I want to get an iPad Mini, but will the iPad Camera Connection Kit I have for my iPad 2 work with it
The original iPad Camera Connection Kit â€" a pair of white-plastic adapters that connect a Secure Digital card or a USB cable to the tablet â€" uses the older 30-pin Dock Connector port. The Dock Connector port is the long, narrow slot on the bottom of the first three generations of the iPad. However, the iPad Mini and the fourth-generation iPad (released last fall) use the much smaller Lightning port to connect cables and devices.
Accessories made for the Dock Connector port will not work with a Lightning port without an adapter. Although a few third-party adapters have appeared, some products are unauthorized by Apple and may not work properly. Adapters made by other companies do tend to be cheaper than Apple’s own gear, though, so check the product revies for reliability or look for Apple-authorized gear on accessory sites around the Web.
Apple itself sells a chunky one-piece Lightning-to-30-Pin Adapter for $29, as well as an eight-inch Lightning-to-30-Pin Adapter cable for $39. Either of these should work to link the old iPad Camera Connection Kit to the iPad Mini to import photos from the camera.
A Lightning adapter can be useful for connecting other old accessories designed for the Dock Connector port to the newer iPad models â€" except for those that were designed for video output, which Apple’s adapters do not support. If your interest is mainly in importing photos from the camera directly to the iPad Mini, you can also get a Lightning-to-SD-Card Adapter or a Lightning-to-USB Camera Adapter from Apple for $29 each.
Buying a dedicated Lightning accessory for importing photos does mean forking over more money, but it saves you the trouble of having to keep track of both the Lightning adapter and the iPad Camera Connection Kit ! gear when you travel. Apple’s page of Lightning adapters and cables is here.
