Eye-fi card. Worth it or gimmick?

[Guindalf]

I got my new Canon XSi last night and have been thinking about ordering an [ame="http://www.amazon.com/Eye-Fi-Wireless-Secure-Digital-EYE-FI-2HM/dp/B001AD0TGQ/ref=pd_cp_misc_0?pf_rd_p=413863501&pf_rd_s=center-41&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B0012BOVDS&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=0GJVAV88858EPXRB6P54"]Eye-Fi card[/ame].

I'm sure you guys have discussed it, but a search didn't help.

Do they work as advertised? Is it worth $65 for a 2Gb card? How badly is the extra drain on the battery?

Any help is appreciated before (or whether) I pull the trigger.

 

[ANDS!]

I'm willing to bet power draw is no more than when using a normal router. I personally wouldn't get one, as they do seem to be in the BETA stage (not in functionallity, but in utility). Once they can start integrating with your cameras own software to handle file deletion, and other management tools - then I'd be interested. At this point, it seems to actually create more work/anxiety than simply using a regular card and doing the transfers yourself. Good idea though, especially if you come home and don't feel like plugging anything in - just turn on the camera and let it run.

 

[MikeBcos]

I'd be interested in opinions on this too. One thing I was wondering about is Raw images, the Eye-fi site states the card will transfer jpg images but doesn't mention raw formats.

 

[usayit]

The few reviews I've read all show two problems: range and transfer speed.

 

[chrisburke]

Chris Pirillio did a pretty good review of it:

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4W6heAcmzM"]YouTube - Eye-Fi Wireless SD Card Review[/ame]

obviously he's not a photographer, but he's deffinatly a tech geek

based on what he's showed me with, I wouldnt buy it... uploads ALL pictures, even the ones that didnt turn out.. only good if you pre-determine wifi access. and its slow

 

[MikeBcos]

Chris Pirillio did a pretty good review of it:

YouTube - Eye-Fi Wireless SD Card Review

obviously he's not a photographer, but he's deffinatly a tech geek

based on what he's showed me with, I wouldnt buy it... uploads ALL pictures, even the ones that didnt turn out.. only good if you pre-determine wifi access. and its slow

Thanks for the video link. I won't be buying it yet either but based on what he said it does have great potential, as long as development continues.

 

[chrisburke]

Thanks for the video link. I won't be buying it yet either but based on what he said it does have great potential, as long as development continues.

he actually did a follow up to that video, where he was saying it didnt work because of his error, not the disks, but its still not for me, as it sends EVERY picture to your photo site (flickr, facebook, picasa, photobucket, etc)

because i'm not at a place where every pic I take I want to keep, and because i'm crazy anal about my flickr organization, its not for me

maybe if I could just send the pics to lightroom it might be cool, but I havent seen anything about that

 

[ANDS!]

According to the product literature, Eye-Fi will dump the files to a folder of your choosing. I'm also sure that there is folder management software available where its not just a hard dump. As for being selective about what photos get sent where, I do that AFTER a dump. The card also will not dump to any random network. It is designed to work on the network of your choosing, so really it is as simple as bring your camera home, turning it on, and letting Eye-Fi do all the work as you go about discussing your day. As transfer speeds increase, this may well become a viable option for those who want to streamline the entire process and who don't need the rigorous file-management setup of other shooters.

 

[AlexColeman]

It makes no sense, you have to edit and organize on your computer anyway. I wold never straight upload, and I can't live without my Extreme III Sandisk 8gb. Show me a wifi card with that capacity and speed, then I would consider it.

 

[chrisburke]

It makes no sense, you have to edit and organize on your computer anyway. I wold never straight upload, and I can't live without my Extreme III Sandisk 8gb. Show me a wifi card with that capacity and speed, then I would consider it.

its just a matter of time.. but man, 2gb for 70 bucks... that puts 8gb at around 350 bucks...

 

[AlexColeman]

Tis why I am going to stick with a fast,large, no-nonsense card. Not a gimmick for....who knows?

 

[photospherix]

I got an eye-fi card for my d90 the other day. I have love the thing. It dumps the files on my machine. I do not have it sending them to facebook or any other thing, but the wireless connection to the computer rocks. One warning IT DOES NOT SEND RAW SHOTS. Other than that, love it. It was simple to setup and easy to use.

 

[PhotoXopher]

I thought I read somewhere that the D90 has something specific in the firmware for the Eye-Fi cards. A quick look on eBay showed a 'pro' version that supports raw, but it's like $180 for a 4gb card

Edit:
http://www.digitalcamerareview.com/default.asp?newsID=3667

 

[JamesMason]

There are better pro soultions out there, imho these are just gimmicky consumer versions of proper wirless file transfer devices.

 

[inTempus]

I thought I read somewhere that the D90 has something specific in the firmware for the Eye-Fi cards. A quick look on eBay showed a 'pro' version that supports raw, but it's like $180 for a 4gb card

Edit:
Eye-Fi, Nikon collaborate to get the D90 "Eye-Fi Connected"

Yup, there is a new pro version that is faster and also supports RAW.

I'm not impressed with the original. The new one shows promise, but I'm still not into shooting with $129 4GB cards.