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Eye-Fi -> iPad wireless "tethered" image view

yongfei

New member
I have got the setup working to wirelessly transfer RAW files from Hasselblad CFV 16 digital back to the iPad Air.

Setup:
- Eye-Fi Pro X2 16G SD card;
- Digigear SD SDHC SDXC to CF tpye II CF Ultimate CF Adapter (available on Amazon or B&H);
- piRAWnha RAW editor for iPad.

Basically, the approach is to open piRAWnha application, and tap "LOAD PHOTO" to open the Eye-Fi folder. Eye-Fi can generate and display a very small JPEG file from the RAW, which is perfect for selecting the photo to be opened in piRAWnha. After the new image is captured, just hit the refresh icon, and the "Eye-Fi" folder will get refreshed with the latest images. The Eye-Fi transfer speed is about 20 second for CFV, and piRAWnha can open or convert the RAW within a few seconds.

I also tested this approach using Android. The Hasselblad RAW's JPEG is not viewable in Android's Eye-Fi version, but you can still use the "Raw Decoder" application to open the selected RAW file. So while it is less convenient, the same wireless approach also works for Android.

Hope this information will help those photographers looking for an instant viewing solution without tethering a laptop. It may be especially useful for those who use some old digital backs that have a poor screen.
 
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analoguey

New member
That's an interesting approach , I have a question regarding the CF card adapter - is the speed as per SD card spec or slower? I WA's vacillating km purchasing a CF card based system (35mm) and this might help me decide

sent from tap-a-talk
 

yongfei

New member
I think the speed may have something to do with the digital camera that you are using. For my CFV16, I can transfer the RAW in about 20 seconds, that's about 1mb/sec. On my Canon S100 point and shoot, however, it is much slower even without the CF adaptor.
 

Jae_Moon

Member
I have got the setup working to wirelessly transfer RAW files from Hasselblad CFV 16 digital back to the iPad Air.

Setup:
- Eye-Fi Pro X2 16G SD card;
- Digigear SD SDHC SDXC to CF tpye II CF Ultimate CF Adapter (available on Amazon or B&H);
- piRAWnha RAW editor for iPad.

Basically, the approach is to open piRAWnha application, and tap "LOAD PHOTO" to open the Eye-Fi folder. Eye-Fi can generate and display a very small JPEG file from the RAW, which is perfect for selecting the photo to be opened in piRAWnha. After the new image is captured, just hit the refresh icon, and the "Eye-Fi" folder will get refreshed with the latest images. The Eye-Fi transfer speed is about 20 second for CFV, and piRAWnha can open or convert the RAW within a few seconds.

I also tested this approach using Android. The Hasselblad RAW's JPEG is not viewable in Android's Eye-Fi version, but you can still use the "Raw Decoder" application to open the selected RAW file. So while it is less convenient, the same wireless approach also works for Android.

Hope this information will help those photographers looking for an instant viewing solution without tethering a laptop. It may be especially useful for those who use some old digital backs that have a poor screen.
Sounds very interesting. What is the range of wifi with CF adapter to iPad?

thanks,

Jae Moon
 

yongfei

New member
The tested range is about 3 feet. Because that is way I intend to use. The Eye-Fi card was able to communicate with my router 25 feet away (with walls) in Wi-Fi mode, but the speed is very slow.
 
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thats the news i was looking for since Eye-Fi came out ... ;-)
how stable is the connection?
the only thing i'm worried about is the expected transfer time on my 39mpx back...
 

yongfei

New member
thats the news i was looking for since Eye-Fi came out ... ;-)
how stable is the connection?
the only thing i'm worried about is the expected transfer time on my 39mpx back...
I believe the CF-SD adapter part is very stable, but just don't know about Wi-Fi transfer stability. May go out next Month, and report back the real-world user experience. I would buy Apple's Camera Connection Kit (SD card reader) as a backup. Since this setup is very cheap to try, you may try it too.

I guess that the transfer rate is about 1m/s for the Hasselblad back.

Also, today I downloaded Photogene 4 for iPad for $.99. It can also open the Eye-Fi's 3FR RAW file within 2-3 seconds.
 

faris

New member
The old MC Arsat fisheye - I know it well! Front-mounted on a Copal shutter? Can you get the standards close enough to reach infinity focus with that lens?
 

dougpeterson

Workshop Member
I tried many such hacked solutions before the release of the Phase One IQ2 with native wireless control, review, and editing.

