When the Canon 7D Mark II was released in 2014, it was missing WiFi. But when the Canon 6D was released in 2012, it included built in WiFi. This disappointed a lot of people who were hoping to have WiFi built into the 7d II. But in September 2016, canon finally released the W-E1 WiFi adapter compatible with the Canon 7D Mark II, 5Ds, and the 5Ds R.
Because I was one of the 7D mkII owners who was disappointed that my camera did not include WiFi, I immediately pre-ordered the W-E1 to add this long missing feature to an otherwise great camera.
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The Canon W-E1 WiFi Adapter adds a must have feature that should have been included when the Canon 7D mkII was released.
Specs
- The W-E1 will support 802.11 b, g and n using the 2.4 GHz band.
- Works with the Canon 7D Mark II, 5DS, and 5DS R DSLRs
- WiFi range: 33 feet/ 10 Meters
- Wirelessly transfer photos and mp4 Movies
- Remotely control the camera via mobile app.
- Price: $39.95 Buy Here
Packaging
The W-E1 WiFi adapter arrived in a basic white box with the card wrapped in bubble wrap inside. It also came with a paper insert with some basic instructions on it on how to setup the WiFi card.
Setup
- The 7D II and 5ds and 5dsr all require a firmware update to version 1.1.0 to add the ability to use the W-E1 WiFi adapter. I also downloaded the EOS Utility 3.5.10 to my computer from the same page to update the firmware on my camera. . Link to Firmware and EOS Utility
- You must also download the Canon Connect app to your mobile device to be able to connect to the camera. LINK to Apple App Store
- When you first setup the WiFi card on your camera, you are given an option to send out a WiFi signal from the adapter, or connect to an existing WiFi signal such as your home WiFi network. I mostly use the mode that sends out a WiFi signal. I primarily use the WiFi card when I am out in the field away from my home WiFi network.
- I chose to setup a WiFi signal from the adapter because I will use this card while out shooting than back at home.
- The adapter sends out the WiFi signal and displays the pass-code to log into the signal.
- Next on your phone or mobile device, you must go to your settings and manually connect to the WiFi signal send out by the adapter. Enter the pass code which is a string of numbers displayed on the camera and pow, you’re connected.
- Open the Canon Camera Connect app and it will detect your camera and will allow you to connect to it through the app. You can also connect to the wifi network from your Mac or PC and use the EOS utility software to control your camera from your computer. I was unable to test out this feature because whenever I tried to connect my laptop to the wifi network, I would receive a connection timeout error.
Canon has a couple different apps for you to use on the iPhone. That is where it starts to get confusing. You want to use the App called Canon Camera Connect. There is another app called EOS that also works, but when you start the app, it tells you that EOS is out of date and to use Canon Camera Connect. App Store Link iOS: Canon Camera Connect
Performance
Latency – The Liveview when using the canon camera control app is very quick and responsive.
Setup: – Setting up the W-E1 is a little cumbersome, especially the first time you ever do it. I also have difficulty trying to connect to a network I already setup. I have to delete that preset connection and create a brand new connection every time I want to connect to the camera to the iPhone.
Distance – The range of the W-E1 WiFi adapter is rated at 33 feet. When I tested this, it worked over 33 feet but it started to get glitchy when i moved further until it finally disconnected.
Controls – When the WiFi card is enabled and you are using the Canon Camera Control app to operate your camera, you lose the ability to be able to operate your camera on the camera itself. If you press the shutter release button on the camera. Nothing will happen. Only through the app are you able to fire or control your camera.
Changing Camera Modes – If you spin the control dial to change camera modes from Shutter Priority to Aperture for example, you immediately lose your WiFi connection to the App. So you need to make sure you get your camera settings right before you connect the app.
Does Not Support RAW – If you are a raw shooter, and you go to transfer your RAW images to your phone from the camera, the images are downsized to 1920 x 1280 Jpegs. This is a huge deal breaker for a lot of people out there. This means you can NOT use the WiFi adapter as a legitimate backup strategy. Perhaps in the future the ability to transfer RAW images could be added. But as of right now, it is not possible.
How I plan On Using the W-E1 WiFi Adapter
Easily transfer images to your phone to Edit/Post to social media – Often times I am out taking pictures and I only have my iPhone with me. I had to wait until I got home to post any images to social media. Now I can do it from anyplace I have a cell signal.
Low Angles – When I am shooting macro pictures, I often have my camera way down on the ground or in some awkward position and the lack of a tilting screen on the 7D II means I have to crawl down into an equally awkward position to see the back of my camera. But now the WiFi adapter will allow me to use my phone to see my composition without crawling down onto the ground to see the screen on the back of the camera.
Double Checking my focus – Seeing the Liveview image on your mobile device allows you to double check the focus to make sure it is tack sharp before you take the picture. This will work great for astro photography, landscape, and macro photography.
Video Mode
When the W-E1 WiFi adapter was announced, it was touted to be able to transfer video over wifi. But whatever I try, I have been unable to record/transfer video via wifi. When the Canon 7DII is in video mode, it says WiFi mode is not available. When I already had a video file on my memory card and I attmpted to transfer it to my iphone, it said unable to transfer this file. I am not sure if I am doing something wrong, but so far using the W-E1 for video has been a huge letdown.
- Pros:Adds Wifi to the Canon 7D II, 5Ds, and 5Ds R
- Wirelessly control your camera.
- Transfer images to your smartphone via Wifi.
- See your composition on a larger screen
- Nice alternative for the lack of not having a tilting screen on the back of the 7D II
Cons:
- Does NOT support the transfer of RAW images. The camera downsizes the raw images to 1920×1280 Jpeg when being transferred. You can still shoot in Raw mode but those images stay on the internal memory card only.
- The W-E1 does not include internal memory, you are required to use and 2nd memory card to save your images.
- You lose the ability to control the camera with the physical buttons. You are required to use the app.
- WiFi disconnects when you turn the camera mode dial.
- W-E1 Does not include internal memory storage, it looks like an SD card in appearance only.
- Adds a feature that should have been included in the 7D II since it was originally released.
- Not great for fast paced work. Slight lag in the video feed.
- Canon Connect App is clunky and limited. The apps are easily the worst part of using the W-E1 WiFi adapter.
- Compatible with the Canon 7DII, 5Ds, and 5Ds-R cameras only.
Verdict
Buy It If You Already Own One of the Supported Cameras – The Canon W-E1 is a neat little WiFi adapter that adds a much needed feature to the Canon 7DII, 5Ds, and 5Ds-R cameras. Canon should have included this ability when the camera was originally released but better late than never. As long as you can get past the fact that you can NOT transfer RAW images to your phone, and If you shoot one of the supported cameras and plan on staying on those cameras, than the W-E1 is worth picking up. The Apps used to control the camera from your mobile phone are clunky and limited. They are the worst part of using the WiFi adapter. I was completely unable to connect my Macbook pro to the wifi adapter so I was unable to use the EOS utility desktop application.
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