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Technology
WhyWi-Fi? Wi-Fi is fast becoming a standard amongst headline camera specs, but do you know how it can help you as a photographer?We give you an insight into the benefits and find out what it’s like to use ON TEST
services such as Dropbox or Microsoft SkyDrive, where you’ll be sure they’re safe. The other big advantage that a Wi-Fi connection can give is remote control from your mobile device. Most connections allow you to see a Live View image on your device’s screen and at least focus and shoot remotely, while others give you comprehensive control over camera settings without even touching it. The simplest benefit of this is that you won’t have to fork out for a cable release for shooting on a tripod, but it can be put to more elaborate use – for example, you could set your camera up at a wildlife hotspot, then hide yourself away while still being able to keep track of what your camera’s seeing and trigger it without scaring anything off. Once you start thinking of the possibilities for Wi-Fi, it starts to seem like a feature that’s worthwhile having, but exactly what you can do with each system and how easy they are to use varies between manufacturers and even cameras. I’ve tried out Wi-Fi set-ups on enthusiast cameras from seven major manufacturers to see what each has to offer. I used a Samsung Galaxy S4 as my mobile smart device, but any other smartphone or tablet should give similar results.
Firstly, it lets you view images stored on the camera’s card on the bigger screen of your phone or tablet while on location, making it easier to check for sharpness and composition on the spot rather than waiting until you get home to find that your favourite shot of the day is actually blurry. You can also usually transfer images from your camera to your smartphone or tablet, and this is a good way to make a backup while on the move. This comes with the caveat that it’s usually only JPEG files that can be transferred, and these are sometimes resized for faster transfer speeds, but if your memory card corrupts before you get home, even this is better than nothing. In the best cases, you’ll have a complete set of full-resolution copies. Transferring your images to a smartphone also means you can use your mobile signal to upload images online while you’re out and about. We might not all want to post pictures on Facebook and Twitter every five minutes, but there are other potential advantages of this – you can post directly to your blog if you have one, and with social media this could help to build a following for your photography online. Alternatively, you can simply upload pictures to cloud storage
Words by Ian Fyfe
Wi-Fi first crept into cameras at the bottom end of the market on consumer compacts – you could even argue it was a bit of a gimmick, jumping on the smartphone bandwagon and of no real use to anyone serious about photography. But the last year or so has seen all the major manufacturers add Wi-Fi to more advanced cameras. The vast majority of newly released premium compacts and CSCs now have Wi-Fi as standard, and it’s even becoming more common on DSLRs – indeed, the first DSLR with integrated Wi-Fi was the Canon EOS 6D, a full-frame camera for advanced enthusiasts. Despite this, I wouldn’t mind betting that the majority of photographers who own such enthusiast cameras with Wi-Fi built-in rarely or never use the function – and I include myself in that majority. It’s easy to still think of Wi-Fi as a gimmick, but it can be a very useful tool. It allows you to connect your camera to a portable device such as a smartphone or tablet, via an app that can be downloaded for free, and this lets you do a number of things.
Canon
The EOS 6D was Canon’s first enthusiast camera with Wi-Fi, and the EOS 70D saw a second outing for the same system. These are serious enthusiast cameras, and the Wi-Fi system matches up. Setting up with a smartphone is a case of entering identities and passwords, but once done, a connection is established automatically when the EOS Mobile Utility app is opened. The app has two modes: Remote Shooting and Camera Image View. In Remote Shooting, you can change aperture, shutter speed and ISO – other settings can’t be changed, although you can still use controls on the All Fujifilm’s recently launched CSCs feature Wi-Fi, including the X-M1, X-A1 and X-E2, as does the latest XQ1 premium compact. All these are can be used with the Fujifilm Camera app; I chose the X-E2. There’s one big absence in the wireless functions, and that’s remote control; Wi-Fi only applies in Playback mode. Set up on the camera is easy, since there’s a Wi-Fi button that activates the signal – from there on, everything’s done in the app. After an initial set-up, connection is automatic, but the arrangement means a connection has to be made every time you want to do something. When it works, Until now, Wi-Fi connection with a Nikon DSLR or CSC meant shelling out £65 for an accessory adaptor. But with the new D5300, Wi-Fi is integrated into the camera and is compatible with Nikon’s Wireless Mobile Utility app. Connection needs to be established manually each time, so the set-up isn’t as elegant as some, but it’s simple enough and works reliably. With the app, you can choose to take or view photos with your smart device. Remote control switches the camera to Live View, and from your mobile device you can focus and release the shutter, but there’s no more elaborate
camera without breaking the connection. When viewing images via the app, you can sort thumbnails by date, folder or rating, and browse through them at full-screen size. You can also view EXIF data, rate images, save them to your device or even delete them remotely. The only drawback is that files transferred to your phone or tablet aren’t full resolution, but resized for an HD screen. Besides the app, the camera can be connected to other Wi-Fi networks, allowing remote control from a computer and printing directly to a Wi-Fi printer – functions no other Wi-Fi system offers. it’s seamless, but I found the connection sometimes failed. Transferring images can be done by selecting images on the camera to send, or you can browse the memory card from the app and select images to download. Transfer is very quick, but that’s partly because the images are resized to 1776x1184 pixels. Fujifilm’s Wi-Fi system has one function that most other don’t, which is the option to transfer images wirelessly direct to a computer. You need Fujifilm’s PC Autosave software on the computer, and while it does what it promises, a card reader will transfer files in a fraction of the time. control. Unlike some systems, you can change settings on the camera without quitting the app, so it works well as a simple substitute for a cable release where you stay beside the camera. Viewing photos gives you thumbnail previews of photos on the camera’s card, and you can select to copy across some or all. It’s nice for browsing through images on a bigger screen, but any that are transferred aren’t full resolution; they’re resized for an HD screen, with 1080 pixels along their shortest side. You can’t transfer Raw files, but can download JPEGs that are shot alongside Raws.
VERDICT
PROS Good remote control, excellent image viewing and transferring interface, computer remote control and direct printing
CONS Resizing of transferred images,
access to more controls in remote shooting would be nice
Fujifilm
VERDICT
PROS Dedicated Wi-Fi button, simple connection CONS No remote control, connection not always reliable
Nikon
VERDICT
PROS Can select which photos to download, remote release CONS Remote control is limited, need to specifically turn off Wi- Fi to prevent it running down the battery
Photography News | Issue 3
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