I've given Canon Camera Connect every chance to show it's reliability as a camera-to-cell phone back up option. Sorry, but it just can't carry the ball.
It's not reliable at any point. It doesn't reliably connect to the camera by any connection sequence. Sometimes it connects...sometimes it just doesn't find the camera.
It doesn't reliably maintain connection. Even if I have the camera on the tripod and the phone in my pocket, it doesn't reliably maintain the connection. And if a call comes in or I have to check something else on the page, it drops the connection...and then might not reconnect even if I start the entire sequence again.
When I have it set to auto-transfer, it will claim the images have been transferred to the camera...but sometimes they haven't been.
If the camera does an auto-shut down, it cannot automatically reconnect.
And all this is confusing, because my understanding is that the application uses Bluetooth for remote controlling the camera, but WiFi for image transfer. I can back up images from my camera via WiFi to Microsoft Live or Google Drive with zero problems. If I restart the phone (which I do automatically every Sunday morning), the Microsoft and Google apps automatically connect to their respective clouds.
I see that when the camera is turned off, WiFi is still running...so why isn't it retaining the connection? Why can't it reconnect if interrupted?
I was hoping Canon Camera Connect would be reliable enough for me to depend on as an active backup without tethering to my laptop. But I'm afraid it's not going to work.
It worked okay for LV video monitoring and triggering when shooting videos of myself playing guitar. Never dropped the connection during hours of the session—well with my 90D and iPhone at least (didn't try my R6 MK II). Very helpful seeing and avoiding reflections from the lights on my guitar. Eventually I stopped using it as the video display was too laggy and I resorted to an external monitor with the HDMI output. I can't imagine trying to use Canon Connect to backup to a phone for RAW image files. Wi-Fi is really slow.
If your camera has two card slots, that's the easiest and most reliable backup method.
It's really weird. I found it to be exceptionally reliable on Android, at least it was a year or two ago. Last year, I swapped over to an iPhone for the first time in many years, and now it's very hit or miss. Sometimes it takes me a couple tries for it to fully connect. Once it's connected I don't have any issues, but it's getting that connection fully established where I have issues. I haven't used it on Android again since to know whether it's both platforms with a recent app update, or whether it's just the iPhone that seemingly has some issues.
I used to use it all the time to record GPS information as I traveled. The "upgraded" version 3 is useless to me. It doesn't record the correct lat lon as I move around and ends up showing large numbers of photos were taken in one spot rather than along the path I hiked. I have contacted Canon but it each release of version 3 seems to regress rather than improve. Version 2 worked very well for me, but there is no way to go back on iPhone.
For me also works much better in android than iOS.
If at home, it’s better to connect directly through your home wifi connection instead of the camera, much faster.
When outside, better also to start the connection from the camera via wifi (and connecting your phone to the camera wifi) instead of initiating from the phone (it’s longer to wait, accept the wifi connection, connect erc).
Android and iOS have recently imposed increased restrictions about what apps can know about the Wi-Fi networks they’re on. In many cases, APIs that returned valid info now return garbage. This is done in the valid name of privacy protection. Everything has gotten less reliable. Unfortunately, I suspect we won’t see wireless connections get better any time soon.
I only use it rarely to grab photos off the camera and get them shared very quickly. It has worked every time I've tried to use it for that purpose. But I use it infrequently and always have to remind myself how to get connected. Android phone, btw.
The App is garbage. Whenever I've absolutely needed it to work to transmit to a client it has crapped out on me. This sort of thing shouldn't be rocket science. I mean, why can't we have an option to hardwire connect our phone to the camera from Canon without having to jump into all the extra stuff needed to do it with Shuttersnitch.
cocodrillo wrote:
The App is garbage. Whenever I've absolutely needed it to work to transmit to a client it has crapped out on me. This sort of thing shouldn't be rocket science. I mean, why can't we have an option to hardwire connect our phone to the camera from Canon without having to jump into all the extra stuff needed to do it with Shuttersnitch.
This for sure. I'd love to be able to just connect an OTG cable between the camera and phone and just tether as I would with a laptop.
I haven’t had many problems. I have found the best way to get it to go is to set my iPhone on top of the camera…why this should work, I have no idea but I find this works best for me. YMMV
I'm trying to help a friend who upgraded from a 5D4 to an R5.
