WiFi, it is one of those features that you love or you never use, but that is virtually expected of most camera releases in this day and age. Unfortunately, most camera manufacturers have implemented these half-measures and poorly developed apps in order to satisfy the need. Fujifilm is not immune to this criticism, and while it is true that the Fujifilm WiFi implementation is one of the better ones in my experience, there is still significant room for improvement.
It is almost 2017 people, we should be able to wirelessly transfer images to our phones or computers without a hassle. We have WiFi, Bluetooth, NFC and yet we can’t manage to have a seamless, hassle-free experience getting images off our cameras.
The sad part here is that this is not about a lack of technology, it is completely a case of the camera companies being lazy. My biggest issue with Fujifilm’s implementation is the shoddy and slow app. Sometimes it works fine, and other times I’ll have to connect my phone to my camera WiFi multiple times in order to get the connection to work so I can control the camera or transfer an image. It is just not up to the quality and polish that we have come to expect from Fujifilm
This can be incredibly frustrating when you are trying to quickly transfer an image to the phone for a social media update, or a tablet for the client to review. For as much as we are paying for these cameras, we should be able to transfer images through the WiFi functionality without these sorts of issues.
I will say that when it works and works smoothly, I rather enjoy the Fujifilm app. The interface makes sense, though I will say that having to switch modes to review images recently captured seems rather convoluted. Overall, Fujifilm got a lot right about their WiFi feature but as can be seen in this post and in many a comment/forum threads across the web, they didn’t get it all right.
I would love the 2017 to be the year that Fujifilm gets their apps sorted out, streamlined and working as intended without all the fuss. I would also love to see other transfer technologies added to the X-Series in future cameras, things like NFC and or Bluetooth that can help evolve and improve the way with which we interact between our mobile devices and our cameras.
This is on my wishlist for Fujifilm in 2017, what would you like to see addressed in 2017?
