# 2 Ways the 6D's Wi-Fi Have Proved to Be a (Kinda) Lifesaver



## TWI by Dustin Abbott (May 31, 2013)

Here's a new blog post on the Wi-Fi functionality of the 6D and some unforeseen ways that it has proved handy:

http://www.dustinabbott.net/2013/05/two-ways-the-6ds-wi-fi-has-been-a-kinda-lifesaver/

If you are interested in the 6D at all, I think you will find this an entertaining read.


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## Act444 (May 31, 2013)

I dismissed it as a gimmick as well...but now that I've actually used it a little, I can see where it might actually be useful in the field. For me personally, it might be a good way to browse and delete images without needing to handle the camera- it can be safely in my bag, for example.


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## wickidwombat (May 31, 2013)

A Bit OT

you should write a book on how you do your post processing 

I would buy it, i'm many others would too

I like the purple mosquito night pic


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## Zv (May 31, 2013)

Great blog post, I was curious about the tethered shooting. Now, can I use my iPad instead of an iPhone? You mentioned that you connected it to an iPad for downloading images, wasn't sure if the app lets you do other stuff. The 6D is on my wish list. Do you think I should sell my 5D II for it? My 5D II is less than a year old, prob still worth a few bucks!


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## TWI by Dustin Abbott (May 31, 2013)

Act444 said:


> I dismissed it as a gimmick as well...but now that I've actually used it a little, I can see where it might actually be useful in the field. For me personally, it might be a good way to browse and delete images without needing to handle the camera- it can be safely in my bag, for example.



That's an interesting thought. It would be interesting to know the battery drain of browsing images via remote device as opposed to reviewing on the LCD.


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## TWI by Dustin Abbott (May 31, 2013)

wickidwombat said:


> A Bit OT
> 
> you should write a book on how you do your post processing
> 
> ...



Thank you. That is actually the first place I have shared that shot. It will go on 500px and Flickr today. I probably will do a photography book at some point, as it seems a natural fit to bridge my writing and photography.


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## TWI by Dustin Abbott (May 31, 2013)

Zv said:


> Great blog post, I was curious about the tethered shooting. Now, can I use my iPad instead of an iPhone? You mentioned that you connected it to an iPad for downloading images, wasn't sure if the app lets you do other stuff. The 6D is on my wish list. Do you think I should sell my 5D II for it? My 5D II is less than a year old, prob still worth a few bucks!



First, the answer is absolutely yes regarding use the EOS Remote app on the iPad. It is (unfortunately) still iPhone native resolution, but using the 2x function on the iPad expands it to fill the iPad screen. I am hopeful that they will release an iPad native app at some point. I have done remote shooting and review from both devices. I am actually hopeful that future Canon cameras include the Wi-Fi because it will make Canon more likely to put more support monies into the software to improve it in the future. I also fully expect some third party developers to leverage this functionality and make it more useful.

As far as the 6D vs 5DII debate - I still had a 5DII body when I purchased the 6D. I liked the 6D so much better by comparison that I sold my 5DII and bought a second 6D. If you look on my site, I discuss the 5DII as a part of my logic as to why I bought the 6D over the 5DIII


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## Zv (May 31, 2013)

TWI by Dustin Abbott said:


> Zv said:
> 
> 
> > Great blog post, I was curious about the tethered shooting. Now, can I use my iPad instead of an iPhone? You mentioned that you connected it to an iPad for downloading images, wasn't sure if the app lets you do other stuff. The 6D is on my wish list. Do you think I should sell my 5D II for it? My 5D II is less than a year old, prob still worth a few bucks!
> ...



A very thourough and interesting read. Thank you for referring me to it. I think I will end up swapping them. For me image quality is paramount and high ISO usability is my second priority. I recently shot a wedding and even though the church wasn't particularly dim I still ended up shooting at ISO 1600 (it was still under exposed a bit) and I spend a shed load of time with the noise reduction sliders! It surprises me how often I feel the need for high ISO even with flash. Since I have a 7D as a back up I think I'll try and sell my 5D II first and then use the money for the 6D. I reckon the 6D and 7D will make a pretty good combo. 

I really can't see any real negatives, I can live with the sync speed and use ND filters or HSS. Quite prefer SD cards as they're cheaper and easier to find (recently ended up with a fake Sandisk CF card). And video is not someting I care about. Might miss the joystick but I reckon the AF will stay at the center for most of the time. How are the other AF points in normal conditions? Does it hunt like the 5D II or just lock on straight away?

I tried one out at a store and have to say it DOES feel right in your hands. And the shutter is very responsive and quiet. 

Right, I have just convinced myself now! Time to put the 5D II up for sale!


