5D Mk II, WFT-4E II A and an iPad

[SeldomHere]

Introduction
I have been looking at a way to review images in real-time on a larger screen than the 3" on camera display. I purchased the iPad a while back and have been only impressed with it's capabilities so far. I bought the Apple iPad Camera Connection Kit and was very impressed with how it converted RAW into jpeg in real-time during upload. However, this still required me to stop shooting and break out the connection kit and cables to upload the images. It was still a way away from my nirvana of real-time image transfer while I shoot.

The Solution
I started doing a lot of research online into options to use the iPad as a way of reviewing images on a larger screen in real-time and came accross a thread about using Eye-Fi SD cards and a iPad app called ShutterSnitch. While there are options to use a CF card convertor for the Wi-Fi enabled SD cards, I prefer to stick to my current CF cards. The solution also required the iPad to be jailbroken and for me that was not an option.

After more research, I saw someone had had success linking a WFT unit to the iPad direct without the need for jail breaking it, so I started running my own test to see if it met my needs also.

Requirements
iPad (Wi-Fi or 3G)
Shuttersnitch Application
Canon 5D Mk II
WFT-4E II A
heap load of patience

The Setup
After much trial and error I found this to be the best way to setup the WFT and iPad to make it work.

Setup the WFT first otherwise you will have a load of issues on your hands. I used the following settings:

WFT Settings
Communication Mode = FTP Trans.

Set up
Automatic Transfer = Enable
Transfer type/size = JPEG Only
Transfer with SET = Enable

LAN Settings
LAN Type = Wireless

TCP/IP
IP Address set. = Maual Setting
DNS Server = Disable
IP Address = 192.168.1.1
Subnet Mask = 255.255.255.0
Gateway = 192.168.1.1

FTP Server
Target Server = Address = 192.168.1.2 Port No. = 26000
Login Password = Login Name = snitch Password = <pick a password you will remember>
Directory Structure = Default
Passive Mode = Disable

Wireless LAN
SSID = WFT adhoc
Advanced Settings = Conn. Method = Adhoc 11g Channel = 4 (more on this later) Encryption = none


iPad settings

Open General Settings and navigate to Wireless connections.
With the WFT and 5D Mk II switched on (important!!) connect to WFT Adhoc.
Click on the blue arrow to get to the connection settings.

Connection settings
Static IP Address
IP Address = 192.168.1.2
Subnet Mask = 255.255.255.0
Gateway = 192.168.1.2

Leave everything else blank

Install ShutterSnitch
On first launch you will be asked to setup ShutterSnitch.

Password = <Password you setup earlier on the WFT>

Login as Super Admin and create a collection

You should now be ready to start sending images remotely from the camera to the iPad.


Issues to date
I have experienced issues with slow transferring of images and even complete dropout between devices. This was driving me crazy to begin with until I looked a little further into the WFT setup and found it was using AUTO for the Wireless channel. The issue seemed to get worse when I took a trip to Funan and tried to connect there. Given all the wireless networks floating around my apartment and Funan, I decided it was a channel issue and set the channel to 4 and the problem mostly disappeared.

I have my 5D Mk II setup to capture RAW and small JPEG and the WFT to transmit the JPEG only. I did some testing using RAW images and found it took far too long to transmit the images to the iPad (30+ seconds each).

I will be giving it a full field test tomorrow afternoon and will report back on how I got on

In the meantime, I will post a short clip showing the WFT and iPad in operation shortly.

SeldomHere

 

[magicianhisoka]

hmm good write up. i've done some research as well and most sources point towards using an eye-fi card. thought of ordering one?

 

[SeldomHere]

hmm good write up. i've done some research as well and most sources point towards using an eye-fi card. thought of ordering one?

Eye-Fi is certainly a more cost efficient way of doing it, however i decided to go the WFT route because it can FTP transfer to my website as well as connect to my iPad.

I think the setup is very similar to how I setup, except you dont have to do anything with the camera. Not sure if the Eye-fi works with a non-jailbroken iPad either.

SeldomHere

 

[SeldomHere]

Edit ** Updated to point to full setup video URL **


As promised, here is a quick video showing it all working.

http://vimeo.com/14862455

http://vimeo.com/14887998

I will be testing further on Saturday afternoon and may pull together another clip.

SeldomHere

 

[SeldomHere]

Read more about ShutterSnitch from Rob Galbraith.

http://www.clubsnap.com/forums/showthread.php?p=6490181#post6490181

Note: Rob is using a wireless router to connect the iPad and Eye-fi card which is ok for studio or home setups, but will not work anywhere without a router. The setup I have works without a router and means I am completely portable and can shoot from anywhere.

SeldomHere

 

[magicianhisoka]

sounds interesting. sadly its more of a professional set up if not id consider trying it out myself XD

strange to see how this thread is getting little traffic though

 

[flipfreak]

thanks for sharing. very useful.

why is there no sound in the vid? i don't really know what you are showing after the initial setup. its good to have an idea the real world speed of transfer after u shoot.

 

[kel77]

Thanks for sharing. Will give it a try.

 

[SeldomHere]

Thanks for the comments. The first video was not very detailed, so I have pulled together a longer video to explain and walkthrough the setup on both the 5D Mk II and the iPad.

http://vimeo.com/14887998

The quality is not up there with hollywood :embrass:, but the content was where I was focussing

Feel free ask any questions or leave further comment in this thread.

SeldomHere

 

[ridney]

Thanks for the write-up Seldom!

 

[diiva]

Thanks for sharing. I haven't view the video as I'm in office, but after the images are transferred wirelessly to iPad in the collection folder, does it stays there or does it get erased automatically (like a cache of 20 photos and the oldest photo gets drop after the cache is filled)?

 

[larryboi]

great write up!
any idea how much is a WFT-4 II A? Is there any third party brands for that?

 

[SeldomHere]

Sorry for the delay in responding to post question, I have been away in Jakarta all week on business.

@diiva - I have not tested the limit of how many images can be added to a collection, but I have no doubt it will be more than enough. I have added more than 100 to a single collection and it didn't flinch.

Once the images are in the collection, you can select which ones to transfer over to the iPad photo folder structure so they sync with iTunes. Another great tip to be aware of is that you can download Adobe Photo Essentials for free on the iPad which allows you to carry out very light editing on the images directly on the iPad. Depending on how much pp people like to do, this can be a viable alternative to a laptop and Photoshop.

Another nice feature of ShutterSnitch is the ability to export or send images via e-mail from the app directly.

@larryboi - The WFT-4AII was just over S$700 from funan (forgot name of shop sorry), this is a pretty standard price though. Annoyingly, the WFT for the 7D is nearly half the price for some reason. They are not interchangeable between the models due to slight body differences.

I have not seen any 3rd-party alternatives, but I wasn't really looking. I am sure there is other manufacturers out there making WFT equivalents.

SeldomHere

 

[iwasanimated]

very informative! thanks for the video! :thumbsup:

 

[SeldomHere]

@diiva - I ran this setup at the F1 tonight and shot over 900 photos all into a single shuttersnitch collection and it had no problem coping other than taking a couple of seconds when opening the collection.

SeldomHere

 

[defn]

Great write up! Looks like the WFT will be my next investment for the 7D. Thanks again!