Canon WiFi units revealed - Canon Professional Network

October 2009

Canon has revealed two new Wireless File Transmitters - the WFT-E2 II unit for the EOS-1D Mark IV and the WFT-E4 II unit for the EOS 5D Mark II – that offer photographers the ability to wirelessly transmit images from a camera to a computer, as well as adding enhanced remote capture, and linked shooting.

Transferring images from the camera to a PC, external hard drive or FTP server is made simpler and more secure. Both the WFT-E2 II - the unit is compatible with the EOS-1D Mark III and EOS-1Ds Mark III SLRs via firmware updates - and the WFT-E4 II support high security WPA2-PSK authentication and AES encryption over wireless networks. IPsec encryption is also used as standard in both wired and wireless networks to ensure that every photographer’s personal IP is protected.

Using the bundled EOS Utility software photographers deploying the WFT-E2 II and WFT-E4 II units can browse and control a wide range of settings on the camera body over a network connection and capture images remotely. For example studio photographers can fine tune manual settings and shoot images for instant review on a large screen or sports photographers who may use more complex, multi-camera installations to secure the action shots they need.

The new WFT-E2 II unit for the EOS-1D Mark IV DSLR.

The WFT Server takes full advantage of Java-enabled internet browsers, providing more opportunities for photographers to change camera settings like ISO, focus, aperture and shutter speed, from a computer or portable wireless device such as a PDA, a smart phone or a WiFi enabled portable music player. This allows photographers to control cameras on the move or when in remote areas where carrying a computer may be impractical. One camera can be accessed from up to three different computers or mobile devices.

Through the linked shooting function up to 10 slave cameras can be wirelessly connected to a master unit up to 100m away. The master camera will then trigger the slaves, allowing specialists like wildlife and sports photographers to capture a subject from a variety of different viewpoints at the same time.

The WFT-E2 II and WFT-E4 II units offer WiFi Protected Set-up (WPS) - or alternatively an easy-to-follow wizard – so you can connect your camera via a simple step-by-step process to any available network in range. Both units comply with 802.11b and g standards, as well as the more stable 802.11a wireless standard that is used at many large sporting events, such as the Olympic Games. They units also feature an integrated Ethernet LAN port for high-speed wired connectivity.

A USB port and host function allows photographers to connect several accessories including a Bluetooth dongle for wireless connectivity to GPS, allowing geo-tagging of images for future reference. Other connectivity options include connection directly to a compatible USB compliant GPS device or an external hard disk drive for additional image storage, improving the workflow for many photographers.