We take quite a few professional pictures with our sports league. 
Often times, there are 3 photographers at one site on 'picture day'. 
Pushing paper gets tedious.  Since, we know who is coming for
pictures, we want to be able to take the digital pictures and rename
the file by scanning a barcode on a sheet of paper.  The barcodes are
unique by individual.  Of course, this could be accomplished fairly
easily with a computer right next to each photographer, with a barcode
reader attached via USB.  We do NOT want that.

Ideally, we would NOT require a laptop at the photo site, but if we
must, we only want one per site, NOT one per photographer.

Basically, the way we do this now is to write the jpg file name down
on a piece of paper.  Then we go back later and manually rename each
file, which is quite boring.

I'm not certain what types of digital cameras our photographers have
so this "widget" would need to be somewhat camera independent.  If
that seems impossible, please recommend a few solutions which are
camera specific.

Since we need many widgets, the widget needs to be 1,000 USD or less.

(A 'widget' is a standard business term for a small device that
performs some operation and is mass-produced)

Thanks!

"Since, we know who is coming for pictures, we want to be able to take
the digital pictures and rename the file by scanning a barcode on a
sheet of paper."

I don't really follow - what is it you want the widget to do that you
can't do with a laptop? Most (if not all) pro cameras would include
exif information in their image files that could be used to identify
the camera, if not the photographer, and there are many programs that
can batch-rename image files based on that information.

We have 15 picture sites with 3 photographers at each site.  It would
be quite an expense for 45 laptops and to maintain them.  15 (1 per
picture site) is somewhat more reasonable.  If the widget was able to
wirelessly beam the renamed picture to a "hub", that would be ideal. 
The laptop should be a hub, it should not be required to perform the
renaming function.  I'm fine with writing EXIF data to the camera or
memory card at the time the picture is taken, but I have not seen
anything that can do that.

Here is the scenario (or 1 of them).

1.  Widget is attached to camera (somehow)
2.  Johnny steps up to the table, we ask his name, locate it on the barcode sheet.
3.  Scan the barcode with widget
4.  Camera interfaces with barcode reader to obtain the barcode
5.  Pictures are named (or EXIF data inserted) based on barcode
6.  Picture is kept on the memory card OR wireless beamed to hub
7.  Scan next barcode... Loop

Photographers all have widgets, but there is only 1 laptop onsite
which pools the renamed photos.

Hope this helps and thanks for having a look.

J.




J.

I was thinking more along the lines of a laptop with a card reader at
each site. Photographer hands card to laptop operator, who copies the
images to the laptop, then runs a batch rename command to add the
photographer's name or ID number based on the exif information in each
image file.

The widget you describe is interesting but would require that the
camera have an interface (hardware and software) for it and I don't
think any such thing exists.

Actually, the photographee's (is that in Webster's) unique ID is what
we want to capture, not the photographer ID.  This is a sports league
and we're taking individual's pictures.

Check out http://www.wi-pics.com/default.aspx

It's too expensive, maybe this will get the creative juices flowing.

J.

Sorry for being so obtuse, now I see what you mean. Unfortunately I
still can't help you out, as I'm not aware of any such device other
than the one you link to. Good luck.