A critical look at connecting to a camera wirelessly

Monday 7 August 2023, 14:41 by Nando Harmsen | 4,888 views | 10 comments

This article was translated from Dutch with the help of AI. Read the original.

Almost all modern cameras now include WiFi, Bluetooth or NFC connectivity. How useful are these connections in practice? Do you use them to control your camera or view your photos with your smartphone?

Connecting to a camera wirelessly can be very useful. You can control the camera remotely for a group photo that you are in yourself, or for a selfie. You can control the camera when it is out of reach. And you can download photos to your smartphone to edit and share them.

At this distance, I could not use the WiFi connection. I had thought of another way to get myself in the photo: a time-lapse. But that did result in a hundred photos for this one.
It is also possible to share GPS data from your smartphone, for example. This means it is added directly to the metadata of your photo. In short, connecting to a smartphone via WiFi, Bluetooth or NFC offers extra possibilities.

Difficulties connecting

It can, however, be a difficult task to connect your smartphone to a camera. The apps developed by manufacturers, and the software in the camera itself, are often far from simple. Sometimes you really have to know what you are doing to get everything working.

There are many possible causes. Think of poor software, an unclear interface, security restrictions imposed by smartphone manufacturers, and the age difference between smartphone and camera. The last of these can play a role, as smartphones are often replaced more quickly. Newer protocols and security measures can even make connecting impossible.

It can easily happen that the existing connection details no longer meet the latest security requirements of a smartphone.
Fortunately, a lot has improved over the past few years. And yet not everyone manages to make a good connection easily. You can get stuck partly because of a lack of clear and straightforward instructions. I also notice that I have not been doing this in the simplest way for years.

Bluetooth instead of WiFi, and combining the two

I have always made a WiFi connection between my iPhone and Canon camera. That did not always go smoothly. First, a WiFi connection was needed, which I had to select manually if I was already connected to a WiFi network.

After that, a connection still had to be established between the camera app and the camera. Sometimes the smartphone had already switched to the other network before I had a chance to connect. Once it finally worked, I had to make sure that the screen lock did not come on, or that the phone did not go into sleep mode. Otherwise, I could start all over again.

So I was always doing that wrong, because it can be easier. Make sure you have a Bluetooth connection. The connection can then be established directly and without much effort. If WiFi is still needed, the camera will ask for it itself. You have to change a few extra settings the first time, but after that it works smoothly and automatically.

You are never too old to learn. Set up both a Bluetooth and WiFi connection and it works much more smoothly. At least with Canon. You will have to try it out with your camera.
In fact, Bluetooth allows me to connect both of my cameras at the same time, and switch between them directly. I should have known that sooner.

Aeroplane mode

How do you prevent a smartphone and a camera from staying connected continuously? By switching on aeroplane mode. This switches off both WiFi and Bluetooth. If you did not know what that function was for, you do now.

Aeroplane mode makes sure that WiFi and Bluetooth are switched off. That is useful. I have been using it from now on since discovering the importance of Bluetooth.
It is important to leave aeroplane mode switched on when you are not using WiFi and Bluetooth. This saves power, so your battery lasts longer. This does not mean that you have to activate aeroplane mode when you are on a plane. That only matters for your smartphone.

Are these wireless connections worthwhile?

At the beginning of the article, I listed four uses. Yet I think that in practice only one, perhaps two, are important.

Loading real-time GPS data while taking photos is the questionable one. If you want that data, you have to keep the smartphone and camera connected continuously. That uses extra power, so your battery will not last as long. I think a separate GPS logger or a GPS logger app on your smartphone is more practical. But that is a personal choice.

With a separate GPS logger, you do not need to keep your camera and smartphone connected continuously.
What I find less useful is transferring photos from your camera to your smartphone. Why would you do that, after all? Are you going to edit them on your smartphone, or share them with your friends or on social media? In that case, it would be easier simply to take a snap with your smartphone. The quality of a smartphone camera is more than sufficient for that.

Do you take snaps that you would also like to share? Take the path of least resistance and take a photo with your smartphone instead of your large camera.
You can take a photo of yourself or a group photo with yourself in it using the connection. The distance you can cover is limited, however. It can also be a hassle to establish the connection first. Although Bluetooth is certainly faster than setting up a WiFi connection first. I think a separate radio trigger works better, and above all, faster.

For me, there is only one really good reason for wireless remote control. That is when the camera is out of reach, and you still need to see what is in the frame. For me, that means using a camera on a high tripod.

For working with a high tripod, wireless control is almost indispensable.

How and what do you use it for?

I have explained how I use it. I find that if you prepare both the WiFi and Bluetooth connections, it can work smoothly in the field. With Canon, at least. You will have to try it out with other brands. Bear in mind that not every camera has both Bluetooth and WiFi.

Viewing photos stored on your camera. You can do that using wireless control. But how useful is that to you? Does it add value, or not?
Do you use your camera remotely via WiFi or Bluetooth? Then you may also have tips that could help others. Especially if you use Sony, Fujifilm or Nikon, as I cannot tell you anything about those. If you do not use it, let us know why not. I look forward to your response.

