Eye-Fi Pro wireless SD card hands-on
By Tim Stevens 
posted Jun 10th 2009 8:00AM
posted Jun 10th 2009 8:00AM
Features
The Pro inherits all the same abilities of its predecessors, like the Eye-Fi Explore Video, meaning it'll suck JPEG pictures and videos directly from your video camera, geotagging them along the way, pumping them through any open hotspot it can connect to (or secured one you know the password to) before routing the potentially embarrassing mess to the computer of your choice. If that computer is on they'll appear almost instantaneously; otherwise they'll get buffered somewhere in the cloud and delivered the next time that computer goes online.
New with the Pro is the ability to also beam RAW files straight from the camera, something that will make pros or would-be's a little happier when using this -- but with only 4GB on tap we're definitely thinking this is a product that'll lean more toward the serious casual users than hardcore pros. You know, wedding shooters and the like.
The other new feature here is far more usable: the ability to connect directly to a PC and send images straight to it. This means you can set up your Wi-Fi enabled Mac or PC to act as a wireless access point, configure the Eye-Fi to use it, and then watch as fresh pictures appear on your desktop -- cable free. That sounds fantastic and, once you get it working it is, but getting there is a bit of a challenge.
Setup
To configure the Eye-Fi card it has to be inserted into a computer, and then an online configuration tool appears. That's the main problem here. Unless you have a machine that has both a wired and a wireless connection or is running something like Windows 7's Virtual WiFi, as soon as you throw it into ad-hoc mode it's going to lose its internet connection. Once it's offline there's no way to configure the card and, on top of that, some features like geotagging get disabled too.
It would have been nice if the included reader also doubled as a secondary wireless network card, which would have enabled a computer be online wirelessly while also downloading pictures directly. That might have increased costs slightly, but given the $150 price of admission here, that doesn't seem like asking too much. Regardless, since it doesn't, ideally you'll be connecting to a machine that has both Ethernet and ether-based connections to the 'net. If that's the case, setup is fairly easy: create the ad-hoc network on your machine, tell the card to use it, and you should be ready to start beaming pictures.
Testing
We found that our computer took an unusually long time to lock on to the wireless card, nearly two minutes, but once connected it stayed connected -- unless we allowed our camera to put itself into power saving mode. When that happened the card naturally powered down, our laptop disconnected, and then it was another few minutes to reconnect. We're told it may be XP that's to blame here, as connections on Vista or OSX are said to be much more expedient.
Any delays in re-connecting certainly didn't mean that we needed to stop shooting, though, as once the laptop finished shaking hands any new pictures were quickly slung over, the software being smart enough to even pause and resume file transfers across connections for maximum efficiency.
Overall performance is quite good; pictures were delivered in seconds, and even videos went through quickly. We didn't notice any lag on the camera side compared to a standard memory card. However, we were disappointed to find that the high-resolution .MTS video files created by our Panasonic DMC-ZS3 were not recognized by the card, and so had to be physically transferred by popping the card into a card reader. How terribly pedestrian!
Wrap-up
It's hard not to like the functionality of the Eye-Fi Pro. Before this, having pictures sent directly to a PC was something only on offer by higher-end DSLRs. Now any cheap compact with an SD slot can do it. Support for wirelessly transmitting RAW files is fantastic, and something users have apparently been clamoring for, but that 4GB of storage won't last long shooting uncompressed -- at least it won't if you're as trigger-happy as we are.
Those are the only two features not offered by the earlier Explore Video card, which retails for $50 less and, if you don't mind losing the geotagging and access at random hotspots world-wide, you can save another $20 by going for the $79.99 Share Video. That's still the safest bet for most users, but those prepared to pay a lot more for a few extra features (and every self-respecting photog should be) will find the Eye-Fi Pro a handy addition to their camera bag.
thats a high premium to pay just for being lazy
Yup just give me an sd card reader, because deleting photos on the camera itself is usually a bitch unless you just format the card and delete them all.
It's not about being lazy. It's the entire process being a chore. People end up putting chores off, and they only get their images shared every few days to few weeks. With the Eye-Fi card -- it's totally painless. Just turn the camera on, and everything just happens.
Great improvement!
Has it been officially announced?
Yup, today.
Still they don't sell to anywhere outside CONUS or Japan, for no apparent reason. Stop boycotting Europe or stop using a European TLD, EyeFi!
To see videos of what the Eye-Fi Pro card can really do, please check out Pocket Phojo 6.0 with Eye-Fi Pro and Remote Editing Support, also launching today:
http://idruna.com/pocketphojo.html
Does that include the camera and the server?
Nais
So, this sounds great, but then I started reading reviews of the Eye-Fi Explore Video on amazon and I see lots of reports of A) the geo-tagging not working very well at all due to it relying on WiFi access points to estimate your location (obviously, thus, only working if you are near a WiFi access point, and even then people are reporting that the tagging is inaccurate). B) Eye-Fi cards dying within months and taking all your photos with it (it dies and fails to work even as a basic SD card.) C) the card sucks your camera's batteries dry very rapidly, especially when transferring photos at a slow hotspot connection. Any one of these issues would be reason for concern. Why isn't Engadget making a mention of any of them?