With every such hacked solution I found the speed too slow, the functionality too hobbled, or the stability too poor - usually all three.

Small JPGs from a Canon/Nikon worked fairly quickly, but you can't do much with them (e.g. no focus/detail checking). Full raws had very good functionality but were insufferably slow even for single-image shooting (even worse for several rapid shots). And in all cases the communication was one way - if you liked an image there was no way (other than writing down the image # on a pad of paper) to reconcile that with the final CF card workflow. CamRanger was an improvement, but was still hobbled in speed and stability.

I'm convinced native wireless is the only way to go. It's not perfect, but it's much better than anything else I've seen. I predict within a year or two all major new pro cameras will feature it in the way that the IQ2 does.
 
i agree.
man, if could afford it i would get an iq2 today! but the truth is, i've to stick with my old but already paid h3 back ;-)
 

GrahamWelland

Subscriber & Workshop Member
I'm convinced native wireless is the only way to go. It's not perfect, but it's much better than anything else I've seen. I predict within a year or two all major new pro cameras will feature it in the way that the IQ2 does.
I predict that major new cameras will feature it in a way that is quite unlike the way that the IQ2 does it. i.e. rock solid reliable wireless in the field and a full featured image review app that caches generated previews.

I still find the IQ2 ad-hoc wifi semi-reliable at best. The analogies of the rabbit ear antenna positioning in the room and tin foil attachments still apply IMHO. :facesmack:
 

yongfei

New member
does it work without a router as well?
i would like to use it outdoors, for architectural and landscape...
Of course it will work without a router - that's the whole point of using this simple setup in outdoors (and use Apple's Camera Kit SD reader as a backup). It is called Direct Mode: Eye-Fi card is the hot spot, and you search the Eye-Fi's ID for wi-fi connection in iPad network configuration.

Again, you may start with Eye-Fi card-> iPad, and simply use PhotoGene app to open the raw file. Then add more components or apps as needed.

Let us know how it works for you....
 

yongfei

New member
at first i have to get myself an ipad - this might be the missing feature to justify a purchase ;-)
Yes, I did exactly the same - went for a maximized iPad Air - it looks so affordable:). Get a T-Mobile version as it comes with monthly free 200mb 4G data. Before doing that, you can use iPhone or Android for proof of concept. iPad has dual antenna, so the speed could be about 50% faster than other devices.
 

narikin

New member
Or... accept a USB3 tether cable and use a Retina display tablet to review the images.

A Surface Pro (1) can be bought for about $500 now, same price as a non pro iPad, and works perfectly with full version Capture One (free in DB form, of course). A cable will cost you $10. That was my cost of avoiding a pointless upgrade to IQ2 series. Full screen 100% review of 80mp images, in about 5 seconds. Works great.
 

yongfei

New member
My intention is to use this for hobby: taking vacation pictures. I did some calculation: for my CFV, I should be able to take about 100 pictures and transfer them all to iPad within an hour. That should be sufficient for me.

The good thing about this set up is that it will eventually "catch up" and transfer all those RAW files on the Eye-Fi card to iPad, as long as you leave them power-on for both iPad and the back . On the other hand, I will also bring a regular 32 GB SD card for taking those pictures that I want to use Apple's SD card reader to import later on.

If I do a few RAW to JPEG export on spot (using piRAWnha), it will also get the GPS info (of processing location) tagged in those exported JPEGS. Many CFVs should get a bad internal battery by now, so the back's timestamp always starts at 2000-01-01 when it is turned on.
 
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seems there's currently no place in europe to get a eye-fi x2 pro 16gb card ... and eye-fi doesn't ship to europe directly :loco:
 

jerome_m

Member
seems there's currently no place in europe to get a eye-fi x2 pro 16gb card ... and eye-fi doesn't ship to europe directly :loco:

Well... I ordered a Transcend wifi SD card for that reason (that, and it is cheaper). If you wait a few days, I should be able to tell whether it works or not. I have been using a CF to SD adapter for months already. The adapter I use is from Delock, but they have two and only the one marked "for SDXC/SDHC/SD/MMC" is recognised by my Hasselblad.
 
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