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About the author

Nando Harmsen has been photographing for more than 40 years. He specialises in wedding photography and landscape photography. Nando also gives talks, workshops, masterclasses and photo trips, and regularly reviews new and interesting equipment.

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10 comments

jeepee wrote on Monday 7 August 2023 at 19:38 | reply
I've been using Nikon Snapbridge with my Z7 camera for several years now. Works like a charm without any hassle, via Bluetooth (Wi-Fi is also an option). I mainly use it for the GPS location, I don't get the impression that this requires a lot of extra battery usage on the camera or iPhone. Once in a while as a remote control but more often to send a photo to someone. Also a small free backup in the Nikon cloud. I have no complaints.
Translated from Dutch.

jeepee wrote on Monday 7 August 2023 at 19:44 | reply
Oh yes and I almost forgot that, with Nikon SnapBridge photos are also synchronized with Apple Photos and you can very comfortably get an idea on your iPad before you're back home at your big monitor.
Translated from Dutch.

Donald Willemsen wrote on Tuesday 8 August 2023 at 10:52 | reply
Nando, I find this article enjoyable to read and I agree with you for the most part. I now have a Canon Eos R7 and initially had problems with the Canon software on my smartphone. The software installation was always in French and I don't have a sufficient command of that language. I live in Belgium and use both national languages.On my smartphone, 2 languages were installed and when installing the Canon software, French was always selected. After removing the French language option, the Canon was finally installed in English. Then I got to work connecting the smartphone and camera. Wifi worked, but bluetooth didn't. NFC didn't work either. It turned out that the antenna for bluetooth and NFC was broken.
I bought a new smartphone and got to work connecting it to the camera again. And what do you think? Bluetooth worked immediately. It was a piece of cake. I didn't even have to set up Wifi anymore, because that had been taken care of too.
I mainly use bluetooth and wifi to control the camera remotely, for example to photograph garden birds while I stay inside so as not to scare the birds away, the camera is then on a tripod outside.
By the way, thanks for the tip about using airplane mode. It indeed saves power, because even when the camera is turned off, the bluetooth connection remains active.
Translated from Dutch.

Rob wrote on Tuesday 8 August 2023 at 13:24 | reply
I updated the firmware on my Nikon, now the Bluetooth works better.
I often use my Leica for street photography, it then hangs high around my neck, via my iPhone Bluetooth I take photos of people nearby, you don't stand out then, people see you looking at the iPhone, where they come nicely into the frame. I don't always have a good Bluetooth connection, the Leica occasionally wants to switch to Wi-Fi, it's not running smoothly yet.
The Bluetooth settings are correct on my iPhone and Leica.
Regards, Rob
Translated from Dutch.

P. Kooijman wrote on Tuesday 8 August 2023 at 14:04 | reply
The combination of my Canon and the Canon app works fine. Sometimes I have to set it up again, but generally speaking it connects immediately.
I use it to get a photo from my camera onto my phone so I can post it on instagram or share it with others. And sometimes as a remote control for a fun group photo
Translated from Dutch.

Guill. wrote on Tuesday 8 August 2023 at 20:10 | reply
In my opinion, one application has not been mentioned, namely macro photography. I don't use my phone but my iPad Pro as a remote control for macro photography with my Nikon Z connected to Nikon snapbridge. I now have a large screen at my disposal, which means I can see exactly where I need to focus. By pressing the white button on the iPad to take the photo, I don't touch my camera and prevent motion blur. There is one disadvantage: when I photograph in the field, I have to carry the iPad with me. Because of my age (89), the screen of the camera and the phone is too small to see everything properly.
Translated from Dutch.

Jan-Peter wrote on Friday 11 August 2023 at 21:14 | reply
I personally prefer to use a regular remote from a tripod. I do the composition and focusing from the camera, and only use the remote to take the picture. I find that more pleasant than using my phone.

I’ve already looked a few times to see whether it’s possible to connect the smartphone or tablet to the camera with a cable. Especially with macro photography, that seems ideal to me, mainly because my canon 5D-iv doesn’t have a tilting screen. And that should also use very little battery, for both the camera and the phone or tablet. But I haven’t found that option yet.
Does anyone know if that exists?
Translated from Dutch.

ErikvanRosmalen wrote on Saturday 12 August 2023 at 11:30 | reply
I agree with you regarding the inconvenience of connecting, that hassle should really be easier. And it indeed drains the battery.

I only use it sporadically, for example if I want to share a photo with the client for social media during a theatre performance or concert. The photos from my camera are still better than those taken with the smartphone. And occasionally at a 'news moment' when a photo is needed quickly for socials. But those really are the only moments indeed!
Translated from Dutch.

Donald Willemsen wrote on Saturday 12 August 2023 at 15:04 | reply
If you don't use Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, you'd better turn on airplane mode on your camera. That saves power on the camera. A Bluetooth connection remains instant even when the camera is turned off.
Translated from Dutch.

ErikvanRosmalen wrote on Saturday 12 August 2023 at 18:25 | reply
I also have it turned off by default, but I do still forget sometimes and then I notice it - unfortunately - right away.
Translated from Dutch.

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