Canon 6D Wifi Linking with iPhone 5

[Rienzphotoz]

A chinese wireless adaptor costs a few dollars. I cannot imagine that the solo photographer will be able to change 6D's settings and shoot with his camera at the same time anyway. So a remote shutter release is usually enough. Plus, I do not think that composition can be changed remotely by the camera itself!

Just like a 800mm lens is sued for certain purposes and not for wide angle compositions, the WiFi feature too has certain uses and changing composition is not one of them.
You can get a Chinese motorcycle for $400, so why do people spend a lot more for branded motorcycles? ... every product has a customer base, those who can afford will buy the branded stuff and those who are on a budget will buy the cheaper options ... different strokes for different folks.

[Ewinter]

personally, I hope they release a usb dongle (affordable) that enables this feature on the 5d MkIII

[Marsu42]

personally, I hope they release a usb dongle (affordable) that enables this feature on the 5d MkIII

I'm sure the 5d4 is already in the pipeline with the rumored large ff sensor upgrade, maybe they'll add wifi to that if it's widely accepted by then and the apps are out of beta.

But just now, many "pro" customers might see a wifi control as a reason *not* to buy the 5d3 because the marketing is directed purely at amateurs like "print w/o cable" or "upload shots of your friends and family to facebook".

[Dylan777]

Unless I want to be a spyier, WHY do I want to operate the camera through a cell phone

To understand and use any feature of a camera (including WiFi linking 6D with a smartphone), one needs imagination ... the first prerequisite of any photographer.

As a wedding photographer, how do you compose your shots when your camera is already on the tripod and you operate through a phone from distance?

I am not a professional wedding photographer but I did take photos at my niece's wedding earlier this year and the following is what I had done:
I used 2 cameras, a 5D MK III handheld and a 60D on a tripod. At our Church the parish priest does not allow photographers to come behind him (while the couple are facing him) during Mass, offertory and other Catholic rituals (which goes on for about 90 minutes). So I got the priest's approval to set a tripod (with my 60D) discreetly placed behind him. I used a 10 inch Asus Iconia tablet connected to my 60D with a 20 foot USB cable (running under the church carpet) and remotely triggered the camera with an android program called "RYC USB Pro". I chose a wide angle lens so I could change the AF to capture the couples expressions and sometimes the audience expressions. I took over two dozen memorable photos the professional photographer (who was hired to do the wedding photography) could not capture because the priest would not allow him to be at certain places. I would have preferred if it was totally wireless, like the WiFi feature on 6D, so I didn't have to worry about someone tripping on exposed parts of the USB cable.

Granted that the WiFi feature may not always be ideal for every single situation but everything has a time and place. But a little imagination wouldn't hurt. Sometimes I wonder what Adam Ansel and other great photographers before him would have thought of all the immature cribbing that goes on these days about every little feature on a camera that someone does not use or like. I plan to sell my 60D and get the 6D in about 2 or 3 months time because of the WiFi feature and of course the full frame advantage ... I can already imagine myself using my iPhone strapped to my hand (facing towards me) while I am taking photos above a crowd or placing the 6D near a bird nest and remotely triggering the camera from a distance ... so many possibilities, only if we are willing to use some IMAGINATION! IMAGINATION! IMAGINATION!

Again....this type of shootings are use in "spying", without compositions. Let me guess, you do composition in PP with crop.

[Zlatko]

I used 2 cameras, a 5D MK III handheld and a 60D on a tripod. At our Church the parish priest does not allow photographers to come behind him (while the couple are facing him) during Mass, offertory and other Catholic rituals (which goes on for about 90 minutes). So I got the priest's approval to set a tripod (with my 60D) discreetly placed behind him. I used a 10 inch Asus Iconia tablet connected to my 60D with a 20 foot USB cable (running under the church carpet) and remotely triggered the camera with an android program called "RYC USB Pro". I chose a wide angle lens so I could change the AF to capture the couples expressions and sometimes the audience expressions. I took over two dozen memorable photos the professional photographer (who was hired to do the wedding photography) could not capture because the priest would not allow him to be at certain places. I would have preferred if it was totally wireless, like the WiFi feature on 6D, so I didn't have to worry about someone tripping on exposed parts of the USB cable.