Use case is for lightpainting, ie liveview and Remote control. No need to transfer full raw images (just jpg for review). Sitting the phone on top of the camera is not an option.
Had good connectivity with iphone and WiFi ipad on the 5D4
No luck on the R5 (one or 2 very short connections that failed almost immediately).
Latest Canon Camera Connect
Latest R5 firmware
Tried turning data off on the phone (tablet is WiFi only in any case)
Connected easily, 1st time and reliably (used for an hour or so) with a WiFi Samsung/Android tablet
Mike
Mike,
Don't know if this is an update, but is a data point.
I've used Canon Camera Connect with my R5 quite a bit the last 2 months with mostly good results.I also used it a year ago when eagles were in nests. I use it as a remote trigger for stills and a controller for videos(like seeing the screen on phone). I had a hard time first time setting it up. When reconnecting in field I have to make sure the camera is awake, not just on, and I have to remember to have data on, on my android phone. I have also used it a little on my R7, but not as much. i have never transferred a photo to my phone as I had no need.
It has met my current needs.
Good Luck.
Dave
dj63401 wrote:
Mike,
Don't know if this is an update, but is a data point.
I've used Canon Camera Connect with my R5 quite a bit the last 2 months with mostly good results.I also used it a year ago when eagles were in nests. I use it as a remote trigger for stills and a controller for videos(like seeing the screen on phone). I had a hard time first time setting it up. When reconnecting in field I have to make sure the camera is awake, not just on, and I have to remember to have data on, on my android phone. I have also used it a little on my R7, but not as much. i have never transferred a photo to my phone as I had no need.
It has met my current needs.
Good Luck.
Dave
on Ipad, it has been quite reliable when using WiFi; I am able to see all photos, rate them, download them for multiple hours. Way better than it used to be on bluetooth. This is on R5 and 12.9'' Ipad Pro 2021
thedutt wrote:
on Ipad, it has been quite reliable when using WiFi; I am able to see all photos, rate them, download them for multiple hours. Way better than it used to be on bluetooth. This is on R5 and 12.9'' Ipad Pro 2021
Thanks! So there is a way to connect with WiFi only? Do you know if Remote can be used this way? We have no need to transfer images, just use Liveview and Remote shooting.
Yes remote works like this as well, I just tried it. But it requires to be aware of a couple of things.
If I am in the field, I use the camera as a WI-FI Access Point, Camera creates the WI-FI network that my iPad connects with. This works best if there is no known internet wifi connection that you IPad can connect with it. This way IPad will maintain a connection with the camera. This is what use in the field / plane etc.
When there is a known WI-FI connection (e.g. at my home), then I connect the camera to the home wifi network and the IPAD to home network also. Since they are both on the same WI-FI network, they can talk with each other.
Now if you try to use Camera as the Access Point at home / known WIFi, that confuses IPad / camera, and things just don’t work. IPad will try to keep connecting to a network that has internet, so I will keep switching to your home network. This appears to be quite reliable.
mcbroomf wrote:
Thanks! So there is a way to connect with WiFi only? Do you know if Remote can be used this way? We have no need to transfer images, just use Liveview and Remote shooting.
thedutt wrote:
Yea remote works like this as well, I just tried it.
Basically if I am in the field, I use the camera as a WI-FI Access Point, Camera creates the WI-FI network that my iPad connects with. This works best if there is no known internet wifi connection that you IPad can connect with it. This way IPad will maintain a connection with the camera. This is what i use in the field / plane etc.
When there is a known WI-FI connection (e.g. at my home), then I connect the camera to the home wifi network and the IPAD to home network also. Since they are both on the same WI-FI network, they can talk with each other. Now if you try to use Camera as the Access Point at home / known WIFi, that confuses IPad / camera and things just don’t work. It’s a small nuance, but it can be frustrating.
Good luck. So far it appears to be quite reliable if I follow this distinction. I used to be a techie, so that helps.
Thanks, I'll see if we can figure out how to set it up when I see her next. As I recall when we followed a Canon video it wanted Bluetooth and WiFi. I can't remember if my Android tablet connected with both or just WiFi.
The way you describe is what my Sony cameras do and I have no problems at home with my WiFi on, nor outside with no WiFi points (my tablet will switch to the camera WiFi at home.
