The Eye-Fi Mobi Card for Photographers

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The Mobi is a standard Class 10 SDHC card that enables wireless connectivity in cameras that don’t already have it. The cards create their own secure hotspot, even in remote outdoor locations, to transfer media to smart devices, PCs, and Macs. With the Mobi card, you can share and transfer images instantly over Wi-Fi to your smartphone, tablet, or computer with the Eye-Fi SDHC Mobi Wireless Class 10 Memory Card, available in 32GB16GB, and 8GB capacities. For the cards to work, you’ll need to download the Eye-Fi Mobi app, which is available for desktop (Windows and Mac OS) as well as Android, iOS, and Kindle devices. These cards feature 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi, with a range of approximately 45 feet indoors and 90 feet outdoors. You'll benefit from WPA/WPA2-PSK and WEP 64/128 Wi-Fi Security, as well. In addition to JPEG image files, the Mobi is capable of transferring videos up to 2GB in a number of supported file types, including AVI, FLV, MOV, MP4, MPG, MTS, WMV, M4V, and 3GP. The cards feature maximum read and write speeds of 13MB/s and 23MB/s, respectively.

Recently, Eye-Fi has also created its very own cloud service, exclusive to the Mobi line of cards, making every picture you take instantly available to enjoy and share privately from any web-enabled device. Keep your original photos in their full captured resolution private, safe, and secure. Take images with your smartphone or camera and have them appear as one unified collection. Additionally, you can share privately by email without requiring recipients to register for an account. Automatic notifications alert your friends and family when new images are added for viewing. Your purchase of an Eye-Fi Mobi card includes a 90-day membership to the cloud.

After you’ve purchased your Eye-Fi Mobi, you’ll notice a sticker on the plastic case that shows a 10-digit pin number. This is the activation code that will sync your card wirelessly with the corresponding Eye-Fi Mobi app—try not to lose it. If you do misplace your case, you’ll still be able to recover it by contacting Eye-Fi Customer Care directly. Once synced, you can begin transferring files. For this test, the Mobi was nestled in a Canon 60D with wireless transfer to a Windows PC, iPad, and Samsung Galaxy S4 smartphone.

On a computer, the Eye-Fi software's desktop utility keeps track of one card at a time, and creates a designated folder to store all of the transferred images. The program can run in the background, and as long as your camera is within range, the computer will automatically connect with the Mobi’s network and begin the transfer. In our tests, high-resolution JPEG files (18MB) took a mere 4 seconds each and low-res transfer (4.5MB) was instant. All in all, the process is incredibly efficient. The interface is as simple as it gets. There are no extraneous editing tools; it is merely a vehicle for getting the images onto your desktop.

The Eye-Fi Mobi app automatically organizes, groups, and sorts your photos as you take them—so you don't have to. Build your own albums or add specific tags that are searchable. With an Eye-Fi Cloud membership, any changes you make are automatically synced to all your devices, so you need not sift through hundreds of photos to find the one you want. Every photo is accessible whenever and wherever you want—even offline.

To connect your iOS smart device when other known networks are in range, or to connect your Android when a stronger network is in range, you’ll need to select the card when it shows up as an access point. The versions of the Eye-Fi Mobi app for iOS and Android are also pretty simple. They look like basic image galleries, and like the desktop interface, offer nothing in the way of editing features. Using the cloud, you can delete images from the Eye-Fi Mobi app gallery, so you don't have to go manually into the phone or tablet’s camera roll and find where they’re automatically saved. On the iPad, a high-resolution JPEG took about 6 seconds to transfer, while a lower-res image took roughly a third of that time. On the Galaxy S4, high-res photos transferred in about 5 seconds. Low-res photos transferred so quickly it was almost instantaneous. The iOS Mobi app gave the option of sharing to Twitter, Facebook, or E-mail, while the Android version presented a considerable drop-down of sharing options with other downloaded apps on the device (Google+, Pinterest, WordPress, etc.). It isn’t crucial either way, since you can always find the photos in your camera roll and share them from there.

It’s worth noting that everything you shoot will be pushed to your device, even misfires. There is no option or method for selective transferring. Wi-Fi connectivity only remains active when the transfer is in session, to conserve battery life, which would otherwise drain pretty quickly. It can be inconvenient having to manually reconnect your phone or tablet to the network each time there’s even a small pause between shots—but not as inconvenient as having a dead battery. Once in a while, the connection may hit a small lag, then suddenly fire up and rapidly load images to catch up. No matter how many devices you have equipped with the Eye-Fi Mobi app, the peer-to-peer connection will allow you to transfer to only one at a time. If you’re transferring to an iPad, for example, you won’t also be able to push simultaneously to your desktop.