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## TWI by Dustin Abbott (May 31, 2013)

Zv said:


> TWI by Dustin Abbott said:
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In all lighting conditions the outer points are preferable to the 5DII's, and of course the sensitivity of the center point is better than, well, just about anything.


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## PKinDenmark (May 31, 2013)

Hi Dustin.
Thank you for your interesting and well explained insight regarding 6D and real world applications of its WiFi-capabilities. 
Great evening-photos from the river-side btw.

I am new to the 6D, as I have posted about in: http://www.canonrumors.com/forum/index.php?topic=14139.0
... and I am very confident that my choice of 6D (over the MkIII) was the right one - for me. 
Regarding the WiFi I have done only a few experiments sofar with remote shooting from my Samsung Tablet. It was easy to set up, and although the functionality could have been more refined, it seems very practical, and I would expect more to come down the road.
Thank you again - very good inspiration (although the mosquitos in Denmark are probably not my main challenge).

As a side-subject: Regarding the 6D GPS-functionality I would like to know, whether it is possible / likely, that Canon will update the 6D to stop it from draining the battery while the camera is off - due to Internal GPS set to ON.


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## mariusx1 (May 31, 2013)

Thanks for another great post about the merits of the 6D. Your prior posts are part of the reason I was eventually convinced to get a 6D over a 5DIII (upgrading from a 40D). For me, the 6D is just a better fit and I'm planning to spend the $1,500 saved on better lenses and a few other nice accessories. I'll have the 6D in my hands in less than a month and I can't wait!


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## Trovador (May 31, 2013)

A few weeks ago I did a product shoot alone, working the camera (6D), lights and reflector all by myself. Midway through the shoot and with my back starting to ache a bit from picking up products, placing them in the stand, checking the composition in the camera, picking up and moving the reflector around, etc I realized I had the wifi function and started using it. Now I didn't have to go the camera to check the composition as I placed the products in the stand and could check perfectly in real time how the light was hitting the product bounced in the reflector as I moved it accordingly, all in the screen of my iphone. Definitely NOT a gimmick.


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## TWI by Dustin Abbott (May 31, 2013)

Trovador said:


> A few weeks ago I did a product shoot alone, working the camera (6D), lights and reflector all by myself. Midway through the shoot and with my back starting to ache a bit from picking up products, placing them in the stand, checking the composition in the camera, picking up and moving the reflector around, etc I realized I had the wifi function and started using it. Now I didn't have to go the camera to check the composition as I placed the products in the stand and could check perfectly in real time how the light was hitting the product bounced in the reflector as I moved it accordingly, all in the screen of my iphone. Definitely NOT a gimmick.



Now that is a very practical application right there. Excellent point!


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## TWI by Dustin Abbott (May 31, 2013)

PKinDenmark said:


> Hi Dustin.
> Thank you for your interesting and well explained insight regarding 6D and real world applications of its WiFi-capabilities.
> Great evening-photos from the river-side btw.
> 
> ...



The GPS drain is a concern for me as well.  I tend to just turn it on on days when I am mobile and shooting. Even if I am shooting in a fixed destination (that is easy to locate on LR's map), I don't always turn it on. If there was firmware update that allowed you to power it down when the camera was powered down (Which only seems logical to me), I would leave it on all the time. The power drain during normal operation is minimal; leaving it on all the time is another story.


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## TWI by Dustin Abbott (May 31, 2013)

mariusx1 said:


> Thanks for another great post about the merits of the 6D. Your prior posts are part of the reason I was eventually convinced to get a 6D over a 5DIII (upgrading from a 40D). For me, the 6D is just a better fit and I'm planning to spend the $1,500 saved on better lenses and a few other nice accessories. I'll have the 6D in my hands in less than a month and I can't wait!



$1500 is definitely some nice latitude for buying lenses. If you don't need the more advanced AF of the 5DIII, you definitely lose nothing as far as image quality. I've actually been happier with my 6D's than any camera I've used before.


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## Chuck Alaimo (May 31, 2013)

I rented a 6d and am 90% sure I will have one of my own in the next week or 2 to be a backup body for my 5d3. the one thing that kind of disappointed me with the wifi, and kind of potentially ruins one of my plans with it is -- for weddings I had had the idea to set it up in an area I can only access before the ceremony (like behind the altar). The problem is after like 5-10 minutes of not being in use the camera and phone lose connection and there is no way to reestablish the connection without direct access to the camera. It can still be done, set up, then just make sure to snap a shot every minute to keep the connection active.


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## Drizzt321 (May 31, 2013)

I'm surprised you didn't use the Tamron 24-70 

Kidding aside, definitely a good use of the feature, although for me I'm not sure its something that would be useful for me. Glad it was so useful for you! And I very much agree with the mosquito swarms. Yuck!


