display and new iPhoto for iOS, editing photos and videos on the go becomes more convenient.
Designed specifically for iPad, Apple's Proprietary Camera Connection Kit lets you transfer full-resolution photos and videos from your digital camera to your iPad without the need for a computer.
The $29 kit
comes with two components: a USB adapter and an SD card adapter. As the name suggests, the intended use of these adapters is to transfer media from your camera to your iPad. But after a bit of tinkering, it is clear that these dongles can be used for much more.
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Secrets of the Apple iPad Camera Connection Kit
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Using the Camera Connection Kit (CCK) to transfer and edit photos, videos
CCK offers two ways to transfer photos from your camera to your iPad. If your camera uses an SD card, use the SD card adapter. But, if your camera uses another storage card (such as the Sony proprietary), connect it to the USB adapter with the included USB cable.
Once your respective adapter is in the iPad, the Photos app will launch immediately. Tap to select the photos you want to transfer, or tap Import at the bottom and select Import All. The imported photos will appear in the Albums tab in a new folder.
You'll then have the option to delete photos from the SD card, which is useful if you're traveling and need to free up storage space on your SD card in a pinch.
Now that your photos are on the iPad, you can
edit them in the iPhoto app
, share them on Facebook, or even upload them to your Dropbox or other cloud storage service.
FYI, I tested the Camera Connection Kit with the iPhone, and it's definitely not compatible. Too bad.
The Camera Connection Kit USB Adapter can be used with more than just your camera.
Sharon Vaknin/CNET
Using CCK for more than photography
Contrary to its name, the CCK will also allow you to use other USB-enabled devices with your iPad. But since these devices are powered by the iPad, only some will work.
Here are a few that may work (possibly with some limitations) with your iPad:
MIDI Equipment: Digital keyboards, drums, and synthesizers can be recorded using an application such as GarageBand. Not all models will work, so
check this list
to see if yours is compatible. If the instrument can be connected to an external power supply, be sure to plug it in.
USB Microphones: Record higher quality audio with an external mic,
like the snowball
, which is compatible with iPad via the CCK. With this setup, you can record voice directly into GarageBand or your favorite audio recording app.
Desktop Keyboards: Your USB desktop keyboard is much more comfortable than those cramped iPad keyboards. Sure, it's not a portable solution, but if you find it necessary, you can plug a regular keyboard into the CCK. Just ignore the warning message.
Card Readers: If your camera writes to a CF card and you have a small CF card reader, just plug it into the USB adapter and the iPad will read its contents.
Ripped movies: If you have ripped movies or home videos, you can use the CCK to add extra storage space to iPad. You would only import a movie when you are ready to watch it. To do this, rename your movies to match your digital camera's filename structure. For example, "DCIM_4132." Then drag the file to a folder labeled "DCIM" on an SD card or flash drive. USB. When you plug your SD card or USB flash drive into the iPad via the CCK, you will be able to import the movie to your iPad and play it from the Photos app.
Your iPhone or Android phone: It works, but with a few limitations. If you need to transfer photos from your iPhone to your iPad in a pinch, plugging it in via USB will bring up the Photos app, allowing you to import photos And, as long as your Android phone stores photos in a folder called DCIM, it will react the same way.
After a few tests, it is clear that you
can't
read or write non-photo files to an external hard drive or USB flash drive. This would have been a great way to expand your iPad's storage. Alas, it's not (yet) possible.
If you discover any unique ways to use the Camera Connection Kit, let me know in the comments.