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Cameras Improves The Way OS X Deals With Connected Cameras

Mac OS X only: Never been entirely happy with the way your Mac reacts when you plug in your various camera-sporting devices? Wish it could do something different when you plug in your iPhone versus your DSLR? Cameras can help.

Cameras is a free preference pane that keeps track of cameras you’ve plugged into your Mac and allows you to set custom behaviour for each device. For example, whenever I plug in my point-and-shoot, I want to import photos into iPhoto. My iPhone, on the other hand, is normally filled more with screenshots than photos, so I’d rather not import anything into iPhoto (in fact, I’d rather it just do nothing). With Cameras, you can set system behaviour on a per-camera basis. Cameras can open any application, do nothing, ask you what to do, or just automatically download your photos.

Cameras is a free download, Mac OS X only. Thanks Jason!

Cameras [Flexbits]

Comments (AU Comments | US Comments)

  • Bill Clark
    Wow, this is perfect! I'd been looking for something like this, because I'm sick of iPhoto opening every time I connect my iPhone. I'd been able to control this on my Windows PC, but couldn't find anything even remotely helpful for my macbook.
  • DiscoZombie

    @89macrunner: I use a card reader too, mostly just because it's so much more convenient than hooking up a cable to the camera, but this is nice for shutting off everything associated with plugging in my phone, which I never takes pics with.

    DiscoZombie

  • 89macrunner

    i just use a CF reader that does nothing when i plug it in. the camera is just way too slow to transfer 10mb raw files

    nothing happens until i open aperture and tell it to download my pics.

    89macrunner

  • Greg McMullin

    Bookmarked! Will grab this when I get home.

  • smith134

    This software seems really good, but I am not enough familiar with Mac..
    Is it available for windows???

  • Jerry Adney

    @ericesque: Yeah, but those are just snarktastic advertising jabs created by someone who is either unaware or willfully ignorant of features like Device Stage in Win7.

    Anyway, not trying to turn this into a Windows v. OSX thread. Good to see anything that customizes a popular OS to make it more usable.

    Jerry Adney

  • Eruanno

    Hey, that's not a bad idea at all. The only downside I can see with this (and it's not a downside of the app itself) is that I only have one camera :P

  • flysi

    @ericsesque - Macs do work nicely with your peripherals; it's just that for instance, you may want to download your point and shoot pics only in iPhoto, and your SLR pics only in Aperture, and use something else entirely for other hardware.

    I've heard, though, that this functionality will be included in a built-in System Preference in Snow Leopard.

    flysi

  • ericesque

    What's the point of this app? I seem to recall a Mac/PC commercial illustrating how easily Macs work with peripherals. I'm confused.

    ericesque

  • DiscoZombie

    Very nice. I'm always very skeptical about third party apps for the Mac, mostly because they're usually redundant to the OS itself. This one is to some extent, but it sure is handy to have the settings all in one location. Using it now. ;-)

    DiscoZombie

  • rychdom

    @astrosmash: You win. I actually lol'd, which isn't exactly common. Well done.

  • Alicemagic

    @astrosmash: You're...crazy. It's as big as the logo.

  • miguelpineiro

    Awesome, thanks for the share. I too was having some setbacks with this. :)

    -Mig

  • ModernTenshi04

    I used to have a small little script that would run when I connected my iPhone. Was pretty basic: if it's my iPhone, do nothing, else open iPhoto.

    ModernTenshi04

  • ModernTenshi04

    @jdoree: Usually it is, but you may have simply set iPhoto to not start up when you plug in a camera.

    ModernTenshi04

  • strabes

    Awesome. It's pretty annoying when iPhoto pops up when I mount my G1 because there are rarely pics on it that I want to keep.

  • FubarGuy

    @astrosmash: Aside from the huge DOWNLOAD button you mean? Or, was that some of the fabled Internet Humor I've heard so much about?

    FubarGuy

  • jdoree

    Interesting. I've never had iPhoto start up when connecting my iPhone. Is that normal?

  • JoshDev

    Great app! I was resigned to the fact that iPhoto was always going to start when I plugged in my iPhone. This makes quick syncs so much better. Thanks for the tip.

  • John Bannister

    @[www.flexibits.com] )

    John Bannister

  • astrosmash

    Call me crazy, but I don't see a download link on their web page.

    astrosmash

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