Getting Photos to MacBook Pro

[brifraz]

Hoping someone here can assist...

We are trying to get all our photos from our new Nikon D5200 onto our MacBook Pro in order to clear off the disc each day at the World; however, the "Finder" doesn't seem to want to find the camera or the disc when we plug it in. It will find either one in iPhoto, but iPhoto doesn't recognize or import the RAW images.

Relatively new to both the camera and the Mac and wondering if anyone can help??

 

[NowInc]

Hoping someone here can assist...

We are trying to get all our photos from our new Nikon D5200 onto our MacBook Pro in order to clear off the disc each day at the World; however, the "Finder" doesn't seem to want to find the camera or the disc when we plug it in. It will find either one in iPhoto, but iPhoto doesn't recognize or import the RAW images.

Relatively new to both the camera and the Mac and wondering if anyone can help??

Well first of all, your macbook has a SD card slot, so if you arent already doing so, I would recommend NOT plugging the camera directly into your usb port, and instead remove the SD card and put it in the reader instead (WAY WAY safer).

Once you do that, you will see the SD card appear in finder...and you can even see all the files..however..preview and iphoto both do not support the RAW (NEF) files that are created by the D5200...for this you have a couple of options:

LIGHTROOM! (its under $150 dollars and is the #1 purchase I suggest for EVERY DSLR user). Lightroom will not only import your raw files, but enable you to touch them up faster and better than iPhoto..by a long shot. It also helps keep things organized, and has export options for flickr, facebook, smugmug, and a few others...or you can just export as jpg, a web page, a slideshow...a book....the options are pretty vast and well worth the money. And if you are scared of a learning curve, youtube is FULL of free tutorials on how to use it. It is pretty popular

If you don't feel like spending money (photography is a very expensive hobby), you could always just get the Adobe DNG Converter . Its free and will convert the NEF files from your SD card to a DNG (still raw, just a more standard format of raw) that can be viewed in finder and iphoto.

Hope all this helps

 

[brifraz]

Thanks. For whatever reason, when we put the SD card into the reader slot, it was not coming up in the Finder, only in iPhoto. That happened a few times, but now has started working fine.

Much as I am enjoying the quality of pictures from the new Nikon, we are definitely having some issues. The iPhoto not reading RAW files is annoying, but not unsolvable (since all the good photo software is home, not on this laptop).

The bigger issue we have is that there appears to be a bug with the 5200 and the shutter mechanism sticking. We had been having some problems with it the first couple times I used it, but once I had re-installed the battery, it seemed to work correctly. Yesterday (while taking 400+ pics in the MK) it was much more of a problem, happening about 30-40% of the time - not acceptable. After some online research last night it seems we aren't the only people with this issue, so after these two weeks of DW use, it might be getting exchanged. Based on what we've read it is not a solvable issue and the body will need to be replaced. Either of you @Master Yoda or @NowInc know anything about this one?

 

[NowInc]

Thanks. For whatever reason, when we put the SD card into the reader slot, it was not coming up in the Finder, only in iPhoto. That happened a few times, but now has started working fine.

Much as I am enjoying the quality of pictures from the new Nikon, we are definitely having some issues. The iPhoto not reading RAW files is annoying, but not unsolvable (since all the good photo software is home, not on this laptop).

The bigger issue we have is that there appears to be a bug with the 5200 and the shutter mechanism sticking. We had been having some problems with it the first couple times I used it, but once I had re-installed the battery, it seemed to work correctly. Yesterday (while taking 400+ pics in the MK) it was much more of a problem, happening about 30-40% of the time - not acceptable. After some online research last night it seems we aren't the only people with this issue, so after these two weeks of DW use, it might be getting exchanged. Based on what we've read it is not a solvable issue and the body will need to be replaced. Either of you @Master Yoda or @NowInc know anything about this one?

Never heard about it..but it doesn't surprise me unfortunately. Nikon bodys have been leaving the line with defects more often than in the past (D600/D800 had some issues, as well as the D4). Not ALL bodies come off broken, but they are really good about the exchanges. You may want to look up a local authorized nikon service center to make it all go faster...and to save you on shipping

 

[PhotoDave219]

Hoping someone here can assist...

