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How come no wireless?


leicanewbie

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Given the amount of time Leica had to develop this camera, it would have been cool to

have gone to a wireless connection for transferring data from camera to computer or

printer.

 

With such huge files and 4GB cards, esp with the continuous shooting mode, it won't be

very enjoyable waiting for those files to download over USB, or messing with cables.

 

I'm curious as to whether they considered it in the design and ruled out for some reason.

 

... maybe we'll have to wait for the M9 .

 

at least perhaps we can put a bug in their ear to build it in the next R camera.

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Thanks god the M8 has not such gimmick. It might be useful on an P&S or a DH2 when shooting the Olympics but I prefer them to keep the M8 as simple as possible with just what is necessary to shoot pictures.

 

And I do not mind waiting a few minutes for the SD card to download: it is still much faster than processing a film and only a 1/1000th of the time I'll spend after that to review my pictures, choose the best and then process them.

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Well, pro-level wireless would be good for photojournalists wanting to use the M8 alongside their Canon or Nikon pro camera. Being able to transmit from a shooting position at a sporting event to a picture editor's laptop in the press box can really speed things up in the news business.

 

(Yeah, I know the M8 isn't for sports action - but for candid shots of the players and coaches along the sidelines...or victory celebration shots...)

 

Wonder if a bottom-mounted wi-fi could plug in to the SD card slot or the USB outlet for this kind of work.

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I think built-in Wi-Fi and GPS will become standard on D-SLRs by the time the R10 digital comes out (Photokina 2008 / PMA 2009).

 

The problem with Wi-Fi is where and how do you send the pictures if you are not in front of YOUR computer at home? And since (the few) cameras currently available with built-in Wi-Fi do not include facility for FTP or HTTP (i.e. no built-in internet browser), it's impossible to navigate the Web from an internet cafe with your brand new Coolpix S7c to upload your pics to your favorite photo web server.

 

Better to leave it to Leica to come up with an ingenious and simple solution for next Photokina.

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One reason: the M8 was not designed for the studio. No "M" was.

 

The item I will miss most is the lack of a PC fitting. Leica would help this frustration if they offered a flash unit with an articulated head. I don't use flash often but when I do it is NEVER facing directly at the subject.

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A radio link adds weight, takes up room, takes power. You don't think that a wireless connection just appears if you put an antenna in the camera, do you?

 

So, you put a wireless connection in, that means more chips, perhaps another pc board, more cost, more processing power and additional firmware.

 

It isn't worth it. It's a gimmick.

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Wireless support should not be the domain of the camera itself. The wireless answer is still a moving target with 802.11b, 802.11g, and now 802.11n.

 

I'd rather not have my camera tied to any specific standard but be open to accept what ever emerges in the future. That is the concept behind Eye-Film from Eye-Fi, a WiFi card in the form of a SD memory card.

 

While, Eye-Film as a product does not appear to be coming to reality anytime soon, the provisions are in place as defined by the Secure Digital Card Association.

 

eye.fi ~ Your Camera-Always Connected ~

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As far as 'simplicity' is concerned, I'm afraid that when you move away from mechanical

and into digital, you have thrown simplicity out the window, what with all the menus,

settings and such.

 

But connectivity is the bane of all users to transfer data from camera to printer or

camera to computer.

 

It's just that if you pay top dollar for this new platform, you expect them to be at the

leading edge and not shy away from it. Digital is a competitive market, where the Leica

name really isn't as strong as you might think. So you have to outdo your competition

to offer your customers something they don't or haven't.

 

Hopefully they've planned this into the design for an upgrade next year.

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