Disadvantages of Wi-fi cameras

Although there are many manufacturers producing Wi-fi enabled cameras, it was Samsung that were one of the first to tip their toe into Wi-Fi waters, applying their knowledge of wireless connectivity from their smart phones and Galaxy tablets to their NX-series of Compact System Cameras. Since then we’ve seen Canon, Nikon, Panasonic, Polaroid and Sony all produce cameras that support Wi-fi, however there’s been no sense of urgency from manufacturers to feature Wi-Fi within DSLRs. To date, there’s only the Canon EOS 6D that features built-in Wi-Fi. This full-frame model is supported by a free EOS remote app that offers excellent wireless control. The EOS remote app (compatible with iOS and Android devices) allows you to adjust all the different exposure values remotely, including ISO. Adding to this, there’s the option of taking control of AF point positioning, firing the shutter and saving images taken on your DSLR straight to your mobile device for sharing or attaching to an email. The only omission is that Raw files can’t be transferred by Wi-fi and instead the camera automatically has to convert Raw files to JPEG prior to transmission.

Nikon’s philosophy of wireless transmission from DSLRs to mobile devices is slightly different. It requires the use of a Nikon WU-1a mobile adapter (£49), which is designed for the D3200, D5200 and D7100. Rather like the EOS Remote app, images can be captured wirelessly from iOS or Android devices before being shared, but you’re required to download the Wireless Adapter Utility app from iTunes or Google Play first. Unfortunately, the app doesn’t allow you to take the same control of exposure values as the EOS remote app and the drawback of having to plug in a small adaptor at the side of the camera is that it’s more prone to getting lost or being damaged than if it were built-in. Compacts such as the Nikon S800c already feature built-in Wi-Fi, so we predict it’s only a matter of time before this technology transfers across to DSLRs to make the process of wireless image transfer even easier for Nikon’s consumers.

Disadvantages of Wi-fi cameras

The disadvantage of choosing a Wi-fi camera is that its convenience comes at a price. Wi-fi cameras cost more than those with comparable specifications that don’t support it. As more cameras are rolled out with Wi-fi, we can expect the saturation in the market to slowly bring down the cost. One other point to note is that not all apps support sharing of high-resolution images and HD video, so you should be prepared for your images to be automatically resized to an optimal size for the device you wish to view or share it on.