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## TWI by Dustin Abbott (May 31, 2013)

Drizzt321 said:


> I'm surprised you didn't use the Tamron 24-70
> 
> Kidding aside, definitely a good use of the feature, although for me I'm not sure its something that would be useful for me. Glad it was so useful for you! And I very much agree with the mosquito swarms. Yuck!



Well, I do have 13 or 14 other lenses


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## TWI by Dustin Abbott (May 31, 2013)

Chuck Alaimo said:


> I rented a 6d and am 90% sure I will have one of my own in the next week or 2 to be a backup body for my 5d3. the one thing that kind of disappointed me with the wifi, and kind of potentially ruins one of my plans with it is -- for weddings I had had the idea to set it up in an area I can only access before the ceremony (like behind the altar). The problem is after like 5-10 minutes of not being in use the camera and phone lose connection and there is no way to reestablish the connection without direct access to the camera. It can still be done, set up, then just make sure to snap a shot every minute to keep the connection active.



Another valid point. Have you tried changing the Auto Power Off setting? You have a lot choices there, including never shutting off. I haven't tried that, but I suspect it should keep the camera live and thus the connection on during that time. 

BTW, that is a very clever idea and use for the Wi-Fi connection, particularly considering you can you change DOF and lighting on the fly.


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## Drizzt321 (May 31, 2013)

TWI by Dustin Abbott said:


> Chuck Alaimo said:
> 
> 
> > I rented a 6d and am 90% sure I will have one of my own in the next week or 2 to be a backup body for my 5d3. the one thing that kind of disappointed me with the wifi, and kind of potentially ruins one of my plans with it is -- for weddings I had had the idea to set it up in an area I can only access before the ceremony (like behind the altar). The problem is after like 5-10 minutes of not being in use the camera and phone lose connection and there is no way to reestablish the connection without direct access to the camera. It can still be done, set up, then just make sure to snap a shot every minute to keep the connection active.
> ...



I forget the name of the device, but there's a thing floating around that connects via USB and supports a variety of remote control functions. Sounds pretty analogous to the 6D + WiFi + Canon Remote app for anyone who doesn't have a 6D or can't use their phone (non-Android, non-iPhone user here).

I think turning off the auto-power off might do the trick for you. Probably kind of distracting to try and work both that and shooting from the normal angles. How do you manage that? Or is it simply knowing which parts of the ceremony are better captured from the alternate camera and using it then?


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## MARKOE PHOTOE (May 31, 2013)

Sorry, not sure either how to keep the connection active other than always keeping it on and not let is go to sleep. I use the wifi feature on my 6D with an Ipad and I love the larger screen and being able to remotely shoot.

Someone else had questioned other wireless options, well, for the 5D3, I just purchased a CamRanger that allows you to shoot wirelessly through the Ipad and the CamRanger app for Ipad or Iphone. If you don't want or need LV you can use SmartTrigger, Hahnel or Satechi wireless shutter releases.

Best of luck


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## AttackMonkey (Jun 1, 2013)

Great read Dustin! If you do find yourself transferring to an iPad, something I used for a while as part of my workflow when shooting festivals is to use the free Snapseed app for the iPad to make quick tweaks. It can only make pretty simple tweaks, but it's quite powerful for what it is, and its been a lifesaver a few times when I've travelled light but people want to see pictures during the event!


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## bholliman (Jun 1, 2013)

Excellent articles Dustin. 

I too find the WiFi feature on the 6D very useful. I use the EOS Remote app on my iPad for remote shooting frequently and enjoy being able to quickly review pictures on the larger iPad screen when in the field.


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## Chuck Alaimo (Jun 1, 2013)

Drizzt321 said:


> TWI by Dustin Abbott said:
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I tried turning the the auto power off off...camera did as it was supposed to, it stayed on, but the connection still timed out, and you need access to the camera to reestablish connection. I only had the 6d for a few days so my tests were less than scientific...lol. 

As to " Probably kind of distracting to try and work both that and shooting from the normal angles. How do you manage that?" Specifically I was thinking about Catholic weddings, where the ceremonies are long and the B&G are up by the altar kneeling for a half an hour, I can only take so many shots of their backs! So my idea was with the 6d, get there early, talk to the priest and ask him if setting up the remote camera was allowed...on that kind of wedding there are plenty of moments where you just have to chill out and wait because again, how many shots do the B&G really want of their backs? The remote came would be able to get their faces. So I don't think it would be too distracting for me, at least on those kid of weddings.


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## Drizzt321 (Jun 1, 2013)

Chuck Alaimo said:


> Drizzt321 said:
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> > TWI by Dustin Abbott said:
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Ah, I see. That makes total sense. I've never been to one of those big, formal, drawn out weddings before. Good idea though!


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