A Bit of EOS 7D Replacement Info [CR2]

[bjd]

I expect to try the TP Link TL-MR3040 soon to see how it compares. Only $40.

This is what I use on my 60D. Works great. The DSLR Controller app is better than Canon's app and the range on the TP Link is excellent. I get 30 or so feet -- maybe a bit more -- depending on the environment. For the money, it can't be beat.

I'm hoping the IQ will significantly increase over what APS-C has to offer now. If not, I may save my money for a full-frame.

Hi, could you tell me more about how this works please? USB connection from Camera
to TPLink then via the LAN to a Tablet running DSLR Controller?

I am using DSLR Controller from my Tablet direct USB to my 5D, and have played with DSLR Controller
on my smartphone viw WIFI to the Tablet and then USB to the Camera.

Cheers Brain

See this link
http://dslrcontroller.com/guide-wifi_mr3040.php

Great, thanks very much everyone.
Cheers Brian

 

[old-pr-pix]

Wi-Fi seems to work well on the Olympus OM-D E-M1 with its full magnesium chassis. Pentax K-3 also has full mag. chassis and its FLU card approach works great (at least playing with it in the store it does).

I'm still anxious to see what 7DII will bring us; but, question why a metal chassis would exclude any possibility of Wi-Fi. It's not a deal-breaker for me, just a curiosity.

 

[candc]

I have a 70d and really like the touch/swivel screen and the WiFi function but I can understand why canon would omit these from the 7dii. It is being built to suit wildlife and sports photogs. The touchscreens are nice but they don't work when wet, really cold, or with gloves. Even sony is ditching it on their latest cameras.The WiFi is good for transferring downsized jpegs but its not very fast. You have to set your device to network with the camera to transfer and then back to an internet connected network to upload. Its faster to just pop the card out. The remote shooting is really laggy and not suitable for sports shooting.

Canon said they are building the 7dii to be a pro level camera and it sounds like they mean it. The WiFi and touchscreen are more consumer features. If I was designing an "all business" camera I would not incorporate those features either.

 

[Loswr]

class-leading feature set, of course including WiFi, GPS and RT-radio flash commander.

Lots of people calling for WiFi and/or GPS. Certainly Canon can include them, but doing so presents certain challenges and associated costs. Regulatory approval is needed, and Canon would need to maintain 'forked' production lines and separate distribution networks for the versions with/without radio capabilities, as they currently do for the 6D, 600EX, etc. Doable, of course, but perhaps one more barrier.

 

[Lee Jay]

What is needed is an inexpensive flash-shoe mounted wifi/gps module with pass through. The GP-E2 and WFT-E6A together cost nearly $800, each only does one of those functions, and they don't pass through the hot shoe.

That's crazy.

I can buy a GPS module for my airplane for just a few bucks, and a whole wifi router with integrated battery for $35.

Canon (or someone) should release a combined device that passes through the flash hot shoe functionality and costs $50 or so.

 

[dgatwood]

class-leading feature set, of course including WiFi, GPS and RT-radio flash commander.

Lots of people calling for WiFi and/or GPS. Certainly Canon can include them, but doing so presents certain challenges and associated costs. Regulatory approval is needed, and Canon would need to maintain 'forked' production lines and separate distribution networks for the versions with/without radio capabilities, as they currently do for the 6D, 600EX, etc. Doable, of course, but perhaps one more barrier.

Regulatory approval is required for the body whether it contains Wi-Fi or not, though IIRC it does require a bit more heavyweight approval with Wi-Fi than without.

As for versions without Wi-Fi capabilities, normally you do this with different firmware—disabling certain channels, depending on what country you're selling it in. It's a different SKU, which is a headache, but not different hardware. For GPS... well, there are a few countries where that's illegal, but most companies handle that with geographic limits on all their hardware, rather than by removing the hardware.

I mean, if that extra $2 on the BOM is critical, yeah, you can fragment the production lines, but....

 

[Loswr]

class-leading feature set, of course including WiFi, GPS and RT-radio flash commander.

Lots of people calling for WiFi and/or GPS. Certainly Canon can include them, but doing so presents certain challenges and associated costs. Regulatory approval is needed, and Canon would need to maintain 'forked' production lines and separate distribution networks for the versions with/without radio capabilities, as they currently do for the 6D, 600EX, etc. Doable, of course, but perhaps one more barrier.

Regulatory approval is required for the body whether it contains Wi-Fi or not, though IIRC it does require a bit more heavyweight approval with Wi-Fi than without.

As for versions without Wi-Fi capabilities, normally you do this with different firmware—disabling certain channels, depending on what country you're selling it in. It's a different SKU, which is a headache, but not different hardware. For GPS... well, there are a few countries where that's illegal, but most companies handle that with geographic limits on all their hardware, rather than by removing the hardware.

I mean, if that extra $2 on the BOM is critical, yeah, you can fragment the production lines, but....

Makes sense, thanks!

 

[AvTvM]

As long as canon and all other digicam makers are able to put wifi and gps into quite a number of measly and cheap 1/1.7" and 1/2.3" dwarf-sensored compact and bridge cams .. Powershots, elphs, coolpix ... And are able to get regulatory approvals for those pieces of junk around the world ... There is no excuse on earth for not putting wifi, gps and rt flash commander into every single dslr they make.

 

[scottkinfw]

This looks like the same hardware that the CamRanger uses with their brand name on it.

sek

I expect to try the TP Link TL-MR3040 soon to see how it compares. Only $40.

This is what I use on my 60D. Works great. The DSLR Controller app is better than Canon's app and the range on the TP Link is excellent. I get 30 or so feet -- maybe a bit more -- depending on the environment. For the money, it can't be beat.

I'm hoping the IQ will significantly increase over what APS-C has to offer now. If not, I may save my money for a full-frame.

Hi, could you tell me more about how this works please? USB connection from Camera
to TPLink then via the LAN to a Tablet running DSLR Controller?

I am using DSLR Controller from my Tablet direct USB to my 5D, and have played with DSLR Controller
on my smartphone viw WIFI to the Tablet and then USB to the Camera.

Cheers Brain

See this link
http://dslrcontroller.com/guide-wifi_mr3040.php

 

[the blackfox]

my p.o.v is why fit gps and wi-fi and even video if the majority of users just want to take improved photos thats what a CAMERA is for the other bits mentioned above these days can be dealt with by simply using a mobile phone which 90% of people have with them when taking photos anyway .

this way all the power could be put back into the picture taking side of the processor without all the waffle that most peeps don't need or use .hopefully canon will have thought this out to .

i,m also of the view that it would be better for them to build a separate unit for the gps and wi-fi and just plug and play as needed if needed .

back to basics and move forward

 

[brad-man]

As long as canon and all other digicam makers are able to put wifi and gps into quite a number of measly and cheap 1/1.7" and 1/2.3" dwarf-sensored compact and bridge cams .. Powershots, elphs, coolpix ... And are able to get regulatory approvals for those pieces of junk around the world ... There is no excuse on earth for not putting wifi, gps and rt flash commander into every single dslr they make.

Actually, there is one reason. Marketing. Canon obviously has the tech skills to put pretty much put whatever they want into a DSLR ( except perhaps a clean low ISO, high resolution & DR sensor ). They choose not to...

 

[monkey44]

my p.o.v is why fit gps and wi-fi and even video if the majority of users just want to take improved photos thats what a CAMERA is for the other bits mentioned above these days can be dealt with by simply using a mobile phone which 90% of people have with them when taking photos anyway .

this way all the power could be put back into the picture taking side of the processor without all the waffle that most peeps don't need or use .hopefully canon will have thought this out to .

I'm also of the view that it would be better for them to build a separate unit for the gps and wi-fi and just plug and play as needed if needed ."
back to basics and move forward

X2 here. I'm a little bummed that a new or upgrade camera comes on the scene and is instead a "conglomerate of components" that each do something independent of capturing an image. And, we pay for it, like it or not. WIFI and Video costs something to develop and insert, and we pay extra for that even if we don't use it.

That does several things ... lessens the R&D on image capture tech, adds components some never use, increases the cost -- no matter how small that increase appears to be, it detracts from other benefits we could get instead. But the bottom line, it increases Canon sales -- because we have no alternative, not because we want those extras ... adds weight, adds one more thing to break, adds cost, and bums out some buyers.

 

[Don Haines]

Can someone explain something about wifi?

I have read that build quality (metal body?) precludes incorporating wifi. Yet, the wifi card manufacturers say their product works with the 5DIII in its SD slot. If that's the case, then why would camera manufacturers be unable to design a camera body that doesn't have the ability to use wifi. It seems they should be able to simply shift the wifi portion to another part of the body.

When people think of a metal body, they seem to forget that the metal shell on a DSLR is honeycombed with holes.... and some of them are quite large. I have included a picture of the 1DX shell to show the point...

When the WiFi card is in the 5DIII slot, it's antenna is almost flush with the case of the camera and is in the middle of one of those holes. It is not an optimal placement for the antenna and that is probably why it has such poor range.

If you want a decently performing WiFi system on a DSLR, then you want a decent antenna.... or two... or three... The best places would seem to be on the back of the camera (possibly integrated into the monitor) or on the sides under the rubber grip.... or along the top... there are lots of places to put it. Going for multiple antennas makes your WiFi system for more likely to get a decent signal and if they ever decide to abandon 2.4Ghz they will be able to get much higher transfer rates and far less latency.

 

[Jack Douglas]

Almost as important as the quantity and quality of AF points is the ability to link the exposure to the point you're using. For me that's a big one. Like when you have bright sky in the central region and focus point on the subject or the subject (bird) has a light head and a dark body and it's a portrait. In the case of birds moving quickly from one position to another there is no time to fool with the exposure. Bracketing isn't the total answer either.

I'd certainly would have had a 1DX by now if it wasn't so heavy for hiking. There is a lot I love about my 6D but I'm really hoping the 7DII will be closer to the 1DX AF, then it'll be my second body for action and reach, no doubt.

Jack

 

[jrista]

Almost as important as the quantity and quality of AF points is the ability to link the exposure to the point you're using. For me that's a big one. Like when you have bright sky in the central region and focus point on the subject or the subject (bird) has a light head and a dark body and it's a portrait. In the case of birds moving quickly from one position to another there is no time to fool with the exposure. Bracketing isn't the total answer either.

I'd certainly would have had a 1DX by now if it wasn't so heavy for hiking. There is a lot I love about my 6D but I'm really hoping the 7DII will be closer to the 1DX AF, then it'll be my second body for action and reach, no doubt.

Jack

Get Art Morris' book "The Art of Bird Photography", and read the chapter on exposure. It's probably the most enlightening bit of text on exposure I've ever read, and it completely changes how you think about it. You'll never have to worry about AF-point based metering ever again....it simply isn't an issue.

 

[dgatwood]

my p.o.v is why fit gps and wi-fi and even video if the majority of users just want to take improved photos thats what a CAMERA is for the other bits mentioned above these days can be dealt with by simply using a mobile phone which 90% of people have with them when taking photos anyway .

Speaking only for myself, I use GPS when I'm out shooting in unfamiliar places, so that I can revisit the shots later and figure out what the heck I was seeing. I could sort of do that with my phone, assuming I noticed the interesting building or whatever when I took the shots rather than later, while reviewing them, but it's less than ideal.

And I use Wi-Fi for talking to my phone. When I'm traveling, I blog about it to my friends on Facebook. My 6D gets great shots—far better than I could possibly hope to achieve with an iPhone—and Wi-Fi lets me quickly move them to my phone so I can post them while I'm wasting time sitting on the Tube/Metro/BART, rather than waiting until I get back to the hotel at night (when I'm tired and want to crash).

this way all the power could be put back into the picture taking side of the processor without all the waffle that most peeps don't need or use .hopefully canon will have thought this out to .

GPS requires no real CPU overhead. GPS involves asking the GPS receiver for its current location, getting the result back, and adding a few bytes in the EXIF tag. It requires so little CPU power that it is lost in the noise.

Wi-Fi uses a small amount of CPU power while it is enabled, but the impact should be near zero except when it is actually transferring images. And you're not likely to be taking photos while you're copying images off the camera anyway.

In short, leaving out these features won't yield any more benefit than making the LCD smaller by a couple of pixels would—that is, the difference is negligible to nonexistent.

i,m also of the view that it would be better for them to build a separate unit for the gps and wi-fi and just plug and play as needed if needed .

Although a few high-end Wi-Fi users do use Wi-Fi for tethered shooting and in other situations where an external Wi-Fi device would be practical, most Wi-Fi users just use it to copy photos off of their camera while on the go. If you have to carry around an extra device anyway, you might as well carry around a flash card reader for your phone instead. So for 99% of the people who use Wi-Fi, putting it in an external device makes it utterly worthless.

GPS isn't quite that extreme, in that some people do carry around external GPS receivers. However, a big part of why people like in-camera GPS is that it is always there. They don't have to worry about charging up the batteries for a separate device. They don't have to remember to turn it on in the morning, they don't have to check to make sure it didn't turn itself off, etc. It "just works". You can't achieve that level of reliability in an external device.

Either way, GPS and Wi-Fi are what we in the computer industry call "nice to haves"—the sort of features that, if always available, will be used by a sizable percentage of your users, but that most users won't go out of their way to use—particularly if going out of your way means buying an additional piece of hardware and remembering to carry it around with you. My guess is that no more than one or two percent of DSLR users would be willing to carry around an extra device just to get GPS or Wi-Fi functionality in their cameras, yet I suspect that a majority of 6D users have taken advantage of those features at least occasionally.

So basically, they're either part of the body or they might as well not exist.

 

[jeffa4444]

dgatwood
« on: August 13, 2014, 09:18:00 PM

I find I use the Wi-Fi and GPS more & more in the 6D I didnt buy the camera for those features particularly but for landscape and macro I rarely use the remote any longer because I can even stand side on for instance in macro and see the live view of my iPhone and fire the shutter from there. In landscape or travel photography the GPS gives you accurate location data so like when I was recently on Cape Cod and went off walking the exact locations were captured of places I didnt particularly know but once imported into LR & Photoshop I did.

On Dartmoor its quite easy to confuse smaller Tors but with GPS you can verify very easily once your back to your computer or even to your tablet in the field.

 

[TrabimanUK]

As long as canon and all other digicam makers are able to put wifi and gps into quite a number of measly and cheap 1/1.7" and 1/2.3" dwarf-sensored compact and bridge cams .. Powershots, elphs, coolpix ... And are able to get regulatory approvals for those pieces of junk around the world ... There is no excuse on earth for not putting wifi, gps and rt flash commander into every single dslr they make.

But they don't sell every pile of junkin every country, because they can't. that's the excuse.

The GPS / wi-fi enabled ones are sold in countries that permit that (e.g. UK, Europe, USA), and not in those that don't (e.g. Saudi Arabia). That's why for DSLRs there is an "N" version of the 70D (N stands for Not GPS/Wi-fi enabled) and other GPS/Wi-fi enabled DSLRs that don't have wi-fi so that their users don't get arrested and cameras confiscated in the countries that frown on the ability to take a photo of a sensitive building and instantly stick it onto Facebook.

 

[getoutandshoot]

"Canon seems to be taking leaks a lot more seriously than Sony and Nikon, who in my opinion, leak stuff themselves."

JEEZE! At least Canon leaked *some* rumors about the 7DMkII, starting quite a while ago. Compare that to Nikon, which despite huge demand, has leaked almost nothing at all about any competing camera. 4 months ago a rumor came out that Nikon was working on a D9300. That's it. We got a name of a possible new camera. And this is just one example. Nikon may leak information themselves, but the information leaked is next to NIL! Pro or enthusiast photographers are left totally guessing about what Nikon will do next. As far as I can tell, Nikon is SO SERIOUS about leaks that Nikon employees must be threatened with DEATH if they leak even a tiny tid bit of a rumor. Did I misunderstand you?

 

[Straightshooter]

FYI: I was on the phone this morning with Canon's Tokyo HQ to inform about them checking websites full of silly banter about their products (which THEY DON'T!!) and the nice lady on the other side of the line did tell me the following about the new 7d mark II:

Build quality: cfr. 5d mark III (with second joy stick on grip)

Build in WiFi!

24mp sensor, new, but nothing spectacular SciFi as mentioned on some websites full of silly banter...

Build in Flash!

10 f/s drive

New AF system, based on 1dx but 'downgraded a bit'

Also, a brand new 100-400mm will be released with it (non pull-push type)


There you go, what 'being nice to a Japanese lady on the phone' can't get you sometimes