Can't import pictures from Kodak EasyShare Z915

Question

I used a Kodak EasyShare Z915 camera to shoot two pictures but the EasyShare software doesn't work. Neither the original software on CD, nor the Version 6.2 that I downloaded from the Kodak website.
Their theory is that the action of plugging the USB 2.0 cable into the Mac, is enough to identify the presence of the camera, and proceed from there, an automatic handshaking that is sufficient to begin the image import process.
Unfortunately for me, plugging the USB 2.0 cable into the Mac, does not seem to be enough to get the handshakes going.
Even worse, it interfered with my keyboard and mouse to the point that I could not click my reset button. I had to unplug the darn power cable instead, and go through a cold power up.
No help from the programmers at Kodak. I guess they already have their hands full with Windows bugs.

Answer 1

Ken Hart wrote:
Sorry, just trying to help.
I've got an older Easyshare camera and while I've used the bundled Kodak software in Windows OK, I never tried it on my Mac as iPhoto (or rather Image Capture) recognized it and would transfer the photos.
Have you tried an inexpensive USB media card reader that you can just plug the card into and transfer the pictures that way?
I was using the internal memory of the Kodak EasyShare Z915. If only I'd had an extra SD card to put in it, when I shot the pictures! It is not like I don't have any. I have lots of SD cards. In the case of the Kodak EasyShare Z915, there is a small amount of internal memory that is "built-in." There are two pictures on it at this very moment. Probably the maximum.
Now, I am not sure if there is an easy way to treat the entire camera as a removable SD, fortuitously plugged into a multi-card reader. The only multi-card reader I have, lacks a double USB port (which no doubt would be a handy thing to have). The camera doesn't look like any part of it slides into the multi-card reader. Can you suggest a multi-card reader (or even a single card reader) that has a port that opens up wide enough to plug a Kodak EasyShare Z915 into it somehow, in the way you are visualizing? The Kodak EasyShare Z915 has a female USB 2.0 port. Were you visualizing the possibility it had a male USB 2.0 plug that swings out?
You would think camera manufacturers would have entertained the possibility somewhere along the line that direct camera-to-camera daisy-chaining, is what a lot of consumers would immediately go for, obviating the need for a host computer to store the pictures on. Of course, that sort of thing might be possible, just by swapping out SD cards. But I made the mistake of shooting the pictures directly to the camera's internal memory, where it now appears to be trapped.
Do you want/need the Kodak software for a purpose other than the transfer of images (not being insulting here, just asking).
I would ditch their bundled software in a heartbeat if I could. It doesn't work. It freezes my keyboard, and jams my mouse. I just want those two pictures out. I am on the verge of buying a PC just for this one purpose.
One more troubleshooting tip. Are you using the USB cable bundled with the camera?
Yes. It is a black USB cable, fits just fine, and happens to have a little torus magnet attached to one end, apparently to stabilize any high-speed data transfers it is attempting.
I've found that cameras often include a proprietary USB cable. I've been perplexed by this several times when I used a standard cable to connect my camera, have it recognized but unable to transfer the photos.
Message was edited by: beta_zero