wireless

The FlashQ System Shrinks Wireless Flash Triggering Tech for Mirrorless Cameras

When it comes to choosing wireless flash trigger systems, there’s no shortage of options. From PocketWizards to cheap, $20 systems on Amazon and Ebay, there seems to be one for each and every situation and price point. However, despite all of the options, there is one thing that every single one of them has in common: they're all pretty big.

Of course, when shooting in a studio with a DSLR a PocketWizard doesn't seem that beastly. But when you’re wanting to trigger a flash with a small mirrorless camera or compact camera, none of the options out there right now will allow you to do so without making your camera look like the attachment rather than the trigger. That’s where FlashQ comes in.

9 Features Every DSLR Should Have Now

They say that the DSLR’s better days are behind it, but it’s still the choice for most working pros. Rapid advances on point and shoots, ILCs (mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras) and smart phones have left the DSLR looking like the camera of yesteryear, so here are a few features we think every DSLR should have now.

DIY: Take Wireless Control of Your Canon DSLR Using a $30 Router and Android

The CamRanger has been a big hit with photographers, and if you have $300 to spend on a wireless controller for your DSLR then it is a phenomenal option. But if you don't want to spend that kind of money, own an Android device and don't mind hacking a bit of router firmware, you can actually get similar results using this DIY rig for less than $40 bucks!

How They Sent Photos Across the Ocean Back in 1926

These days, it's easy to take for granted what the magic of the Internet, wireless technology, and fiber optic cables have made possible, but there was a time when sending a photograph a long distance in a short time wasn't quite that easy.

For instance, in 1926, someone on an oceanliner called the S.S. President Roosevelt snapped the above photo of the S.S. Antinoe during a rescue attempt. When that photo was sent almost instantly from London to New York City, it was such a big deal that the April 1926 issue of Science and Invention printed a huge infographic to show its readers how this miracle was achieved.

Eye-Fi Mobi Beams Photos from Camera to Phone or Tablet Instantly

Eye-Fi has offered the ability to wirelessly transmits photos from a camera to another device for quite a while now, but there was a downside: you were required to connect to a Wi-Fi hotspot to do so (with the exception of the Eye-Fi X2). This presented a challenge to photographers shooting on location where a Wi-Fi hotspot may not have been readily available.

Eye-Fi has come forth with their new "Eye-Fi Mobi" product, which streamlines the process of sending images to a mobile device.

Hama Announces Wireless Data Reader for iOS Devices, Doubles as a Router

The folks at Hama just announced a new accessory that should make life as an iPad or iPhone toting photographer a bit easier. No, we're not talking about the guys who shoot with their iOS devices; we're talking about the people who use them for on-the-go storage, editing and sharing.

The accessory is simply called the Wi-Fi Data Reader for Apple Devices and it does exactly what its name implies: it allows you to upload photos from USB, SD, SDHC and SDXC to your iPad without plugging anything in.

Affordable Bluetooth Trigger Turns Your iPhone Into a Remote and Intervalometer

Here's another option for DSLR-toting photogs who want to control their gear wirelessly from a distance without spending a fortune. It doesn't have the range of the CamRanger or the ability to send over a live view like, say, the built-in wireless on the Canon 6D; however, it's less than one sixth the price of the first, and you won't have to upgrade your camera to get it.

It's the Satechi Bluetooth Smart Trigger, and it comes in three versions that are compatible with a range of Canon and Nikon DSLRs (plus a couple of Pentax options) for only $45.

DIY Wireless Remote Created with a Cable Release and Arduino

I need the ability to wirelessly take photos, but my Fujifilm X100 did not have a conventional shutter release -- it has the old fashioned ”cable” release.

After playing around and buying some cheap cable releases off eBay, I was able to build a working wireless shutter using an Arduino, servo, and a cheap wireless shutter for a Canon DSLR.

New ezShare Wi-Fi SD Cards Offer On/Off Switch to Minimize Power Drain

You've got plenty of options when selecting a wireless memory card, but one thing is fairly universal across the board: they drain way more battery than their non-wireless brethren. Some cameras have menu options that will allow you to control your Wi-Fi cards, but if yours doesn't, Chinese software company LZeal has you covered.

K-Circle: A Heavy-Duty DSLR Controller That Iron Man Would Be Proud Of

We've seen quite a few wired and wireless DSLR controller options in our day -- ranging from the creative DIY variety to the cool but expensive type -- but we've never seen one that looks quite like this. The newly announced K-Circle from LockCircle looks like something Iron Man would use if he were into photography -- assuming he shot Canon, that is.

CamRanger: Wirelessly Control Canon and Nikon DSLRs with an iOS Device

Wireless adapters for digital cameras can be very pricey accessories, especially when you're dealing with high-end DSLRs. Manufacturers can squeeze more money out of those who pay thousands for a camera by charging hundreds for an adapter, even though a cheaper one could work just fine. What's more, the adapters are often designed specifically for certain cameras, making them useless if you change models or makes.