Way to go!  That is awesome!  I haven't decided whether I'll be buying a 6D, but you've given a real example of what can be done with a remote camera and can't be done by a photographer holding a camera.  It could be done before with Pocket Wizards and other gadgets, but now it can be done even more easily.  Being able to set up something like this quickly and without wires is very nice.

[verysimplejason]

Unless I want to be a spyier, WHY do I want to operate the camera through a cell phone

To understand and use any feature of a camera (including WiFi linking 6D with a smartphone), one needs imagination ... the first prerequisite of any photographer.

As a wedding photographer, how do you compose your shots when your camera is already on the tripod and you operate through a phone from distance?

I am not a professional wedding photographer but I did take photos at my niece's wedding earlier this year and the following is what I had done:
I used 2 cameras, a 5D MK III handheld and a 60D on a tripod. At our Church the parish priest does not allow photographers to come behind him (while the couple are facing him) during Mass, offertory and other Catholic rituals (which goes on for about 90 minutes). So I got the priest's approval to set a tripod (with my 60D) discreetly placed behind him. I used a 10 inch Asus Iconia tablet connected to my 60D with a 20 foot USB cable (running under the church carpet) and remotely triggered the camera with an android program called "RYC USB Pro". I chose a wide angle lens so I could change the AF to capture the couples expressions and sometimes the audience expressions. I took over two dozen memorable photos the professional photographer (who was hired to do the wedding photography) could not capture because the priest would not allow him to be at certain places. I would have preferred if it was totally wireless, like the WiFi feature on 6D, so I didn't have to worry about someone tripping on exposed parts of the USB cable.

Granted that the WiFi feature may not always be ideal for every single situation but everything has a time and place. But a little imagination wouldn't hurt. Sometimes I wonder what Adam Ansel and other great photographers before him would have thought of all the immature cribbing that goes on these days about every little feature on a camera that someone does not use or like. I plan to sell my 60D and get the 6D in about 2 or 3 months time because of the WiFi feature and of course the full frame advantage ... I can already imagine myself using my iPhone strapped to my hand (facing towards me) while I am taking photos above a crowd or placing the 6D near a bird nest and remotely triggering the camera from a distance ... so many possibilities, only if we are willing to use some IMAGINATION! IMAGINATION! IMAGINATION!

Again....this type of shootings are use in "spying", without compositions. Let me guess, you do composition in PP with crop.

I tend to agree with Rienz.  Anything is better than nothing.  Another example.  Having a camera on a pole where you can control composition but can't set manually the exposure or focus is just one of WIFI's uses.  Granted you can do this with more sophisticated accessories but WIFI just makes them easier.  As Rienz said, it's just about imagination.  You have it, use it.  Tools are there to be utilized.  Only your imagination limits you.

How about sending your camera underneath a remote helicopter and flying it while remotely controlling exposure and focus?  I agree, it's too dumb because it's too risky and expensive to do.  But we know that soon, there will somebody crazy enough to do it.   

[Dylan777]

Unless I want to be a spyier, WHY do I want to operate the camera through a cell phone

To understand and use any feature of a camera (including WiFi linking 6D with a smartphone), one needs imagination ... the first prerequisite of any photographer.

As a wedding photographer, how do you compose your shots when your camera is already on the tripod and you operate through a phone from distance?

I am not a professional wedding photographer but I did take photos at my niece's wedding earlier this year and the following is what I had done:
I used 2 cameras, a 5D MK III handheld and a 60D on a tripod. At our Church the parish priest does not allow photographers to come behind him (while the couple are facing him) during Mass, offertory and other Catholic rituals (which goes on for about 90 minutes). So I got the priest's approval to set a tripod (with my 60D) discreetly placed behind him. I used a 10 inch Asus Iconia tablet connected to my 60D with a 20 foot USB cable (running under the church carpet) and remotely triggered the camera with an android program called "RYC USB Pro". I chose a wide angle lens so I could change the AF to capture the couples expressions and sometimes the audience expressions. I took over two dozen memorable photos the professional photographer (who was hired to do the wedding photography) could not capture because the priest would not allow him to be at certain places. I would have preferred if it was totally wireless, like the WiFi feature on 6D, so I didn't have to worry about someone tripping on exposed parts of the USB cable.