The Mobi card can write, but not transfer, RAW files. It was worth checking out how well said files could be uploaded to a computer by traditional means. The most success was had by leaving the memory card in the 60D and connecting it to the computer with a USB cable. Utilizing the computer’s built-in SDHC slot was equally effective. In both cases, it was a quick process (no more than a few seconds) to drag and drop the RAW files to the desktop or a designated folder. On the other hand, inserting the Mobi into a standard Lexar card reader resulted in a lagging, ultra-slow transfer that ultimately wasn’t worth the time. The Eye-Fi card requires more power than some readers provide, so it will not work in all card readers. Some users have better luck with higher-powered card readers, but they can be unreliable. If you insist on shooting RAW, you can program your camera to shoot RAW + JPEG, but again, you'll only be able to transfer the JPEG wirelessly; you'll still have to use USB, a card reader, or a computer's card slot to access the RAW.

If you’ve noticed that there are two versions of the Eye-Fi card, you may be wondering what the difference is between the Mobi and the Pro X2. The Pro X2 is available in one size, and that’s 16GB. The Mobi is more versatile in 8, 16, or 32GB capacities. The most notable feature that distinguishes the two is the ability to transfer RAW files wirelessly, which is fully available with the Pro card. Pro X2 cards require an Eye-Fi account and the accompanying Eye-fi Center desktop software for Windows or Mac OS X to activate, so there's a little more involved to getting them set up. They also offer the capability to use your home or office wireless network as an access point, for a faster transfer rate. Pro X2 cards are incompatible with Eye-Fi’s cloud storage service.

Eye-Fi cards can be great tools for both semi-professionals and hobbyists alike. Rather than squint at a tiny LCD screen, clients can instantly peek at work in progress on your phone, iPad, or computer during a session. Hobbyists can enjoy instant accessibility in getting their photos from their cameras onto Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, or wherever else, in no time at all. Quite simply, the Eye-Fi Mobi card is a straightforward device that serves its purpose and does exactly what it needs to do. For those of us without integrated Wi-Fi connectivity, it can be remarkably handy. These cards will work with almost any type of camera that accepts SDHC cards. If you want to double-check before you buy, look for your model on Eye-Fi's website to ensure compatibility. The accompanying chart highlights many of the cameras that are Eye-Fi compatible, but is not an exhaustive list. 

CANON NIKON FUJIFILM OLYMPUS SONY
EOS 5D Mark III 1 J3 FinePix F850EXR OM-D E-M5 Alpha a7
EOS 60D 1 V2 FinePix HS50EXR PEN E-P3 Alpha a7R
EOS 60Da COOLPIX A X100S Pen E-PL3 alpha NEX-3
EOS 6D COOLPIX AW110 X20 PEN Lite E-PL5 alpha NEX-5
EOS 70D COOLPIX L26   PEN Mini E-PM1 alpha NEX-5N
EOS M COOLPIX L28   PEN Mini E-PM2 alpha NEX-5R
Rebel SL1/100D/Kiss X7 COOLPIX L29   SH-50 alpha NEX-6
Rebel T1i/500D COOLPIX L30   SP-610UZ alpha NEX-7
Rebel T2i/550D/Kiss X4 COOLPIX L330   SP-620UZ alpha NEX-C3
REbel T3/1100D/Kiss X50 COOLPIX L620   SP-720UZ alpha NEX-F3
Rebel T3i/600D/Kiss X5 COOLPIX L810   SP-810UZ alpha NEX-F3K
Rebel T4i/650D/Kiss X6i COOLPIX L820   SP-815 Alpha SLT-a35 / SLT-a35k
Rebel T5/1200D/Kiss X70 COOLPIX L830   SP-820UZ Alpha SLT-A57
Rebel T5i/700D/Kiss X7i COOLPIX P330   Stylus XZ-2 Alpha SLT-A99V
PowerShot A1400 COOLPIX P510   SZ-10 Cyber-Shot DSC-H200
PowerShot A2500 COOLPIX P520   SZ-11 Cyber-Shot DSC-H70
PowerShot A2600 COOLPIX P7100   SZ-12 Cyber-Shot DSC-H90
PowerShot D20 COOLPIX S2800   SZ-14 Cyber-Shot DSC-HX100V
PowerShot ELPH 100HS / IXY 210F COOLPIX S3300   SZ-15 Cyber-Shot DSC-HX10V
PowerShot ELPH 110HS / IXUS 125 HS / IXY 220F COOLPIX S3400   SZ-16 Cyber-Shot DSC-HX200V
PowerShot ELPH 300 HS / IXUS 220 / IXY 410F COOLPIX S3500   SZ-20 Cyber-Shot DSC-HX20V
PowerShot ELPH 310 HS / IXY 600F COOLPIX S4300   SZ-30MR Cyber-Shot DSC-HX30V
PowerShot ELPH 320 HS / IXUS 240 HS / IXY 420F COOLPIX S5200   SZ-31MR Cyber-Shot DSC-HX7V
PowerShot ELPH 500 HS / IXY 31S COOLPIX S6300   TOUGH TG-1 Cyber-Shot DSC-HX9V
PowerShot ELPH 510 HS / IXY 51S COOLPIX S6500   TOUGH TG-2 Cyber-Shot DSC-RX1/B
PowerShot G1 X COOLPIX S6800   TOUGH TG-310 Cyber-Shot DSC-RX100
PowerShot G12 COOLPIX S9200   TOUGH TG-320 Cyber-Shot DSC-RX100M II
PowerShot G15 COOLPIX S9300   TOUGH TG-610 Cyber-Shot DSC-T110
PowerShot G16 COOLPIX S9400   TOUGH TG-615 Cyber-Shot DSC-T99
PowerShot S100 COOLPIX S9500   TOUGH TG-630 Cyber-Shot DSC-TX10
PowerShot S110 D3000   TOUGH TG-810 Cyber-Shot DSC-TX100V
PowerShot S95 D300s   TOUGH TG-820 iHS Cyber-Shot DSC-TX110
PowerShot SD3500 IS / IXUS 210 IS / IXY 10S D3100   TOUGH TG-830 Cyber-Shot DSC-TX20
PowerShot SD4000 IS / IXUS 300 HS / IXY 30S D3200   VR-340 Cyber-Shot DSC-TX9
PowerShot SD4500 IS / IXUS 1000 HS / IXY 50S D3300   XZ-10 Cyber-Shot DSC-W560
PowerShot SX150 IS D5000   XZ-2 Cyber-Shot DSC-W570
PowerShot SX210 IS D5100     Cyber-Shot DSC-W580
Powershot SX220 HS D5200     Cyber-Shot DSC-W650
PowerShot SX230 HS D5300     Cyber-Shot DSC-W690
PowerShot SX240 HS D600     Cyber-Shot DSC-W710
PowerShot SX260 HS D610     Cyber-Shot DSC-W730
PowerShot SX270 HS D7000     Cyber-Shot DSC-W830
PowerShot SX30 IS D7100     Cyber-Shot DSC-WX10
PowerShot SX40 HS D800     Cyber-Shot DSC-WX100
PowerShot SX50 HS D800E     Cyber-Shot DSC-WX150
Vixia HF M30 / Legria HF M30 D90     Cyber-Shot DSC-WX170
Vixia HF M300 / Legria HF M300       Cyber-Shot DSC-WX30
Vixia HF M31 / Legria HF M31 / iVIS HF M31       Cyber-Shot DSC-WX5
Vixia HF M32 / Legria HF M32 / iVIS HF M32       Cyber-Shot DSC-WX50
Vixia HF M40       Cyber-Shot DSC-WX7
Vixia HF M400       Cyber-Shot DSC-WX70
Vixia HF M41 / iVIS HF M41       Cyber-Shot DSC-WX80
Vixia HF M50       Cyber-Shot DSC-WX9
Vixia HF M500       DSLR-A33
Vixia HF M52 / iVIS HF M52       DSLR-A37
Vixia HF R10 / Legria HF R10 / iVIS HF R10       DSLR-A55
Vixia HF R100 / Legria HF R100 / iVIS HF R100       DSLR-A560
Vixia HF R11 / Legria HF R11 / iVIS HF R11       DSLR-A580
Vixia HF R300       SLTA65V / SLTA65
Vixia HF S20 / Legria HF S20        
Vixia HF S200 / Legria HF S200        
Vixia HF S21 / Legria HF S21 / iVIS HF S21        
XA10 HD Professional Camcorder        

