SD, SDHC, SDXC Slot

I believe your iMac will support SDHC, I'm not familiar with SDXC so I can't really say.

The best app to import photos is going to be iPhoto if that's the app you're using. If you are importing Movie clips then use iMovie. I use Image Capture when I have photos I'm going to be deleting within a month or two so the answer which app is best depends on your use and plans.

Yes you could drag the files from the card into a folder but that seems like a total waste of effort when you could use Image Capture to do the same much much faster.

According to the specs, the new iMacs (mid 2010) support SDHC and SDXC; you might want to check to make sure yours supports them - find the specs for iMacs here (I'm being cautious here because your profile indicates you're running 10.5 = a bit older model):

http://support.apple.com/specs/#imac

If the built-in slot doesn't support the new cards, get a _high speed_ USB reader that will - that should solve the problem; but it might be advisable to contact Cannon support; they're real good about answering support emails.

As for importing pics or videos - here is a slightly different perspective: I prefer simply dragging (importing) them on to the desktop. The reason for this is:

1. videos: depending on the format your camera uses for videos, iMovie may or may not recognize it; I've had that with two Canons. In those cases, I've used MPEG Streamclip (free) to convert them and it's a pretty lossless process if you pick the right conversion format. For some formats, MPEG Streamclip requires the MPEG2 Component available from Apple ($20).

2. Pictures: I prefer making an initial assessment of the pics by looking at them with Preview and then decide which app I want to use (if any) out of several - or, they may wind up in the trash immediately!

So, you can use any of the built-in OS apps for import, but do not need to - you can also simply drag them from the icon onto your desktop and then decide what to do with them.

If you are going to be editing in iMovie anyway it's dumb to do a drag and drop into a folder, you're adding unnecessary steps and both files & folders. Barbara and I clearly don't see eye to eye on that point but that's OK. I've found that following the directions the manufacturer provides 99% of them time is the easiest way to go about things. Most common problems are caused when people deviate from that rule.

KillerKreate wrote:
Thanks, i'm update with software, just signed up a while ago so it seems like i'm outta date, but my iMac is up to date and supports SDXC and SDHC so with your Canons does it just show up on the desktop as "Canon Camera" and the files are in like the DCIM folder or something?

Exactly! And if you have your folder view set to column view, you can even preview pics or videos right there (window is a bit small though).

You didn't make any mention of FCP that's why I made the recommendation I did. Not being a FCP user to be honest I don't know if it has the ability to directly import from a card or camera.

The problem with that idea is that iMovie won't recognize some of the formats Canon uses for the video clips. I don't create any extra folders; I simply drag the file (clip) into MPEG Streamclip and let it do its job. I've also used its' trimming/editing features.

Your welcome.

KillerKreate wrote:
Are you sure this works with the EOS 550D/T2i?

Well, I just checked the Canon site and can't find your model - the closest thing I could find is an EOS 50 D; now, to be sure, I'd contact their support, but, from my experience with them, most of their cameras are in the same specs range with picture and video formats - that's one reason why I buy them (quality being another of course). But, I am talking about cameras, not camcorders and I don't know what the T2i is. My camera is an SX1 IS - it's a camera that also shoots full 1920 HD video.

Final Cut is even worse: I only have the "dummy" version - Final Cut Express - the format it uses doesn't work with iMovie; the video has to be exported into another format if you want to finalize it in iMovie or iDVD. The "importing media files" section of the almost 1,000 page manual is a full 8 pages and there is no mention of a direct import from a camera, only "files and folders". However, I've never tried it or checked into it, so I'm not 100% sure.