Granted that the WiFi feature may not always be ideal for every single situation but everything has a time and place. But a little imagination wouldn't hurt. Sometimes I wonder what Adam Ansel and other great photographers before him would have thought of all the immature cribbing that goes on these days about every little feature on a camera that someone does not use or like. I plan to sell my 60D and get the 6D in about 2 or 3 months time because of the WiFi feature and of course the full frame advantage ... I can already imagine myself using my iPhone strapped to my hand (facing towards me) while I am taking photos above a crowd or placing the 6D near a bird nest and remotely triggering the camera from a distance ... so many possibilities, only if we are willing to use some IMAGINATION! IMAGINATION! IMAGINATION!

Again....this type of shootings are use in "spying", without compositions. Let me guess, you do composition in PP with crop.

I tend to agree with Rienz.  Anything is better than nothing.  Another example.  Having a camera on a pole where you can control composition but can't set manually the exposure or focus is just one of WIFI's uses.  Granted you can do this with more sophisticated accessories but WIFI just makes them easier.  As Rienz said, it's just about imagination.  You have it, use it.  Tools are there to be utilized.  Only your imagination limits you.

How about sending your camera underneath a remote helicopter and flying it while remotely controlling exposure and focus?  I agree, it's too dumb because it's too risky and expensive to do.  But we know that soon, there will somebody crazy enough to do it.   

Mount a 6D on tripod to capture an ave Joe's shot doesn't require much imagination.

If you just thought about DSLR on Heli.....you little behind. Guess what kinda of DSLR on that heli? I'll give you a hint = NOT 6D, a cheap $200 DSLR that I bought on CL without WiFi....use your imagination

[skitron]

Again....this type of shootings are use in "spying", without compositions. Let me guess, you do composition in PP with crop.

Personally I don't necessarily disagree, but I suppose the point is "since 6D has this feature is there anything useful that can be done with it?" and the "spy cam with PS composition" is to me, a good example. I guarantee the wedding party does not care how the photog did it, they just care about the end result. And if you can set up a spy cam in a location that is otherwise inaccessible and get shots that otherwise would be missed, I'm all for that (especially since I just bought a 6D and looking for ideas how to use the wifi in a meaningful way).

Very cool arial shot BTW!

[tron]

It's funny that you mention the word "Imagination" for a camera that is in a fixed position. You have so vivid imagination as to exclude wireless remote releases and intervalometers (which by the way are also implemented by Magic Lantern). As if all these capabilities didn't exist before WiFi 

[herbert]

What is the tethering range for the WiFi signal? I'm interested in the feature but it would be useful to know it works reliably over at least 20 meters (line of sight).

Thanks.

[Don Haines]

How about sending your camera underneath a remote helicopter and flying it while remotely controlling exposure and focus?  I agree, it's too dumb because it's too risky and expensive to do.  But we know that soon, there will somebody crazy enough to do it.   

I have tried kite photography a few times.... good view from 500 feet up.... but I did it with a point/shoot recording video, the camera did not have time lapse capability. I have a GoPro3Black on order.... with it I can remotely control everything and it does time lapse... and most important, if the kite crashes I do not have to explain what happened to the DSLR and L glass

[Don Haines]

What is the tethering range for the WiFi signal? I'm interested in the feature but it would be useful to know it works reliably over at least 20 meters (line of sight).

Thanks.

I have set up WiFi links 7 kilometers long..... you just need good antennas at each end. With a tablet, cell phone, or a 6D, you will have to use the internal antennas, there is no connector for external ones, and range will be much less. You should not have any troubles at 20 meters, it might work up to 100 meters, but I have no experience yet with the 6D signal strength or sensitivity.

If you are going from the camera to a WiFi router with external antennas, attach a directional antenna and point it at the camera and you will get a lot more range.

[Ewinter]

personally, I hope they release a usb dongle (affordable) that enables this feature on the 5d MkIII

I'm sure the 5d4 is already in the pipeline with the rumored large ff sensor upgrade, maybe they'll add wifi to that if it's widely accepted by then and the apps are out of beta.

But just now, many "pro" customers might see a wifi control as a reason *not* to buy the 5d3 because the marketing is directed purely at amateurs like "print w/o cable" or "upload shots of your friends and family to facebook".

But...all of those features are useful to pros, too. No more pesky cables for models to take out, I'll be able to give a tablet for the client to see the images as the come aswell. Also, someone mentioned image download and edit while the camera's still in the bag. That would be really useful while in transit. I'd love this feature in a 5dmkIII without having to buy a £700 box that stops me shooting in portrait mode

[verysimplejason]

Unless I want to be a spyier, WHY do I want to operate the camera through a cell phone

To understand and use any feature of a camera (including WiFi linking 6D with a smartphone), one needs imagination ... the first prerequisite of any photographer.

