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CNET editors' rating:
2.5 stars
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Product summary
The good: Frees your media card so that you can shoot more photos; turns your iPod into an in-the-field storage device.
The bad: Not compatible with iPod Mini; can't view photos on iPod Photo until you've synced with iTunes; slow transfer times; too bulky for our tastes.
The bottom line: The Digital Camera Link can be a handy iPod companion, but we recommend spending your money on extra media cards instead.
Price range: $59.99
CNET editors' review
- Reviewed on: 12/21/2004
Matching the iPod in color--but not in style--the Digital Camera Link runs on two AA batteries and communicates with the user via three LEDs that light up in either red or green. Without the manual, the series of flashing lights simply looks like a light show and can cause confusion. Luckily, a chart on the device's backside helps you decode the messages, which range from "connected to iPod" (single green LED) and "transferring data" (three flashing LEDs) to "low battery" (single red LED) to "incompatible source" (first and third red flashing LEDs).
Much of the perceived transfer action is based on these flashing lights, and it can be difficult to gauge progress, especially since you can't actually see the photos on the iPod itself. For added assurance, a data-verification feature double-checks that the transferred data matches the data on the card, though we think an LCD would be a handier feature. iPod Photo owners should understand that photos are transferred only as data files, and you can only see them on the device once you've synced with iTunes. After you've transferred your photos, you'll see the data represented as rolls on your iPod, which can be deleted or transferred to a computer later.
Compatible with most new cameras (including major players such as Nikon, Kodak, Olympus, and Sony), the Digital Camera Link really comes in handy when you're out in the field and away from a computer. It's a bit big for our taste, but then again, it's better than carrying a laptop. You can archive as many as 2,000 files in a single session, and the device copies all file types including JPEG, TIFF, and AVI. File-transfer times range from 0.8Mbps to 1.0Mbps, so if you have 256MB of photos, copying them can take a good while--more than 30 minutes. Also, the device is not compatible with Microdrive cards, although if you have one of those, you won't need a Digital Camera Link. Battery life is rated for as many as 24 128MB cards, a reasonable number. You can also check out Belkin's $100 Media Reader, which interfaces with media cards themselves. Or just get an extra media card--they're getting cheaper!
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Belkin Digital Camera Link for iPod:
