Last week was an exciting one, not just for enthusiasts of mobile phones, smartwatches and tablets; there was some photography news too. Sony announced an innovative pair of cameras that look like traditional lenses and clamp onto a smartphone. I was strongly considering either the $249 QX-10 or the $499 QX-100 but after much deliberation, I opted for a Sony NEX-6 interchangable lens camera.
All three of these, however, share a key feature: Integrated Wi-Fi radios.
After just three days with the new Sony camera, I don’t think I’ll ever again buy a camera without Wi-Fi. The NEX-6 doesn’t have NFC like the lens cameras do (darn!), however, it’s still super handy to create a wireless connection between the camera and a phone or tablet for photo edits and sharing. Using my Android phone, it’s easy to share images from the NEX-6 because of how Android handles the function: Any installed app that supports image sharing appears as an option.
To make all this work, I did have to install the free Sony PlayMemories application on my Moto X and Nexus 7. That’s the software that handles incoming images from the camera I bought. It’s also the same application that you’ll need on an Android device or iPhone to use either the QX-10 or QX-100 lens after they hit the market later this month.
The software is pretty basic but works as advertised. To use the feature, I simply hit the Wi-Fi button on my camera, which becomes a wireless access point. It shows its network name and a password on the camera display. Open the PlayMemories app on a mobile device and it should automatically find the camera’s network and prompt you for the password. Enter it and all of a sudden, the captured images appear on your tablet or phone. You can also choose to send just a single image from camera to mobile device.
At that point, you can “Copy†or “Share†the images directly from your mobile device. Sony lets you choose the file size as well; handy for those on limited broadband plans or for sharing snapshots on social networks. The software also allows you to use your phone as a remote control for the camera — view the subject, shoot, zoom, touch-AF, and adjust other camera settings –  I haven’t tried it yet, but plan to this week. Even without that, I’m sold on the use of Wi-Fi in a dedicated camera.
Since you need the Sony app to make all this work, I don’t see full-time photographers going the same route. After all, they likely want their RAW image files on a computer to fine-tune and process their images. This particular solution is better suited for fast image sharing, although with some third-party editing software, you could create or add interesting effects.
I had previously considered buying a phone that has Android built-in, but I see little need for that with this setup. And I was never a fan of the LTE cameras. Yes, they make it easy to share pictures too, but who wants to pay an additional monthly service fee for mobile broadband in a camera? My phone works just fine, thank you.
And so does my new camera: Even in the dark with a 2 second exposure.
Article source: http://www.imaging-resource.com/news/2012/10/11/pentax-japan-adjusts-q10-availability
After buying a Wi-Fi-enabled camera, I"ll never go back to one without wireless
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