Apple MD821AM/A Lightning to USB Camera Adapter

It is a camera adaptor, not a full OTG device. So most USB flash drives will say, "can't use as this accessory draws too much power." So if you buy it as a camera to iPhone/iPad adaptor, it will work 100%. If you use it for other things, it may or may not work. e.g. I've seen people put the Audioquest Dragonfly DAC on the end of it and that works fine

Apple MD821ZM/A interface cards/adapter USB 2.0

I received the adaptor with the computer it was supposed to work with. Both arrived together some time after the order. However since the computer has no instructions for use, I have not been able to use either item. The adaptor has never even been out of its box. I cannot comment on features and benefits because I dont yet know what they might be.

Apple-imposed necessity

What can I say? It's a fine adapter, as adapters go, but being Apple-branded it is also over-priced. And it's white, which makes it stand out all the more as a kludge. I would very much prefer a more elegant solution that does not require any adapters. But Apple's reluctance to embrace industry standards leaves us with little choice but to employ clumsy work-arounds like this adapter cable. To make matters worse, they've made the interface intentionally proprietary so that it is very difficult and/or expensive for third parties to offer more elegant solutions. For example, if a musician would like to connect his iPad to a USB MIDI keyboard, wouldn't it be great if he could just buy an elegant one-piece cable to accomplish that interface? And wouldn't it be great to ... MoreWhat can I say? It's a fine adapter, as adapters go, but being Apple-branded it is also over-priced. And it's white, which makes it stand out all the more as a kludge. I would very much prefer a more elegant solution that does not require any adapters. But Apple's reluctance to embrace industry standards leaves us with little choice but to employ clumsy work-arounds like this adapter cable. To make matters worse, they've made the interface intentionally proprietary so that it is very difficult and/or expensive for third parties to offer more elegant solutions. For example, if a musician would like to connect his iPad to a USB MIDI keyboard, wouldn't it be great if he could just buy an elegant one-piece cable to accomplish that interface? And wouldn't it be great to if it wasn't white? And then imagine a highly-flexiible cable that was made with materials and methods that caused it to straighten under its own weight, without any kinks. Now that would be nice. All we need to make that dream a reality is some cooperation from Apple, but unfortunately, the latest iPhone design forfeits the last industry-standard connector it had, so one could argue that connectivity is only getting worse.

For cameras only!

This adapter appears to work. I had hoped that this would work with thumb drives. NOPE! If you plug in a thumb drive, iphoto app starts up and you get a message stating the name of the thumb drive you plugged in. There is also a message that it draws too much current. If you plug in a powered USB hub - with or without the thumb drive plugged in, the iphoto app starts up and then acts like you didn't plug anything in. It does not even see photos.I do not transfer photos with a cable. I plug the sd card into an adapter. This adapter was worthless to me. I may try again with a USB thumb drive and home-made powered cable (to bypass the high-current error message - without using a hub).I worked with proprietary small-business computers in the early 1980's. It is good ... MoreThis adapter appears to work. I had hoped that this would work with thumb drives. NOPE! If you plug in a thumb drive, iphoto app starts up and you get a message stating the name of the thumb drive you plugged in. There is also a message that it draws too much current. If you plug in a powered USB hub - with or without the thumb drive plugged in, the iphoto app starts up and then acts like you didn't plug anything in. It does not even see photos.I do not transfer photos with a cable. I plug the sd card into an adapter. This adapter was worthless to me. I may try again with a USB thumb drive and home-made powered cable (to bypass the high-current error message - without using a hub).I worked with proprietary small-business computers in the early 1980's. It is good for the company, but expensive and frustrating for the customer. You can only do what the company allows.This adapter does appear to be made with quality.

Great product, highly recommend! Use external usb mics with your iPhone 7!

Fantastic product. Bought it for my brother as a gift so that he could use his Samson Meteor usb microphone with his Iphone 7 to record higher quality audio to go with the video. It worked out fantastic. Being able to use a higher quality microphone allowed for better room audio control, so less echo, clearer audio, and all around better video watching experience in the end.

Legit Apple Product

As far as I can tell, this is a legit apple product. I bought it to connect a USB keyboard to my ipad, but it initially said that my keyboard required too much power and didn't work. Had to do a bit of research on some apple/other forums to find the trick to fix the issue - luckily, I did. Use an unpowered USB hub in between the two devices, and this fixed the problem entirely. Hooking up my keyboard and even my MIDI piano keyboard at the same time showed no issue. This appears to be an "issue" with the apple product in general, and nothing to do with the seller just FYI. It's an extra step, but one that didn't bother me so long that the issue was solved. Besides that, it works great and did exactly what I needed it to do.

Limited use

Apple's literature describes using this adapter for USB devices such as a USB memory card reader. However, when I tried to connect a card reader to my iPad Mini 4, the iPad reported that the card reader drew too much power, and it wouldn't connect. The name, USB Camera Adapter, must be taken literally. It will connect only with devices like digital cameras with USB connections that provide their own power.