As a wedding photographer, how do you compose your shots when your camera is already on the tripod and you operate through a phone from distance?

I am not a professional wedding photographer but I did take photos at my niece's wedding earlier this year and the following is what I had done:
I used 2 cameras, a 5D MK III handheld and a 60D on a tripod. At our Church the parish priest does not allow photographers to come behind him (while the couple are facing him) during Mass, offertory and other Catholic rituals (which goes on for about 90 minutes). So I got the priest's approval to set a tripod (with my 60D) discreetly placed behind him. I used a 10 inch Asus Iconia tablet connected to my 60D with a 20 foot USB cable (running under the church carpet) and remotely triggered the camera with an android program called "RYC USB Pro". I chose a wide angle lens so I could change the AF to capture the couples expressions and sometimes the audience expressions. I took over two dozen memorable photos the professional photographer (who was hired to do the wedding photography) could not capture because the priest would not allow him to be at certain places. I would have preferred if it was totally wireless, like the WiFi feature on 6D, so I didn't have to worry about someone tripping on exposed parts of the USB cable.

Granted that the WiFi feature may not always be ideal for every single situation but everything has a time and place. But a little imagination wouldn't hurt. Sometimes I wonder what Adam Ansel and other great photographers before him would have thought of all the immature cribbing that goes on these days about every little feature on a camera that someone does not use or like. I plan to sell my 60D and get the 6D in about 2 or 3 months time because of the WiFi feature and of course the full frame advantage ... I can already imagine myself using my iPhone strapped to my hand (facing towards me) while I am taking photos above a crowd or placing the 6D near a bird nest and remotely triggering the camera from a distance ... so many possibilities, only if we are willing to use some IMAGINATION! IMAGINATION! IMAGINATION!

Again....this type of shootings are use in "spying", without compositions. Let me guess, you do composition in PP with crop.

I tend to agree with Rienz.  Anything is better than nothing.  Another example.  Having a camera on a pole where you can control composition but can't set manually the exposure or focus is just one of WIFI's uses.  Granted you can do this with more sophisticated accessories but WIFI just makes them easier.  As Rienz said, it's just about imagination.  You have it, use it.  Tools are there to be utilized.  Only your imagination limits you.

How about sending your camera underneath a remote helicopter and flying it while remotely controlling exposure and focus?  I agree, it's too dumb because it's too risky and expensive to do.  But we know that soon, there will somebody crazy enough to do it.   

Mount a 6D on tripod to capture an ave Joe's shot doesn't require much imagination.

If you just thought about DSLR on Heli.....you little behind. Guess what kinda of DSLR on that heli? I'll give you a hint = NOT 6D, a cheap $200 DSLR that I bought on CL without WiFi....use your imagination

So does this disprove the usability of a WIFI in 6D?  I think you only gave an alternative.  And guess what, if this is the limit of your imagination, then we can't say anything anymore.  In the meantime, I strongly oppose limiting ourselves with these kind of shots.  Imagination of a photographer should be boundless.  You can't put a limit of what you can do.  When you do that then that's the time you stop growing.  As artists, we have to think and take all perspectives.

Here's something where you can remote control pan and tilt head. (This is just experimental but certainly have the potential.)  Add to this the possibility of remote controlling focus and exposure of your camera, you have a very good camera system where you can put it anywhere.  It can give you different perspectives aside from those hard-to-get shots and it has all the FULL FRAME goodness of the 6D.  You can even preview your shots before taking it.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Remote-Controlled-Pan-and-Tilt-Head/

[tron]

A chinese wireless adaptor costs a few dollars. I cannot imagine that the solo photographer will be able to change 6D's settings and shoot with his camera at the same time anyway. So a remote shutter release is usually enough. Plus, I do not think that composition can be changed remotely by the camera itself!

Just like a 800mm lens is sued for certain purposes and not for wide angle compositions, the WiFi feature too has certain uses and changing composition is not one of them.
You can get a Chinese motorcycle for $400, so why do people spend a lot more for branded motorcycles? ... every product has a customer base, those who can afford will buy the branded stuff and those who are on a budget will buy the cheaper options ... different strokes for different folks.

A 5DMkII or a 5DMkIII either with a remote release are not exactly cheaper options