We are trying to get all our photos from our new Nikon D5200 onto our MacBook Pro in order to clear off the disc each day at the World; however, the "Finder" doesn't seem to want to find the camera or the disc when we plug it in. It will find either one in iPhoto, but iPhoto doesn't recognize or import the RAW images.

Relatively new to both the camera and the Mac and wondering if anyone can help??

It's just a matter of dragging & dropping the files from the card and into your destination folder.

 

[brifraz]

It's just a matter of dragging & dropping the files from the card and into your destination folder.

Yup, that's what we've been doing. For some unknown reason the Finder wasn't reading the disc for the first couple days. But that is the least of the camera frustrations. There is a mechanical problem with the shutter and it only works about 50% of the time. Contacted the seller and they said that is a problem that the 5200s have been having, so it is going to get replaced. BUT, we are actually at Disney for the next 9 days (been here for 4) so I'm still going to be using it and taking what I can get. When it works, I am certainly enjoying it!

 

[ddbowdoin]

Yup, that's what we've been doing. For some unknown reason the Finder wasn't reading the disc for the first couple days. But that is the least of the camera frustrations. There is a mechanical problem with the shutter and it only works about 50% of the time. Contacted the seller and they said that is a problem that the 5200s have been having, so it is going to get replaced. BUT, we are actually at Disney for the next 9 days (been here for 4) so I'm still going to be using it and taking what I can get. When it works, I am certainly enjoying it!

agh, digital cameras on ebay... ALWAYS a gamble

 

[brifraz]

agh, digital cameras on ebay... ALWAYS a gamble

Not through eBay, 47th street photo. An excellent dealer, one of the best in the country in my opinion. From what I have read and heard from them, Nikon has been slipping seriously on quality control in recent years and they are finding that over 10% of the cameras they get are faulty, with this shutter issue being the top mechanical defect.

 

[ddbowdoin]

Not through eBay, 47th street photo. An excellent dealer, one of the best in the country in my opinion. From what I have read and heard from them, Nikon has been slipping seriously on quality control in recent years and they are finding that over 10% of the cameras they get are faulty, with this shutter issue being the top mechanical defect.

B&H

 

[NowInc]

Not through eBay, 47th street photo. An excellent dealer, one of the best in the country in my opinion. From what I have read and heard from them, Nikon has been slipping seriously on quality control in recent years and they are finding that over 10% of the cameras they get are faulty, with this shutter issue being the top mechanical defect.

10% is a pretty bold estimate. I'm not saying Nikon cameras aren't shipping with a larger than normal amount of mechanical issues (actually more often its oil on the sensor that's the problem), but overall the amount with issues is pretty small. Most of the forums I read are people freaking out because they HEARD of a problem and assume they have it as well...(not saying yours doesn't have the issue), only to exchange the camera and find out the new one has the same "issue"..which isnt actually an issue at all.

I'll give you an example:

There was a HUGE amount of people complaining of "banding" in the raw images generated by the camera that I own. This was all sparked by ONE user who said it was a HUGE problem and even posted an example image to prove it. Sure enough, there was banding. What the original poster FAILED to mention was that he did HEAVY HEAVY image editing on it...namely bringing up the shadows beyond where there was any usable data, and thus causing banding. Every other user was in outrage over the camera sensor being defective, even tho banding in shadows is going to happen on ANY camera if you push the shadows too far..but because one person reported it as a "Confirmed and absolutely unacceptable flaw" with the body, a LOT (more than I can remember) of people sent theirs in to be exchanged.

 

[brifraz]

10% is a pretty bold estimate. I'm not saying Nikon cameras aren't shipping with a larger than normal amount of mechanical issues (actually more often its oil on the sensor that's the problem), but overall the amount with issues is pretty small.

I thought that sounded like a large number. Perhaps he was just trying to brush it off. My problem is mechanical - the shutter catches while it is closing. It tries to remedy itself by asking you to open the shutter again to get it to reset. Which usually works until it catches on the very next picture. The current work-around that I am using is to keep it in Live View which forces it to be open and seems to reduce the amount that it catches. Problem is getting it to where it starts working. When I turn it on, it will take between 10 and 20 shutter releases to get it right - and to even get the Live View to work. Once I get it to work in Live View, I get about 75% problem free pictures as opposed to the 50% or less that I get when it is not in Live View.

Very frustrating, but they are going to replace it (after I get home from Disney).