How can I transfer photos from my digital camera to my iPod?

For "full size" iPod models starting with the iPod photo (30 GB) and second iPod photo (60 GB) (M9830LL/A) -- including the iPod Color Display, iPod U2 Edition (Color), iPod 5th Gen (with Video), iPod U2 Edition 5th Gen, iPod 5th Gen Enhanced, and iPod U2 Edition 5th Gen Enhanced -- the simplest way to transfer photos from many digital cameras to your iPod is to use the Apple iPod Camera Connector. Please unfortunately note that all iPod models starting with the iPod classic (6th Gen/Original) and iPod touch -- all iPod models released September 5, 2007 and later -- do not support importing photos from cameras at all using the iPod Camera Connector or otherwise.

The iPod Camera Connector allows you to directly connect a digital camera to the camera connector and in turn connect the camera connector to the iPod "dock" port. Photos imported using the iPod Camera Connector are immediately viewable, with the exception of RAW format images and video clips. However, photos imported using the iPod Camera Connector cannot be immediately viewed as a slideshow with transitions.

For older iPod models with "dock" connectors -- iPod 3rd Gen, iPod 4th Gen (ClickWheel), iPod U2 Edition (4th Gen), and the original iPod photo (40 GB, 60 GB) (M9585LL/A and M9586LL/A, respectively) -- Belkin sold two products that utilizes the software support built-in to quickly transfer hundreds of images from a digital camera to the iPod.

The Belkin iPod Media Reader, as the name implies, is a media reader for the iPod that supports CompactFlash (Type 1 and 2), SmartMedia, Secure Digital (SD), Memory Stick, and MultiMediaCard (MMC). Simply remove the media card from the digital camera, place it in the Media Reader, connect the Media Reader to the iPod and transfer images to the iPod. The Belkin Digital Camera Link for iPod allows you to connect a digital camera to the Digital Camera Link using a USB cable, and then to the iPod via the FireWire "dock" port.

These Belkin products also will work with the iPod photo (30 GB) and second iPod photo (60 GB) (M9830LL/A), iPod Color Display, and iPod U2 Edition (Color) models, but photos imported using either Belkin solution are not immediately viewable on the iPod (photos are not viewable at all on models with monochrome displays). Neither Belkin solution is compatible with subsequent iPod models.

You cannot directly import photos to any iPod mini, iPod classic, iPod touch, or iPod shuffle models from a digital camera. You also cannot directly import photos to any iPod nano models using the Apple iPod Camera Connector or a third-party solution, although the iPod classic, iPod nano, and iPod touch models can present photos on the internal display "loaded" from a computer.

Also see: How can I transfer photos from my computer to my iPod, iPod nano, or iPod touch?