5 Comments

Great article! Thanks for the expanded card info! I would like to know if you can use an "alternate cloud service" with either card instead of paying for the Eye-Fi Cloud Storage?

 

 

The only other option I was able to find is to use the Mobi card to transfer your images to your smartphone/tablet, and from there iOS and Android systems both offer their own cloud services which you could use by transferring the images from the smartphone/tablet to the respective clouds. 

tienen atancion a clientes en español? deseo cotizar equipos ya con envio a villahermosa tabasco Mexico pero requiero de información. gracias.

Muy buenos dias querido cliente. Gracias por contactarnos en B&H. Actualmente tenemos agentes que le pueden asistir en su idioma . Si desea que le proporcionemos una cotizacion via Email por favor envienos los siguientes datos :

Nosotros le podemos ayudar con su orden por medio de E-Mail.  Por favor mandenos un e-mail a [email protected]  Nosotros le mandaremos una cotizacion, use el numero de la cotizacion cuando mande su pago.  Para empezar, necesitamos lo siguiente:  1- La lista de los productos que quiere comprar. Por favor, denos una descripcion del producto o el codigo de B&H localizado en la pagina web del producto. No mande la direccion del internet porque no siempre trabaja.  2- Su direccion de facturizacion , numero de telefonos y nombre de la persona responsable por facturar   3- Direccion donde quiere que se envie incluyendo numero de telefono. Recuerde que firma es necesaria para recibir los envios.  Por favor espere por su numero de cotizacion antes de mandar el pago. Cuando reciba la cotizacion revise que toda la informacion sea correcta.  Por favor NO mande su informacion de la tarjeta de credito por e-mail, le daremos un modo seguro para transmitir los detalles de pago a B&H.

Si desea tambien tenemos un numero directo para clientes que residen en Mexico y contamos con agentes especializados que hablan español. el numero es el   001.866.806.9070

Thank you!  I was going insane trying to import from my Lexar card reader - your idea of using built in card reader (iMac) solved the problem!