Downloading Panasonic Lumix GH1 images to Aperture.

It's much quicker (and easier for most) to simply take the card out of the camera and use a USB (or built-in) card reader.

Aperture can be set to be activated when a camera or card is mounted.

See the Users Guide for detailed information on Importing. Many people assign Project names, file names, file locations, keywords, metadata (copyright, for instance) and make backups as part of their import process.

Add depends how you define "expensive." Usually you can find one for under $20.

pvonk is being v. conservative. You can get a Class 6 4 GB card and a USB card reader for under $15. Card readers go as low as $0.01.

http://www.amazon.com/s?ie=UTF8&index=blended&keywords=SDHCcardreader

You do not need to ever even load the CD-ROM into a computer, let alone install Silkypix.

Silkypix is a raw developer (also called a raw converter). "Raw" describes a family of file formats for encoding digital camera's sensor information. Every mfr. has its own proprietary raw file format (some have more than one). Raw developers take the data from these raw files and convert them to a displayable image format.

You can use any raw developer which can read your camera's raw files. Almost all -- perhaps even all -- raw developers can read the raw files from your GH1 right out of the camera. That includes Aperture, Lightroom, Capture One, and others (inc., of course, Silkypix).

Silkypix is usable, and comes with your camera. If you have and/or are going to use Aperture there is no reason to even install it. Aperture includes an excellent raw developer.

Good luck.

If you ever find yourself in the position of grumping about limitations in Aperture, install SilkyPix and try to learn to use it. Try reading the English translation of the manual. Spend a while playing with it and thinking about workflows. Then go back to Aperture - chastened! 🙂

Additionally, for info, SilkyPix is not written by Panasonic. They have merely licensed a light version of this commercial package. (I got the impression that it's probably quite popular in its home marketplace.)

To be fair to SP, I did spend quite a bit of time with it (for my DMC-G1) and have quite a bit of respect for what the app can produce. But it's really quite old-fashioned in some respects and certainly not designed for the same sort of workflows that Aperture (and LightRoom) can provide. Also, the English version of its manual could have done with a bit more work, though after a while I did get used to its idiosyncrasies. 🙂

Regards,
Gary