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05-07-2009, 08:16 PM   #1
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Will my K10D/KM become obsolete because of computer advances?

I have a K10D and a KM. It just occurred to me...will my cameras become outmoded in the future because the computer programs like Office 2000, 2003, 2007 etc....whatever will develop into yet more modern systems and eventually my costly cameras will not work, be able to transfer pictures and will be obsolete ?

I don't know much about computers except every few years....good stuff that still works becomes useless because it is rendered obsolete.

Are my fears groundless or not ?

05-07-2009, 08:36 PM   #2
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unless USB becomes obsolete you have nothing to fear....and the probability of USB becoming obsolete in the next 1-2 years is in the same category as kirsten dunst starring in actually watchable movie.
05-07-2009, 08:42 PM   #3
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USB? Who needs that as long as there are SD card readers. I suppose 20 years from now that might not be the case, but that's life in the high tech world.
05-07-2009, 08:55 PM   #4
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QuoteOriginally posted by lesmore49 Quote
Are my fears groundless or not ?
It really depends on how long you plan to keep using it. As long as you maintain a computer that is roughly equivalent in age (i.e. has USB or SD card reader, and runs XP/OSX), you should be fine for several years, maybe a decade.

Obsolete does not mean useless, unless you're of the bandwagon mentality, which the majority of Pentax users are not.

05-07-2009, 09:01 PM   #5
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QuoteOriginally posted by Marc Sabatella Quote
USB? Who needs that as long as there are SD card readers. I suppose 20 years from now that might not be the case, but that's life in the high tech world.
um, what do you think SD card readers plug into mate?
05-07-2009, 09:07 PM   #6
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I am hopelessly ignorant about computer and computer programs so forgive my naivety with all things involving computers. Thanks in advance.

I keep my cameras forever...use them too....'52 Leica, '68 Pentax S1a...those are two of the oldest.

I know I have a USB port...I plug devices, like my K10D, KM into this port, but other than that I don't know what the USB does. Do new computers still have them ?

My Toshiba Laptop is about two years old and used XP or Windows 2003, my daughter's Toshiba uses Vista and I understand there is new system out there...Windows 2007.

I don't know if my K10D will operate on Vista or Windows 2007....but the only thing I need to have is USB port and SD card reader and it looks like people figure these maybe around for 10-20 years ? So my Pentax K10D and KM should be good for at least 10-20 years ?

I have a number of pix stored on CD's and a Lacey Hard Drive...will I be able to access my pictures for the next 30 years or so off these items?
05-07-2009, 09:37 PM   #7
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QuoteOriginally posted by Digitalis Quote
um, what do you think SD card readers plug into mate?
Today, USB. Tomorrow, Firewire. 10 years from now, who knows. i expect SD will outlive USB.

05-07-2009, 09:50 PM   #8
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QuoteOriginally posted by lesmore49 Quote
I know I have a USB port...I plug devices, like my K10D, KM into this port, but other than that I don't know what the USB does. Do new computers still have them ?
Most do now. In a couple of years, they probably won't - they'll have Firewire instead. So you probably won't be able to plug your camera directly into a new computer in five years. But as long as you can get a Firewire card reader, you should be able to keep using new computers. Same for whatever replaces Firewire a few years down the road.

QuoteQuote:
I don't know if my K10D will operate on Vista or Windows 2007....
If you use a card reader instead of plugging in directly, then it doens't matter what operating system you use.