No Better Than Generic

I bought the official Apple camera adapter because I had naively assumed this would guarantee compatibility with our iPad Pro. How foolish of me! Many of our peripherals will not work without the addition of other accessories, and none of our cameras were recognized until we updated the OS. Sure, updating the OS isn't a big deal, but it makes one wonder what would have happened if we had bought this thing when we first got the iPad and that update wasn't even available yet? Just suffer that it can't recognize common Nikon and Sony cameras? Our iPad is only a couple years old...That covers the software issues, but let's talk about the actual hardware for a moment. As you can see in the photo, the connecting cable is extremely short. This makes it nearly impossible ... MoreI bought the official Apple camera adapter because I had naively assumed this would guarantee compatibility with our iPad Pro. How foolish of me! Many of our peripherals will not work without the addition of other accessories, and none of our cameras were recognized until we updated the OS. Sure, updating the OS isn't a big deal, but it makes one wonder what would have happened if we had bought this thing when we first got the iPad and that update wasn't even available yet? Just suffer that it can't recognize common Nikon and Sony cameras? Our iPad is only a couple years old...That covers the software issues, but let's talk about the actual hardware for a moment. As you can see in the photo, the connecting cable is extremely short. This makes it nearly impossible to use without putting severe stress and strain on both the iPad's lightning socket and on the wire. This would no doubt cause one or the other (or both) to fail in a very short time if the user isn't extremely careful with handling it. The only safe ways we've found to use it are to either leave the iPad sitting flat on a surface (which would cause trouble for anyone needing to use it on a stand, like when a musician is using it to connect a peripheral to a music app, a common reason to use this), or alternatively you can connect a USB extension cable to it so the force isn't as sharp on it. I cannot understand why Apple didn't see this obvious problem that could easily be solved by making the cable just a few inches longer. Seems to me they WANT it to fail quickly so you'll have to buy a new one.Yet another shoddy product from an overvalued company who's sole purpose seems to be creating products for the wannabe faux bourgeoisie to show off their petty wealth through conspicuous consumption.

Not just for Cameras

I'm using this to connect my iPhone to a (Chord Mojo) DAC, for clean audio and the ability to drive headphones with higher power requirements. This adapter seems to be the only way to get a "line out" audio signal from an iOS device. It works well for this purpose, just adds a couple pigtails to the setup. Box was a bit mangled, but the item was in perfect condition: no visible scratches, discoloration, or cable warping. This is an official apple cable, so durability, fit & finish seem comparable to their other dongles. But the price here is much lower than at the apple store; great value!

Perfect midi controller

I own six iPhones and four iPads. Not only do I use them to edit photos on the go but I also use them to make a lot of music. My very first iPad and iPhone had the 30 pin connection and so I bought two of the adapters from Apple. That was about 80 bucks. Ahh- 10 years ago and not many people used iOS for music. Then everything went to the lightning input and I purchased adapters-which worked fabulous but VERY cumbersome and extremely scary because you can snap the adapters easily. . Then after spending tons of money on Apple products I thought I would buy some offbrand USB to lightning cables. They were great since they were five bucks apiece and they allowed me to plug in my digital camera and my keyboards for music control. They worked like a charm. But of course ... MoreI own six iPhones and four iPads. Not only do I use them to edit photos on the go but I also use them to make a lot of music. My very first iPad and iPhone had the 30 pin connection and so I bought two of the adapters from Apple. That was about 80 bucks. Ahh- 10 years ago and not many people used iOS for music. Then everything went to the lightning input and I purchased adapters-which worked fabulous but VERY cumbersome and extremely scary because you can snap the adapters easily. . Then after spending tons of money on Apple products I thought I would buy some offbrand USB to lightning cables. They were great since they were five bucks apiece and they allowed me to plug in my digital camera and my keyboards for music control. They worked like a charm. But of course Apple upgraded their iOS and the four adapters I owned that were not Apple brand worked for about three minutes and then you would get the not supported by this device box on your screen which was not fun even if you had a powered USB source or splitter -it was daunting. So I decided that I would grab a few of the Apple brand cables(which are the exact same) but the Apple brand works no matter what. If your keyboard requires more power you just have to Power your midi source or get a power USB hub if your usb mididevice does not have power besides USB power. I will say this is a great deal - yes the box is open but its in perfect condition and I put it through the ringer with multiple usb devices and multiple iOS devices. No error messages and you cannot beat the price because who wants to spend 40 bucks on an Apple product when you can get an Apple product for a third of the price! Plus it works and I can be confident if I am using an iPad during one of my gigs that the USB devices I have connected will stay connected and not have to be unplugged and plugged back in within 4 minutes. I dont know how Apple makes everything a proprietary (which sucks) but theres nothing wrong with buying an open Apple product if you get it from these guys because I must say Ive had no issue and definitely if you make music on an iOS device buy this because it is just as inexpensive as the knock offs -but it is an actual Apple product. Great deal and great item! Im going to be buying three more this week. I might as well have every iOS device I have the ability to use USB midi or USB photo/video. Only thing is this does not have power-it doesnt bother me because an iPad charge can last for hours as well as an iPhone. Now if youre going to be doing five or six hours of work with your iOS device then I would get the one with power but I personally prefer this style.