Immediate Transfer to Computer
Does anyone know of an effective way to immediately transfer images to a computer while I'm shooting? I purchased the eye-fi and so far I am not impressed. Maybe a tethered cord will be the answer? I am shooting sports and need the images to upload to my computer ASAP for parents to be able to select the image number and order. Thank you!
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Take a look at the wireless file transfer accessories for the camera brand you have. If it's any of the name brands, you'll find devices that do the job...for a price.
My friend seriously steered me wrong here. Eye-Fi is pointless. It looked like it would work, but as you said... The files are large and it just takes too long.
I think I am going to find a long cord and try the tethered approach. I will be inside in Martial Arts academies so it should be ok.... I think.
Thank you for the feedback!
www.kristensphoto.com
Also, wireless transmitters are typically only available for the higher end cameras. 5DMk3, 1Dx, 7D, but not the Rebel, etc. Then again, some new cameras like the 70D and 6D have wireless built into them. Again, I can only speak for Canon equipment.
From the Sports (at least 1 gallery I saw) you're using a 5DII.. So you would need this for wireless - http://www.usa.canon.com/cusa/consumer/products/cameras/consumer_cameras_wft/wireless_file_transmitter_wft_e4_ii_a
I believe the best way to currently do this is to swap out memory cards and have an assistant, download while you shoot.
Sam
1. Tethered. Connect the camera to the computer via USB cable, use tethering software to get the images into a particular folder on the computer, and run other software that scans that folder for new images and posts them somewhere people can see them.
2. Network connection. This can be wired if your camera has a cat 5 connection, or wireless if you've got the network speed to make it work. This is how most of the big sports shoots are done. Image goes over wired or wireless to the edit desk, and images are published by an assistant or editor.
3. Cheaper but slightly less immediate is to use a runner to pull cards every 5-10 minutes, process them and publish them. Honestly, this is the route I'd take for most amateur work since you can use a photography friend to help out, you don't need to have a $6k camera, don't have to build a hot network, don't have to be constrained to a wire, etc.
perroneford@ptfphoto.com
If you decide to go wried, from what I've read, there can be issues w/ cords getting yanked, data connections being munched, etc.
Right now, I'm looking at either a Tether Tools table or TetherBlock to hold hdmi and usb cables in place.
If anyone has firsthand info on either piece of gear, I'm curious to hear more.
Depending on some other details which you haven't stated, the Eye-fi can actually be perfect for this. Assuming these two facts are true:
1) If the purpose of the uploads is just so the parents can review the photos (as was stated),
2) If you are shooting with a dual-card camera such as the Canon 5DMKIII
Set your camera to send small JPGs to the Eye-fi and keep the original size photos (RAW or JPG) in your camera. Then it's actually pretty snappy and solves your problem quite nicely. I do this all the time when I want clients to be able to review the shots I'm taking on a tablet without wires.
Link to my Smugmug site
Welcome to Dgrin, Zach. I share your concern about tether cables damaging cameras, especially being the klutz that I am.
I don't have experience with the products you linked. However, I do use this strain relief from Really Right Stuff that I really like. It requires that you have an L bracket on your camera though. http://www.reallyrightstuff.com/s.nl/it.A/id.2258/.f
Link to my Smugmug site
When I wanted to do this when I was doing sports I got an angled USB plug and secured it to the camera. I plugged it into a laptop and had a wi fi connection through a usb wi fi stick in a directional antenna to beam the signal back to the event trailer which was often 200M away.
The images went to a hot folder and the server in the trailer monitored this folder and pulled the images across as it found them. I used jalbum which monitored that folder and updated the gallery's on the fly. Took a bit of learning but once we got it, the system worked well and I had up to 3 cameras all feeding the images back this way. Looked pretty cool with a " radar " Dish next to you as well. I put the long range antenna's I made on light stands that we aimed back at the trailer. People told me that the wireless would be too slow and laughed when I said I wanted to beam it 200M but it didn't take much searching on the web to work out this was actually a piece of cake. The antennas make all the difference and it wasn't costly to set up at all.
The images don't have to be there instantly, if parents are watching their kids it takes at least a few minutes for them to get to the stations to see the images and if they aren't there they are happy to wait a few minutes if they know they are coming. With what I did the images were always there before they were so it was always an amazement.
I paid through the nose for one of the Canon wifi units and it was complete and utter junk. I was unable to find ANYONE that could make the thing work and no matter what I looked up on the web I couldn't make it work either. I found it up the shed just last week and lamented what a total rip off the thing was. I threw it out in total disgust thinking what I could have used the money on.
If it is just to show parents it might work. I have my Canon 5D mkII set to raw and small jpeg. The jpeg is sent to the cam ranger and pops up on the Ipad fairly quickly. Raw files do take quite a bit longer to pop up. Both files are recorded to your card so you have both.
www.cameraone.biz