It's no longer uncommon for an individual to have multiple cameras, and to use those cameras with a computer. People often have a point-and-shoot, a cell phone with camera functionality, and maybe even a DSLR for different picture-taking scenarios. Chances are, however, that people don't do the same thing with pictures from each camera. While iPhoto may cut it for a point-and-shoot, you may need Aperture or Lightroom to deal with the .raw images from a DSLR.

Mac OS X lets you decide which application you want to open when a image device is connected, but it doesn't let you chose what happens on a per-camera basis. It sure would be nice if you could assign an application to each individual camera, wouldn't it? Enter Cameras, a freeware solution for OS X that allows you to do just that.

Cameras is a preference pane that allows users to assign specific applications to open when a camera, iPhone, or card reader is connected. This might not be for you if you just launch iPhoto whenever you connect your camera, but if you have a point-and-shoot for family outings and a DSLR for professional work, the preference pane can save you some time and headaches. Watch out if you rely on a card reader, though: when I connected my 8-in-1 USB card reader, I wasn't able to change which software came up. Instead, I was asked what I wanted to do every time it's plugged in.

In its current state, there will be people who are thrilled with the enhancement that comes from Cameras, but there are still a few features left to be desired. For example, I'm willing to bet that Cameras isn't compatible with the Eye-Fi. Also, the pane isn't compatible with the Flip Ultra, (I understand the Flip doesn't take still photos, but it would still be a nice feature). This makes me wonder if it works with similar devices that do take still images, like the Kodak Zi6. I would also like to see the preference pane treat image readers as cameras based on the metadata on the media inserted.

It isn't perfect, but Cameras is a great solution for many pro and casual photographers. And it is free—a hard price to match for software that many would be willing to pay for.

Listing image by jazza