Eye-Fi vs. Toshiba FlashAir & D7100

[jim_foley4]

<p>I have a D7100 and I was wondering if anyone is using the Toshiba FlashAir. I've seen plenty of posts on the Eye-Fi but I am wondering about compatibility with regard to the D7100. The D7100 manual also only refers to Eye-Fi. Also, other than memory speed is there any other difference between the Toshiba Class 6 and Class 8 FlashAir cards when working with the D7100. Any other pointers with regard to FlashAir use would also be appreciated. Thanks.</p>

<p>Jim</p>

[homer_arment1]

<p>Here is a review from the internet. It covers version 1 of the card's software and it isn't very impressed with the cards software nor the transfer speed of the card. He also mentions the card is a battery drainer. I imagine both the FlashAir and the Eye-Fi card are about the same since they are both pulling juice from the battery to give you the WiFi access. The review was posted back in Aug of last year. That is very nearly a lifetime in internet years (or digital camera years too I suppose).</p>

<p>http://www.cultofmac.com/242043/toshiba-flashair-promising-but-ultimately-flawed-review/</p>

[Andrew Garrard]

<p>I can't speak for the cards you're considering, but there's a comparative review <a href="http://www.dpreview.com/articles/4616822206/battle-of-the-wi-fi-cards-eye-fi-vs-transcend">here</a> of Eye-Fi vs Transcend if that's of any interest. I'm kind of hoping that Eye-Fi will produce a UHS-1 card sometimes soon, since the D800 in live view mode locks up until the image is written to the card. (They also reviewed the Mobi card more recently.)</p>

[rodeo_joe1]

<p>I was going to mention the Transcend option, but Andrew has beaten me to it. My attention was drawn to Transcend's WiFi enabled SD card when I recently bought one of their USB 3.0 card readers, and there was a leaflet enclosed advertising the rest of their products. Looks good on paper at least.</p>

[rizo_p]

The Nikon Wifi module is the same price as an Eye-Fi card. I have the Eye-Fi Pro X2 (8GB) and I find the connection is

quite slow especially if I hold the camera in the palm of my hand (i.e. try to take photos).

 

Still, shooting pictures and seeing them on big screen TV within a few minutes is really fun for both kids and adults.

[mike_halliwell]

<p>.....and how fast is the WiFi in the D5300?</p>

[jim_foley4]

<p>So for the next person that searches for FlashAir this is what I have learned so far. The card and app actually work great in a point and shoot. Connection is reliable and the transmission is pretty fast. As far as the D7100 recognizing the FlashAir as it would an Eye-Fi card, well it doesn't. There is an Eye-Fi Upload setting in the Setup Menu that I assume shows up if you have an Eye-Fi card installed. There are also status indicators on the rear screen that show up. None of this happens when you insert a FlashAir card in the D7100. That's quite a disappointment. The FlashAir card seemed to be sporadic in operation in the D7100. On an iPhone or Laptop the FlashAir network would show up and then disappear. I'm guessing that the D7100 to save power shuts down the cards when they don't need to be active. I tried lengthening timers and such. I found somewhere that you need to be in Live View Mode for the FlashAir. That does seem to work much better. I don't use Live View very much though. I may post more as I try other things. FlashAir also supports a pass through mode so you can connect to the card and still get to the Internet through your smart phone. If anyone can tell me more I would love to hear it. Thanks.</p>

[phil_atherton]

<p>I've never used the FlashAir or Eye-Fi but I have the WU-1a accessory Wi-Fi and use it a lot on my Coolpix A and in the past on a D600. I've also tried out the built-in wifi on the new cameras like the D5300 in a store with my phone as it uses the same app.<br>

When you connect the device, the camera becomes unusable and closes down and the WU-1a flashes. You then open up the app on phone/tablet and get a live view stream from the camera and can activate the shutter. It then transfers a copy of the photo to your phone. You can also just grab photos from your camera if you don't want to use the deice/phone to actually take a shot. <br>

The little WU-1a feels quite loose when connected to the camera, but I've found it to be reliable and works great. The advantage is when you don't use it you take it out so it's not draining your battery like an Eye-Fi. The built-in ones can simply be switched off in the menu when you don't want wifi.<br>

If I had a D7100 I definitely wouldn't use a FlashAir or Eye-Fi and would opt instead for the WU-1a, unless I wanted the cloud option.<br>

</p>

[jim_foley4]

<p>Thanks Phil. I did buy the WU-1 for the D7100. I stumbled across a Nikon refurb from B&H I think. It actually works pretty well. My only gripe is that it ONLY works with a smart phone or tablet. It would be great if Nikon would do the same functionality for a Windows PC. I put the FlashAir in my wife's point&shoot.</p>

 

[mike_halliwell]

<p>The Nikon WU-1 will work with a PC via DSLR Dashboard; Sadly the Official the Nikon app is pretty poor.</p>

<p>My D5300 works wifi-wise with my Windows XP netbook and my Nexus 7 via the above app.</p>

<p>The D7<strong>2</strong>00 will have the same options built-in unless Nikon are really, really stupid. </p>

<p>The WU-1 series adapters were purely a stop-gap...I feel wi-fi enabled cards are too.</p>