Canon’s New Wireless Photo Printers Can Receive Photos Directly from the 6D

With the release of the Canon 6D, the company's first Wi-Fi enabled DSLR, it was only a matter of time before the camera manufacturer began announcing products that took advantage of that wireless capability. Case in point: Canon has just announced a couple of new PIXMA photo printers that can communicate directly with your 6D, allowing those of you who ponied up the cash for the new full-frame shooter to print your photos over the air.

Hacker Gets Nikon WU-1a Wireless Mobile Adapter to Play Nice with the D800

Hardware security guru Joe Fitz has successfully hacked the WU-1a wireless mobile adapter to be compatible with the Nikon D800. "Why would anyone want to do this?" you might ask. Well, to get the same features, you could also buy a Nikon UT-1 Communication Unit for $470 and Nikon WT-5A Wireless Transmitter for $580 -- a combined total of $1050. The Nikon WU-1a, designed for the entry-level D3200, costs just $58!

AT&T the First U.S. Carrier to Embrace the Samsung Galaxy “Smartcamera”

Hello future. We have now entered the age in which wireless telephone carriers launch dedicated digital cameras. AT&T announced today that it will be the first major carrier in the US to offer the Samsung Galaxy Camera. The reason this upcoming Android Jelly Bean-powered camera will be offered by phone companies in addition to standard gadget retailers is because it's one of the first digital cameras that you can purchase a 3G/4G data plan for.

Trigger Trap Arrives on Android with New v2 Dongle in Tow

Apple's iPhone and iOS get a lot of media attention, but Google's Android OS is the world's most popular smartphone operating system by a long shot. Given this fact, it makes sense to at least target both markets if you're releasing something that's intended to be widely used. Triggertrap understands this, and today released the Android version of its mobile camera triggering app.

The app is designed to be used with the company's Mobile Dongle, which has also been refreshed. In fact, the new Android app requires the new Dongle, while iPhone users can use either version.

CameraMator Offers Wireless Tethered Photography Using Your iPad

Usman Rashid of Irvine, California was photographing during a trip to Florida last year when started looking for a way to view his DSLR's photos in real-time using his iPad. What he found was that existing solutions on the market were either too pricey or a pain in the butt.

Like any good entrepreneur, he set out to create a product that would meet his need. The result is a product called the CameraMator.

Reuters to Use Robotic DSLR Cameras for Olympic Coverage

Sports photographers use a variety of techniques and gear to shoot from different angles that are less accessible to the photographers during action: wirelessly triggered cameras mounted behind backboards, perched on overhead catwalks, clamped on the ground. Reuters photographers Fabrizio Bensch and Pawel Kopczynski decided to take the technology of remote photography to another level for the upcoming 2012 Summer Olympics with robotic cameras.

PQI Offers Eye-Fi-style WiFi Cards With microSD Slots for Flexible Capacity

Eye-Fi cards have seen their fair share of competition, but a new product from memory manufacturer PQI could pose a bigger threat than they're used to. The Air Card, as PQI are calling it, made its debut at Computex 2012 and, for the most part, offers exactly what we'd expect from a WiFi memory card: it creates its own WiFi hotspot when the camera is turned on, at which point photos appear automatically on whatever tablet, phone or PC you happen to have connected. The card can even connect to three sources at once, although this will slow down the transfer rate quite a bit. One specific feature, however, makes the Air Card stand out.

Futuristic Drag and Drop Concept for Transferring Photos and Media

Tired of fiddling with cables and memory cards? You might not have to in the near future as wireless data transfer becomes more and more common. This brilliant concept video by designer Ishac Bertran imagines how we might soon be using "spatially aware devices", or devices that can share data simply by holding them close together. Want to transfer some photos off your camera? Simply hold it close to your computer monitor and drag them off!

Hackers Create a DIY Flare Gun Camera

The Israeli army has a tactical intelligence device called the "Firefly" -- a wireless camera that's launched out of a grenade launcher, capturing eight seconds worth of imagery as it floats on a parachute from 500 feet in the air.

Apple’s iPhone and iCloud to Lead the Way for Internet-Connected Cameras

Apple is looking to make an even bigger splash in the camera market with the photography-related features they've included in the upcoming iOS 5, with one of the huge ones being cloud connectivity. iPhones running iOS 5 will be connected to iCloud, Apple's online backup solution, and every photograph captured will be automatically and wirelessly copied to the cloud and into the user's "Photo Stream". The photos can then be accessed from other computers and devices, and are deleted after 30 days unless moved to a permanent folder.

Wireless Viewfinder Interchangeable Lens Concept Camera

You've probably heard of EVIL cameras already, but how about WVIL? The Wireless Viewfinder Interchangeable Lens is a concept camera design by Seattle-based design firm Artefactgroup. What's novel about the design is that the imaging sensor is situated in the back of the lens rather than in the camera body, allowing the lens to be detached and used apart from the body wirelessly.

Canon Cross Media Station Delivers Wireless Transfer and Charging

If you shoot often, then you probably go through the hassles of sticking your memory card in a card reader and battery in a battery charger often as well. While these tasks don't take much time in themselves, doing them day after day can cause them to become quite tedious. Canon's Cross Media Station is designed to make these things a breeze, allowing you to do both by simply placing your camera (or two, or three) on the device, which looks like a slick scanner.