+1 to you good sir
1) Geotagging works well if there is Wi-Fi around you. If there isn't, you will not get geotagged.
2) If any Eye-Fi Card dies, we'll replace it. We're no different then other consumer devices, that 'die'. There are other SD and CF cards that die, and any consumer electronics device is prone to failure. I think that you'll see that we get phenomenal reviews for our support, and do our best to "do right" with any customer
3) The Eye-Fi Card draws power from the card slot, which is a lot less drain then the LCD. While the card uploads, it draws more power from the slot, and while it's not uploading, it's sleeping. Most people that leave the camera on for the card to upload, leave it Play mode, which turns the LCD on. Put the camera in Capture mode, and turn the LCD off, and you'll see how the camera will stay on, MUCH longer.
4) The card will upload at hotspots, if they're powered by WayPort or if they're totally open (no splash screen or log-in screen). If there are a lot of people using that hotspot, or if you're too far away from the hotpots, the uploads will be slow. It all depends on the current situation at the hotspot
what i've always wanted this thing to do was to be able to use ad-hoc connections so i could tether it to my G1 via WiFi and then upload pictures via 3G from my canon while i'm out and about. i was so very hopeful when i first saw this article but now ready everything about the online configuration bullsh** it seems that my dreams have been crushed again
First of all, search the net -- someone created a really cool android Eye-Fi Server :-)
Secondly -- you don't need the web to get the card connected to an ad-hoc network. Here is how you can do it, and have it always work, even if you're offline:
* while you're online, once, get the card registered, as a new card in our system. Creating an account with Eye-Fi is the first step.
* Go through the steps to get the card configured, once, while you're online.
* Create an ad-hoc network, and, for example, call it "ad-hoc 1" Just an idea
* Now, your Eye-Fi Card has memorized this SSID
* next time that you want to get the card to connect, just start a new ad-hoc network on your Mac/PC and call it "ad-hoc 1".
* that's it. The card will find it, since it already knows about that SSID, and your uploads will start.
Could they not make a higher capacity CF card version of this, with actual GPS for those of us who live in areas where Wi-Fi isn't everywhere/ shoot where there isn't Wi-Fi?
or am I just too much of a dreamer...
Pro's using SD cards are few and far between. Just sayin... Compact Flash (pick your version) SSD chips and Sony Pro are the choice poison I have seen... Those that use the Olympus sometimes use XD...
If Eye-Fi wanted a nifty device they'd make a simple mini-usb dongle, self powered that did the wireless dirty deeds. That would work with all the camera's. In fact I think someone posted a do-it-yourself version of something like this somewhere on engadget awhile back.
Canon 1D series camera bodies take both SD and CF. That covers lots of professionals.
They should make this only mac-compatible. It makes sense from a troller standpoint.
.. wouldn't it be easier just to put the WIFI functionality in the CAMERAS?
well, i have been using this functionality since 2004 or 2005 with my 3 megaPix Nikon Wifi enabled compact camera... by the way, it's not that practical compared to removing the card and puting it into card reader and taking whatever it has, unless you consider using this new "store at the cloud" feature.
I don't think geo-tagging would be practical with wifi. Though, surely it will help marketing!
Andreas, it makes more sense for you to pick the camera that you like, at the price range that fits your pocket, and with the features that work for you. Then, if you want to add the magic of Eye-Fi -- go for it. Our approach works, and we are getting support from the largest camera OEM's, like Nikon, Canon, Casio and Sanyo (check out our site for more details).
Further -- geo is not just a marketing feature. Most photos are taken indoor and around urban areas, where there is (even faint) Wi-Fi. Around those areas, your photos will get geo-tagged. GPS is a better approach for accurate geo outside, where there is no Wi-Fi, but GPS doesn't work indoor, and as mentioned earlier, most photos are taken indoor.
what is key on this card is that it can connect to wireless network and upload photos/videos to flickr/smugmug/.... without PC.
in another words if you are on the road and your smartphone can be wireless access point (iPhone can if you ... ehm) then you takes snaps and they are uploaded within seconds to the site.
wireless access point does not have to be your smartphone, but anything (e.g. hotel wireless connection when you are on vacation and some assholes steals your camera)
I submit that I might not be the smartest guy around... but how does this help me when I out in the park shooting pics?? or does it only come into play when I get home and want to transfer them? chances are, I would only buy one of these, and shooting full size RAW pics would eat that thing up in no time... so I would have to use a normal card anyways...
it works with almost any wireless access point (it does not need your PC) - setup your iPhone to be access point, go to park and shoot (with camera please)
I don't quite understand your comment. If you have Wi-Fi in the park, the photos will upload. If you don't, no prob -- the photos will still get geo-tagged. Then, come home, and turn the camera on -- that's it. The photos (JPG's, RAW) and movies will upload to your PC and to the net (JPG's and movies) if you want them to.
If you want to geek it out, you can have something like the MiFi or an ad-hoc connection in your phone (WinMo, Symbian) and anywhere that you go -- you will still be online.
