Z9 file transfers (best way and preferences)?

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You must have a lot of time and/or not take that many photos. IMHO, a card reader is the only way to go. I have the fastest setup I can find, as I may upload 10,000+ images at a time (mosttly 1,500 -3,500). I have NEVER had any door problems and even if I did a quick trip to Nikon would fix that. Best of luck.
 
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I take about 1,000 on a days outing. It takes perhaps 5 minutes to upload that many to my IPad. That is the first thing I do when I return, and after hooking them up, I change clothes and whatever, then it is done. Works for me, perhaps not fo you.
 
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Pretty much what @Steve said.

I am now using a very fast download set up with ProGrade CFexpress™ Type B 4.0 Memory Card (Gold) 512GB and ProGrade CFexpress Type B single-slot USB4.0 card reader. No current camera can use the full write speed possible with type B 4.0 but with this card reader and a USB 4.0 thunderbolt cable connected to a port in a Mac (I use a Mac Studio) that can use USB 4.0, the download speeds are absolutely the fastest I have used.

I put the card in open it and drag and drop and a couple of thousand Raw images are on my desktop in seconds. Far faster than I could ever do with the cable from the camera.

I have no concerns with the camera door on my Z9's.
 
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KurtH said:
I now keep my camera/lens combo on the tripod in the far corner of the room (out of the way of jumping cats and running dogs) and merely plug in the RJ45 connector from a nearby network connection, turn on the camera, and it automatically transfers the new files to the designated folder...easy peasy fresh and sneezy. This seems to work for me but I'm curious if I'm missing something even cooler on the Z9 for file transfers.
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Could you be a little more specific on what method you are using to transfer the files via ethernet. If it is transferring without any intervention are you using FTP? Is the Z9 constantly looking for an active FTP connection?
 
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MartyD said:
Could you be a little more specific on what method you are using to transfer the files via ethernet. If it is transferring without any intervention are you using FTP? Is the Z9 constantly looking for an active FTP connection?
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Hi Marty, thanks for your curiosity. No FTP, no intervention.

There are a few simple steps to set up the network connection on the camera, which also pairs the camera to the computer via the Wireless Transmitter Utility (only have to run it once during the initial setup so not to worry). Once the initial setup/pairing is completed, you can literally turn on the camera, insert the RJ45 ethernet connector (i.e., the network connection) into the camera, and it will transfer any new pictures to the specified destination. No intervention on the computer is needed (as long as it's turn on). It really is that simple.

The directions for setup are on page 333 of the manual. I added the step of turning on "auto upload" under the Network Menu, Connect to Computer, Options menu.

I believe the same steps can be used for the WiFi and USB transport methods as well. I had some reliability issues with the WiFi functionality (and it was slooooow), so I opted to the ethernet method. I should also mention that I'm using Windows 11.
 
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A bit off topic, but certainly related:

I have a Z8 which I will be taking abroad with me. As a backup, I would like to use the FTP ( File Transfer Protocol) capability of the camera to back up a copy of my images directly from the camera over a Wi-Fi connection to my FTP server in my office, without requiring a computer. This would ensure that I have a set of files safely waiting at home for me when I return. I can transfer my images from a memory card to acomputer and then from the computer to the FTP server, but it would be much more elegant to send them directly from camera to FTP server. Since Nikon built the capability in, they must have expected it to be used.

I have followed the manual and thus far I can get the camera connected to the internet via Wi-Fi, but as yet, I haven't been able to authenticate to complete the connection at the server end. I was wondering if anyone else had been successful at this and if there are any secret "tricks" to getting it working?

TIA

Pundamilia
 
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Pundamilia said:
A bit off topic, but certainly related:

I have a Z8 which I will be taking abroad with me. As a backup, I would like to use the FTP ( File Transfer Protocol) capability of the camera to back up a copy of my images directly from the camera over a Wi-Fi connection to my FTP server in my office, without requiring a computer. This would ensure that I have a set of files safely waiting at home for me when I return. I can transfer my images from a memory card to acomputer and then from the computer to the FTP server, but it would be much more elegant to send them directly from camera to FTP server. Since Nikon built the capability in, they must have expected it to be used.

I have followed the manual and thus far I can get the camera connected to the internet via Wi-Fi, but as yet, I haven't been able to authenticate to complete the connection at the server end. I was wondering if anyone else had been successful at this and if there are any secret "tricks" to getting it working?

TIA

Pundamilia
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Hi Pundamillia. There are usually logs and/or error messages associated with FTP server transfer failures (i.e., authentication failed, wrong port, etc.). Is this your server or a provider's server, and do you know the messages if any?

I haven't tried FTP yet but have been playing with the many transfer methods Nikon has engineered into the camera. FTP is on my list when I return from this trip. I'm on a Z9 but functionality should be the same.

Also, the original FTP protocol was not secure so be aware. Newer versions have popped up over the years (SFTP, etc.) to fix it but unsure if Nikon is using the secure version. Even the authentication may be "in the open" so ne careful.

Kurt
 
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I would recommend periodically verifying the number of files on the camera and the number that have been transferred to the computer. I have had problems with Nikon Transfer where it would fail to transfer several files and so I stopped using the application as it was time consuming to discover which files had not been copied over.
 
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Calson said:
I would recommend periodically verifying the number of files on the camera and the number that have been transferred to the computer. I have had problems with Nikon Transfer where it would fail to transfer several files and so I stopped using the application as it was time consuming to discover which files had not been copied over.
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Nikon Transfer has had a number of hiccups and incompatibility issues over the years. I quit using it a long time ago. Dragging and dropping to my desk top from the card in the reader is easy and super fast.
 
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KurtH said:
no door opening/closing (that many had expressed concern about in a different thread but didn't show themselves here)
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I think you may have misinterpreted that thread. People were a bit annoyed on how stiff the door was to operate.
Don't think there are any concerns with wear and tear of either the door, the card slot, or any port for that matter.

So unless you are looking to use the camera on a daily basis till the year 2124, I wouldn't worry too much about wear and tear. Its a beast of a camera, built like a tank.
 
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I think my issue is that I am afraid that between the computer, Adobe Lightroom and Microsoft something is going to screw up and I am going to lose images.

I have figured out a system that is simple and works for me. It involves use of a card reader and it is plenty fast and I am not losing anything so far.

I believe that if it ain't broke don't fix it.

While I think it might be fun to figure out creative ways to integrate my Z9 with a computer network, I am not a network engineer and there is stuff that goes in in there I have never learned and don;t understand.

Years ago I spent some time with a friend who works for Microsoft on the Windows team. I learned how those people work. They live a life of chaos. They are always working with the latest code and things are always breaking.

I think the code for a computer operating system has gotten so large and so complicated it is impossible for any single human brain to fully understand it.

I am here to be a photographer. I just want to keep my pictures safe.
 
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Ken Miracle said:
Nikon Transfer has had a number of hiccups and incompatibility issues over the years. I quit using it a long time ago. Dragging and dropping to my desk top from the card in the reader is easy and super fast.
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Same here: I drag & drop, and than in order to make sure no data lost I compare the number of files and the total size of the source (card) and target (computer folder)
 
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Asafser said:
Same here: I drag & drop, and than in order to make sure no data lost I compare the number of files and the total size of the source (card) and target (computer folder)
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A note of caution for readers who have not used drag and drop. The card looked at as a drive alone will show more data than what I drag and drop since I am only dragging and dropping the image file.
 
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