One of my biggest pet peeves about digital photography is taking a picture and having it look good on your camera’s display only to find something wrong with it when transferred to your computer.
I recently purchased an item to help combat this: The Eye-Fi Connect Card. This SD card has built in Wi-Fi, and can wirelessly transfer photos to your computer, iPhone or iPad.
The Eye-Fi card can remember up to 32 wireless networks, and even create its own for your device to join. This makes it perfect for either shooting at home or viewing pictures on the go.
The Eye-Fi comes in three different models. There are 4GB and 8GB models for everyday users, which transfer JPEG photos and movies, and a 8GB Pro for more serious photographers with support for RAW files.
All three cards feature an endless memory mode that allows you to automatically free up a card by deleting photos once they have been sent to your device. The cards can also be configured to automatically upload your photos to your favorite social network site such as Facebook or Flickr.
The biggest selling point for me was the ability to send photos directly to your iPad. An iPad is easier to haul around with you than your laptop and also makes it fun and easy to show off your photos to people as you take them.
Plus, since everything is wireless, you don’t have to worry about additional accessories like a camera connection kit. Eye-Fi cards make a great solution for professionals who want to show off their work as they’re taking photos.
Eye-Fi even has a free iOS app. While it does all the basic functions, it’s still a free app and could use some improvement.
For the best results, I use an app called ShutterSnitch. ShutterSnitch allows you to wirelessly import photos to the iPad and sort them into events based on the project you’re working on.
ShutterSnitch comes with some nice features such as the ability to set up rules the photo should follow such as ISO, shutter speed, aperture and light level. If these rules aren’t followed, ShutterSnitch will send a warning. It can highlight washed out areas and even watermark your photos should you decide to publish them. ShutterSnitch is a universal app and is available for both iPad and iPhone.
An Eye-Fi card plus ShutterSnitch makes your iPad the perfect tool for photography. Whether you’re a professional looking to show clients previews on the fly or just a hobbyist who likes to look at their photos on a bigger screen before calling it a day.
Both items work for a wide variety of users and are an absolute must have.