Why can't I open pictures DIRECTLY for a camera?

fseal said:

IMHO it's just simpler to take the card out. No need to drain the battery, generally faster and I usually have multiple cards in rotation anyway.

I agree.

One argument for the other approach, however, namely leaving the card in the camera... and deriving from the aforementioned use of manufacturer-provided application software to handle transfers.

For example Canon provides software (e.g. Zoom Browser) to transfer pictures and folders from camera to computer. As it turns out it also can deal with the card by itself, inserted into a reader. Nikon as well has its own transfer software, named Nikon Transfer, which similarly can deal with the card in the camera (either in MSC or MTP mode) or out of the camera in a reader.

However what the Nikon Transfer program can do, and which depends on the card being in the camera, is auto-rotate (by 90 degrees clockwise or counter-clockwise as appropriate) images where the gravity-sensor in the camera has noted in the EXIF data of the image file how the camera was held when the picture was taken. Apparently the trick is provided by the camera itself in the transfer process, else otherwise that same EXIF data could also be read by Nikon Transfer with the card removed and in a reader so you'd always get the auto-rotate. But you do not get auto-rotate when the card is out of the camera (at least to the best of my recollection, but I may be wrong).

I was about to talk about the gravity sensor on my Fuji, but it doesn't seem to have one! I must be thinking of my Canon that I used to have. I'm sure the photos were autorotated when I copied using a drive letter. It must have saved the jpeg the other way up.

As for the battery comment - transferring the files uses not a lot of battery compared with taking the photo. And the batteries (4 x AA NiMH) last ages on this thing.