How do I get Lightroom 4 to delete off camera when importing (like iPhoto and Aperature)?

Question

When I import photos using iPhoto or Aperature, I get an option to delete them off the camera when the import completes.  That feature is really helpful when there are deveral hynred photos in memory.  How do I accomplish the same thing using Lightroom 4?
Thanks,
Rob

Answer 1

Hamish, there are two important things you should know: 1) if you can recover your deleted photos using any software, then you can do the same thing with "delete after import" and 2) if you can recover after a format, you never did a format, which also brings up the fact that "reformatting" the card to preserve data integrity requires a "full reformat" where every sector of the disk is wiped and, by default, a "quick reformat" just rewrites the File Allocation Table to zeros, ALL the files are still on the card and can be recovered. It's the reason the military has special "secure format" options built into their devices, because even a full reformat leaves magnetic traces that can be recovered with the right software. A secure reformat actually write random data with characters numbered 0-127 to each sector, erases it, writes random data a second time with characters 128-255 and erases it, then finally writes specifically the value "0" to all sectors and then performs a full reformat which places the value "null" in each sector. Then you KNOW your data is gone, each sector has data integrity and can be safely written to again and no one can snatch your data once you've formatted the card.
Apart from the aforementioned arguments, not everyone removes the card to transfer data. Some people use a USB cable and some are now using wireless and I believe their is an IR transfer on some cameras. On cameras using MTP and PTP, some erase/format commands are not available directly over the connection.
However, my biggest concern is twofold, it presumes that Adobe knows better then I what should/could be done with my data and they are helping me "for my own good" (them's fighting words between liberals and conservatives, democrats and republicans) and secondly, it restricts options instead of expanding them. Who knows what possibilities exist or needs may or may not be fulfilled by some creative minds out there (I am constantly amazed at what people can do when given the tools they need) and having options is always a good thing. As was pointed out, if implemented correctly, no harm can come to your data because there is always two copies in existence until verification is made that the copy is a perfect match to the original. On the other hand, I have had cameras corrupt the original, so nothing is ever perfectly safe. However, the "observed" actual practice is that people use Lightroom, transfer the photos, then format the card manually creating the exact same problem as if the camera did it automatically (far easier to reformat while the card is in the computer than put it in the camera and go through all those menus) and thus they would lose the information anyhow. The people who are least likely to lose any data are those who transfer the pictures, then look at every one to assure you have it, then go back and delete them one at a time from your camera and, when empty, then reformat the card. Try doing that during a wedding shoot. Very few people are so disciplined. It is a feature that has outlived it's day. You are hard pressed to find any software besides Lightroom that does not give this option.
Last peculiarity, and maybe it is something I do, but if you shoot and save pictures in both Raw and JPG, when you transfer, onlt the Raw file is transferred leaving the JPG on the camera, but it you shoot just JPG it transfers the JPG and if you shoot just raw it transfers the raw, but it never transfers both. Did I miss a setting somewhere to transfer both copies to the PC?