QuoteQuote:
I have a number of pix stored on CD's and a Lacey Hard Drive...will I be able to access my pictures for the next 30 years or so off these items?
CD's will still be around, most likely - but the CD's you have created may not be good any more. They don't last forever. Similarly, your hard drive probably won't last that long. You'll probably need to replace it and transfer files to a new drive every few years.
05-07-2009, 10:17 PM   #9
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QuoteOriginally posted by Marc Sabatella Quote
Most do now. In a couple of years, they probably won't - they'll have Firewire instead. So you probably won't be able to plug your camera directly into a new computer in five years. But as long as you can get a Firewire card reader, you should be able to keep using new computers. Same for whatever replaces Firewire a few years down the road.
USB will be around a lot longer than 2 years, especially with USB 3.0. Firewire 800 is definitely faster but just isnt as "universal" as USB.
05-07-2009, 10:31 PM   #10
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QuoteOriginally posted by Digitalis Quote
um, what do you think SD card readers plug into mate?
You know most *modern* PCs and Notebooks have card-readers built in. My HP notebook does; my home made PC has a multi-media card-reader put into its 3.5" bay. My two year old printer Canon MP600 has a built in card-reader. Where does USB and card readers come together? Its pretty much a standard storage media so most computers will have these built in today. Of course you could say my printer is plugged into a USB port But the computers interface is PCI, probably the notebooks as well

With my K20 I use both the USB cable and take the card out and put it into a card reader. I really use the supplied Sandisk SDHC card-reader because of its high-speed plugged into a USB 2.0 port. Why do I use both? I have read of the cameras USB connection failing with use over time, same with the SD card slot so I figure if I split the use I cut the wear and tear in half, Gees what a Pentax dSLR fanatic I must be
05-07-2009, 11:50 PM   #11
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Once the majority of home users have HD video devices, both SD cards and USB will become obsolete. The current standards are too slow. Sure, there may be some limited backward compatibility for a few years, but not for much longer.
05-08-2009, 01:30 AM   #12
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QuoteOriginally posted by Digitalis Quote
QuoteOriginally posted by Marc Sabatella Quote
USB? Who needs that as long as there are SD card readers. I suppose 20 years from now that might not be the case, but that's life in the high tech world.
um, what do you think SD card readers plug into mate?
I have a 5 year old multicard reader (including CF and SD) that's IDE. I also have a PCMCIA CF reader (although that's kind of cheating, given CF's interface). Storage tech is quite portable; they'll always find a bus to attach it to.
05-08-2009, 01:32 AM   #13
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QuoteOriginally posted by lesmore49 Quote
I don't know if my K10D will operate on Vista or Windows 2007....but the only thing I need to have is USB port and SD card reader and it looks like people figure these maybe around for 10-20 years ? So my Pentax K10D and KM should be good for at least 10-20 years ?
You can plug your K10D into Vista. I have been doing that and it is not an issue. Use the USB cable to the USB port on the laptop. Vista will recognise it right away.

i do the same for my new K20D too. Only I now have Photoshop Lightroom to manage the pictures that are downloaded instead of having Vistga manage the pictures for my K10D.
05-08-2009, 01:36 AM   #14
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QuoteOriginally posted by OregonJim Quote
Once the majority of home users have HD video devices, both SD cards and USB will become obsolete. The current standards are too slow. Sure, there may be some limited backward compatibility for a few years, but not for much longer.
SD already morphed once (into SDHC), and hasn't sat still -- SDXC is next. It's probably a tossup whether video gear goes for internal SSDs or something removable in the near future, but the SD line isn't getting left behind.

I'd actually like to see USB die for this use case in favor of Firewire, but I fear market pressures will make USB 3 king instead. Base USB isn't going anywhere for a long time, as there isn't anything better for things like keyboards, mice, printers, media players, etc.
05-08-2009, 02:08 AM   #15
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QuoteOriginally posted by lesmore49 Quote
I have a K10D and a KM. It just occurred to me...will my cameras become outmoded in the future because the computer programs like Office 2000, 2003, 2007 etc....whatever will develop into yet more modern systems and eventually my costly cameras will not work, be able to transfer pictures and will be obsolete ?

I don't know much about computers except every few years....good stuff that still works becomes useless because it is rendered obsolete.

Are my fears groundless or not ?
They will be fine for years and years yet. Chances are you will have upgraded your camera before those become obsolete.

Software is usually backward compatible with previous versions, the example you provided, Microsoft Office has used the same file formats from Office 95 right up to the current edition, 2007 - and Office 2007 is compatible with the previous format.

Hardware is also supported for a long time, SDHC card readers will be still around in 10 years just like it's possible to still get floppy disk drives now.
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