I have an Eye Fi card. THEORETICALLY, this is the coolest product ever. When it works, it works splendidly. I shoot a picture, and in a matter of minutes it is already posted on flickr with no user intervention required.
The problem is with reliability. I've already had one card go belly up, for no explicable reason. Another card decided to stop working and left a "CHA" message on my camera. When I returned home, it started working again, minus the pictures I had just taken at my son's school event. I've gotten to the point where I carry a "normal" SD card as a backup, because I can't trust the ongoing viability of this card. Pity, because I really do like the product - theoretically.
Unfortunately I don't think I'm alone in my thinking. A google search of "Eye Fi piece of crap" yields a multitude of hits.
If your card ever breaks, call our support, and we'll swap it out. Consumer devices break, and we're no different. iPods break, other SD and CF cards break, etc... But we have phenomenal support, and we stand behind our products. So just call us, and we'll swap your card.
I was under the impression this thing has an option to delete pictures automatically when they're done and confirmed transferring over Wifi. I'm assuming then that this isn't the case?
I suppose this thing still has more capacity than my 2 GB SD card I use in my 6 MP camera (RAW+JPEG takes about... 200 pics to fill it up) but what is the speed like? I'm hoping the flash memory is reasonably quick in this thing.
The card does not auto-delete.
It's a class-6 card, which is fast enough for today's modern HD cameras.
Warning: the eye-fi Video has a serious problem where static interference ruins the audio of your video clips for a number of camera models. http://support.eye.fi/general/i-hear-noise-or-static-in-my-videos-when-using-an-eye-fi-card/
can you have the option of deleting pictures once transferred? So you could theoretically have a limitless amount of storage/shooting?
I'd hate to fill up the 4gb card, but have no problem filling up my 1.5TB hard drive. We shoot a ton of photos of our son. and frequently have friends over for socials.
Wait, wait, wait... please tell me they released a firmware update for those of us that forked out the $$ for a card already so adHoc can be used without shelling out more $$. That's gunna really urk me. :( I would LOVE adHoc, but am not willing to pay more money to essentially throw my other card in a drawer. Obviously 4GBs is plenty for most devices, especially if you're constantly offloading them. SD cards are a dime a dozen, so space (even without offloading is not an issue either). So to charge us $150 for another is insane! my $0.02 Please correct me if I'm wrong and they will simply make it available to the rest of us with only a firmware upgrade.
We're offering the selective-upload as a free upgrade for entire userbase. But ad-hoc and RAW uploads are part of the Pro card, only.
Thx
This will never be taken seriously by "pros" until it supports all
file formats, namely raw, and comes in CF format. I have the eyefi
share and while it's a nice idea, it's unreliable and only trasfers
jpegs. ugh.
As of today, we support RAW. If your card is unreliable, please contact our support, and we'll help you make it reliable. It should be rock-solid
Ohh boy, Imaging the Eye Fi and the Mi Fi married together.
one of my favorite combos :-)
Yeah, but I want something that will sync to my iPhone (wifi or bluetooth), then use that to send the pics over 3G. Let the iPhone geotag it with GPS before sending.
What you're saying makes total sense. It should happen at one point since now, with the newest 3.0 API's, tethering is supported. The US carriers need to support it as well though.
I have had an EyeFi card for a while now. I like it except for the following:
1. The more pictures you have on your camera, the longer it takes for the computer to recognize that there are any new ones.
2. EVERY time you boot into windows a stupid, annoying balloon pops up out of the task bar saying "Click Here to open Eye Fi Manager". I only needed to be told once (or maybe even twice) about how to open it. Not hundreds of times. Their official support solution was ridiculous, suggesting that I hack the registry to disable all balloon tips.
Nice feature additions. If they would offer software that runs on a Windows Home Server (so I don't have to keep my laptops running all the time), my wish list would be complete.
Um...if you have access to a wifi hot spot, you CAN setup your home server to receive the data from it. It can upload to the net, and if you have a ...server... @ home...
Like previously said, good idea, but in reality. 4gigs isn't enough for serious photophiles. And even if you did have ur iPhone (or in my case Nokia N800) set to ad-hoc, it still doesn't auto-purge after successful transfers.
Just gonna stick with my 16gig SDHC card, I think I can spare 10 min. @ the end of the day to swap the card into my laptop and sync. A few more steps to transfer, a LOT less to setup/configure.
Nice idea though.
Let's see what is wrong with the Eye Fi...While I love the concept and the card worked for 5 months, it is truly crap:
1) Firmware fail - Cannot install firmware
2) Cards reads - uploads photos fail
3) Card reads - no wireless network found to match, card fails
4) Card unable to accept new wireless network
5) Card corrupt in camera
6) Unable to access filesystem - wth is wrong with you??
7) Unable to use other cardreaders
8) Firmware still an update fail
Losing three weeks of important photos = PRICELESS
I am looking at this for shooting events and selling prints realtime. I would set up a laptop and printer, shoot raw+jpeg, and make prints from the jpegs. 4giga would be about an evenings shooting for me with the Sony A700. Is it feasable?