Import, Edit & Sync Photos from your DSLR Camera… All  on your iPad 2!

Wow, who said great things don’t come in small packages?  Not to sound like a fanboy or anything, but Apple’s iPad 2 has really been rocking my socks!  Between staying connected with my social networks, organizing all of my favorite news readers & feeds, streamlining the way I handle my clients, scheduling and invoicing, and now, being able to import all of my photos from my Canon 7D DSLR camera, edit the photos, and upload them wirelessly to my FTP server, flickr, facebook, etc has brought an entire new meaning to mobility.

Not only do I no longer need to carry my $3,000 laptop with me everywhere I go, I can use my iPad 2 as a backup device for my photo shoots, as well as an intermediate place to store images/video during an all day shoot, where I may use more than (2) 32 gig compact flash cards in a single session (especially HD video).   I now have roughly 50 gigs on my 64gig iPad 2, along with (2x) 32 gigs of data on my compact flash cards.  When I get home, I transfer all of that data to my working drive, as well as my data backups.  Most people would say that’s overboard, but what about for those overnight/weekend trips?  Or when I go hiking, and want to do some cool time-lapsing.  I always need a place to offload data, and also verify that I was able to get the shot that I wanted.  The iPad 2 enables me to do this without lugging around a ton of additional batters and bulky gear.   This is just another one of many different ways that you can squeeze a little more productivity out of your day, without added stress.

What iPad apps do I use for syncing and photo editing you ask?  Here are a few…

PhotoSync – http://www.photosync-app.com/

Photogene – http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/photogene-for-ipad/id363448251?mt=8

PhotoPad – http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/photopad-by-zagg/id364758617?mt=8

Photoshop – http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/adobe-photoshop-express/id331975235?mt=8

Closing Thoughts…

The iPad 2 has proven to be cost effective, as it is a great way to stay connected, increase productivity with less time consumed, and is an excellent source of entertainment all in one device.  Although, the iPad 2 is not a device that everyone needs, or could be implemented into just anyone’s work-flow as easily as I have — I urge those interested in making the investment, to give it a shot!  I (for one) am really looking forward to what is to come in the future for iOS devices.  Will the android tablet platform ever catch up?  Not if their apps don’t start scooping up big helpings of benefits and added productivity into its users lives, as Apple has exemplified in past, present, and seemingly future, as it rolls out its interfaces into the sales, engineering & medical industry. But that’s a whole other article, which will be out soon!

Until then, take care!
Nick

Convergence! Its the best, right? My phone replaced my camera, GPS, and the need to throw birds at pigs in real life. Ditching superfluous gear is great. Photosmith will lighten your photographic load, iPad-loading pics straight from your camera. More »

Whether you’re looking to wirelessly upload your photos to your iOS device or want to use it as a remote shutter, here’s how to make it happen.

We’re going to take a look at two ways to make this happen. The first is with an app called Shutter Snitch, which sends photos wirelessly from your camera to your iOS device, and the second is with an app called DSLR Remote, which lets you control your camera with your iOS device. Check out the video above for a quick run through of how to set things up.

Shutter Snitch

Here’s what you’ll need to get started:

• A camera
• The Shutter Snitch app ($8)
• A Non-X2 version Eye-Fi card (Around $50) or a wireless adapter for your camera (expensive!)
• An SD to CompactFlash adapter, if your DSLR doesn’t take SD ($15-25)

Before you can start using your Eye-Fi card with your iOS device you’ll need to turn off Relay Mode in the Eye-Fi manager and make sure it’s not automatically uploading photos to your computer, Flickr, or anywhere. Once you do that you can set up Shutter Snitch on your iOS device.

To start the setup, tap options and sign in to your Eye Fi account on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch. Shutter Snitch will, hopefully, recognize your card and sync up with it. If you check your Eye-Fi manager, you should see the name of your iPhone as the computer your Eye-Fi card is connected to. If not, try restarting. Now you can make a new collection in Shutter Snitch, open it, and start taking pictures. You have to be in a collection in order for the photos to be transferred. If you are, they should start appearing on your iPhone in a few seconds.

DSLR Remote

Here’s what you’ll need to get started:

• A camera
• The DSLR Remote Lite or Pro app ($2 or $20)
• A USB cable that fits your camera (probably mini to regular)

DSLR Remote is $2 for the lite version, which has basic features, but it’ll set you back $20 for the pro version which gives you things like live view mode. Setup is pretty easy. You download software on both your computer and iOS device, then connect your DSLR to your computer with a USB cable. Your iOS device should recognize your computer pretty quickly. Select your computer from the list and that’s really all you have to do. Aim the camera where you want it and then you can start capturing pictures directly to your machine by hitting the shutter on your iOS device. You can even change settings and focus. Unfortunately, so far, you can only take pictures. No video yet.

Apple will give the ailing newspaper biz welcome news with an iPad subscription option, the San Jose Mercury News reports. The deal will likely see Apple taking a slice of both subscription and advertising revenues, instead of a flat fee.

Interestingly, Roger Fidler of University of Missouri’s Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute speculates Apple will also generate cash through an opt-in demographic sharing function, giving publishers and advertisers access to your ever-coveted personal information. But while newspapers are of course eager to hop aboard the iPad money train, Fidler speculates they may be anxious about crossing over too quickly: “Most publishers don’t want to see a rapid migration to apps without a comparable growth in advertisement revenue from tablet editions. That would be disastrous.” [San Jose Mercury News via MacRumors]