Amateur Photography Takes to the Air
Wouldn’t it be nice to take a picture with your SLR camera and use it just like you would a picture taken on your smart phone? Namely, the ability to share the photograph instantly to social media and upload it anywhere over the internet?
Anyone who has a decent smart phone can take some pretty good pictures “on the run”, but there may be times where you want more control over the exposure than what a phone can provide. Sometimes you might also want to use a tripod for stability or take the type of detailed photograph you just can’t accomplish with a smart phone.
A new, revolutionary product is available that makes all of this possible. It works with any SDHC appliance (non-geek speak: virtually any modern camera) and allows you to send images directly to your smart phone. This is the same size as a standard SDHC memory card and functions in a similar way, but there’s a built in wireless network. If your phone supports wireless networking mode, you can connect directly to the memory card on your camera and can then use your phone to post the images to your favorite social media outlet, such as Google+ or Facebook.
The Eye-Fi 8 GB Mobile XD SDHC Wireless Memory Card has several operating modes which allow you to interact with your computer, laptop, Android or IOS smart phone without using wires. Why wait until you get home to download pictures to your computer for sharing? Use your smart phone to instantly receive the picture and post it to Facebook or any of the other 25 supported imaging sites. It even has an endless picture mode which will remove the picture from the camera automatically once it is uploaded to the computer or smart phone. Your only limitation is the amount of memory on your destination device.
As with any technology, you should research comparability between your specific devices to be sure you get the results you expect. There are some known issues with different cameras that you might want to be aware of. The Eye-Fi User Forums and Frequently Asked Questions page can help. Since the price of of the Eye-Fi is high and there are risks, you may also want to check out reviews before taking the plunge.
Eye-Fi currently offers several products with varied features and prices. Current Eye-Fi SDHC card offerings include:
Eye-Fi Connect X2 | Eye-Fi Mobile X2 | Eye-Fi Pro X2 | |
Memory Capacity |
|||
4 GB | X | ||
8 GB | X | X | |
X2 Engine |
|||
Class 6 | X | X | X |
802.11b/g/n | X | X | X |
Endless Memory | X | X | X |
Direct Mode | X | X | X |
Wireless Uploads |
|||
Photos and Videos | X | X | X |
RAW | X | ||
Cool Features |
|||
Online Sharing | X | X | X |
Eye-Fi View | X | X | X |
Hotspot Access |
Upgradable |
Upgradable |
X |
Geotagging |
Upgradable |
Upgradable |
X |
Eye-Fi Premium |
Upgradable |
Upgradable |
Upgradable |
So if Geotagging or RAW file is important to you, you’ll have to get the Pro X2 card. If you just need basic point, shoot and transfer, the least expensive Connect X2 is the card for you. All three models are currently available and are priced in ranges from $40.00 to $120.00, depending on where you look.
You can read more about Eye-Fi at http://www.eye.fi
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Tags: camera, share, SLR, smart phone, wi-fi, wirelessly