Wi-Fi connectivity

1 feature of the Catechism EOS 6D that can be easily disregarded on the spec sheet, but pays applied dividends in real-globe use is its Wi-Fi capability. The EOS 6D is the offset DSLR to provide this connectivity every bit a built-in characteristic, without the need for additional external accessories. The camera's internal Wi-Fi transmitter supports 802.11b/g/n standards and, according to Canon, has a transmission range of upwardly to 30m/98.4 ft. Be aware that movie style is disabled when Wi-Fi is active on the camera.

With Wi-Fi enabled on the EOS 6D, you tin transfer images to a compatible Catechism camera, send them to a Wi-Fi enabled printer or media player or upload them to the Canon paradigm Gateway web service (gratuitous registration required) which provides 10GB of online media storage and sharing options for social media. You lot can as well send 1920 10 1280px images to a smartphone or tablet.

EOS Remote (Android/iOS)

The feature of interest to well-nigh owners is undoubtedly the ability to connect wirelessly to your smartphone or tablet. The EOS 6D can be configured as either the access point, to which your mobile device connects, or to join an existing wireless network. You lot can create up to three 'networks' (you can name them whatever you want), allowing you to connect to i device in three unlike ways (for example directly, and over 2 dissimilar Wi-Fi networks) or connect the 6D directly to 3 different devices (simply merely ane at a fourth dimension) or any combination thereof - i.east., two devices and one network, two networks and one device... etc.

If you lot're just pairing the 6D with i device, by setting up unlike networks you lot tin can switch pretty seamlessly betwixt using the camera-generated network out in the field, to a connection based on the wireless router inside your studio just by selecting a unlike photographic camera profile when Wi-Fi is enabled. When you exercise this, your mobile device tin can make the Wi-Fi connection to the now-known network. And when continued to your mobile device, the Wi-Fi connectedness is maintained even when the camera goes into free energy saver fashion.

Canon provides EOS Remote, a free app on both iOS (shown here) and Android platforms that lets yous control the photographic camera remotely, view live view previews, review images you've taken and transfer all the same images from the camera.

Apple tree iPhone 5 owners should note that the app does not currently support the 16:9 screen ratio. This means that the app does non fill the screen when used with the latest iPhone, leaving top and bottom black borders. We've indicated those borders here in white, for visibility.

Geek factor bated, the great benefit of decision-making your camera from your smartphone or tablet is, of grade that you don't accept to be straight behind the camera to take a picture, assuasive you to prepare up the photographic camera in positions from which it would otherwise exist hard to shoot. This can be invaluable for mural and nature photographers who can at present trigger their camera remotely with the added benefit of a live view preview and exposure control, with no wires or laptop necessary. All at no boosted cost.

Live view

Yous can adapt Av/Tv, ISO and exposure compensation directly from the app. Tapping on the exposure compensation push button, for example, brings up a slider that you drag to your desired value.

While in live view style, Canon's EOS Remote app allows you to adapt three shooting parameters, all past touch. In discontinuity mode, you tin suit exposure compensation, ISO sensitivity and, of course, aperture. In shutter priority mode the shutter speed replaces aperture as an adjustable setting. And in manual exposure mode, you tin adjust aperture, shutter speed and ISO sensitivity. The app'due south 'shutter button' defaults to the drive mode set on the camera, which ways you can remotely trigger the camera in single, continuous (by pressing and holding) and self-timer modes. In that location's no 'Q' button though so you don't get the full control that would be possible with the photographic camera in your easily.

Unfortunately, the live view paradigm displayed on your mobile device is the same size equally the one used on the 6D's rear LCD, so you lot don't gain an paradigm viewing advantage with your phone or tablet's larger screen surface area and college resolution.

One standout feature is tucked away in the app's preferences where you tin can enable a virtual AF push button to learn focus directly from your mobile device.

In one case enabled in preferences, an AF push button (highlighted in red) appears along with a focus confirmation rectangle inside the image area. Tap on the screen to position the focus indicate and and then press and hold the AF push button to larn focus.

While you can zoom the live view preview on the camera's LCD to a 10x view, the smartphone app is limited to a 5x magnification, which you enable with a double-tap. Scrolling effectually the prototype in magnified view involves noticeable lag time, merely helpfully, the focus box always re-orients itself to the heart of the magnified view.

Image review and transfer

All images and video on the SD card can exist reviewed using the EOS Remote app. It supports familiar smartphone gestures such as pinching, swiping and double-tapping to browse through images.

When reviewing images you can brandish an overlay with filename, capture date and exposure settings. You tin can as well rate images with 1-5 stars (as y'all can through the camera's menu) that can be read by Canon's Digital Photo Professional software.

From the paradigm review section of the app yous can rate images stored on the SD carte and email or save 1920 x 1280 S2 JPEG versions to your device'south image gallery. These are handy, but non useful for critical image analysis since you tin't get an accurate idea of focus accuracy from such pocket-size files.

Transferring total resolution JPEG images to the web is possible, but only from the photographic camera itself. To do that y'all must first use Canon'south EOS Utility software (supplied with the 6D) to configure a uniform web service like Canon's iMage Gateway, Facebook or Twitter with the 6D connected to a computer via USB. Once configured, yous can then upload single or multiple images via Wi-Fi at either full size, S2 or S3 resolution settings.

Overall impressions, and battery life

Overall, the 6D'south Wi-Fi functionality is excellent, and a genuine selling-point when information technology comes to differentiating this camera from Nikon's growing range of Wi-Fi compatible DSLRs which all require an external adapter. The EOS Remote App is effective (the connectivity is sensibly-implemented and reliable), just the interface and characteristic set seem a bit 'crude and ready' and we hope (await) that it will be improved over time, via updates.

Inevitably though, the 6D's connectivity functionality does accept an impact on battery life. When Wi-Fi is turned on (likewise GPS) the 6D'due south bombardment will drain noticeably over time. This doesn't only employ when you're actively using the camera - information technology also has an bear upon on battery life when the 6D enters slumber way. If you're in the habit of leaving your DSLR to go into sleep mode rather than turning it off (as many photographers are) and Wi-Fi and GPS are turned off, the 6D'due south power direction is the same as every other EOS DSLR. Y'all can grab your camera days after putting it into slumber fashion and your battery level will be effectively unchanged from the last time you used it.

If, however, you let the camera get to sleep with Wi-Fi/GPS enabled, the 6D will bleed its bombardment during sleep, to the extent that if you leave the camera for a couple of days, you may well find the battery significantly drained, if not exhausted.