Because I am forced to use Windows, so I can use iTunes and sync my iPhone this post is about Windows 
iTunes does provide a solution to get your pictures from your PC to the iPhone but not vice versa. After a lot of searching the cheapest solution was to use Windows XPs Scanner and Cameras Tool. I opened it but the iPhone did not show up.
After a lot of searching more I found the solution: You have to unlock your iPhone and then connect it to your PC. (I have a 1minute auto-lock with code → paranoid ugh?).
Then you can find your iPhone in your Workspace and in the Scanners and Cameras applet.
Because I only need to sync my pictures from the iPhone to my PC and not in the other direction I did the following:
- Go to Control-Panel and Open Scanners and Cameras.
- Hold Alt-Key and double click your “Apple iPhone” (or right click and select Properties)
- Choose the tab “Events” and select the option to save the picture to the folder of your choice.
- Click OK.
Every time you connect your iPhone (unlocked) your pictures should be synced from the iPhone to your PC one-way.
Tried this, plugged in the phone whilst unlocked, and went to sacnner camera wizard… will not recognise it
i get ‘reading camera information’
followed by ’scanner or camera is in use, plase try again later’
very frustrating!!
but cheers for the heads up
Thanks for posting this, it solved my problem of copying photos/videos to my PC at work, where iTunes is not allowed. I used file explorer to copy them and it worked perfectly.