Nikon Simplifies Sharing, Managing and Editing Photos on the Go with Wi-Fi Innovations

8th October 2012. Kuala Lumpur - Nikon has a long history of innovation in film and digital photography and has developed technologies that improve the performance of their products for end users. From major advancements in SLR film cameras to the launch of the world’s first professional-level, practical DSLR, the D1, Nikon continues to deliver innovative new advancements that help professional and consumer photographers alike. One of the areas Nikon has developed industry-leading advancements is in using Wi-Fi technology for controlling the transfer of images from a camera.

History of Nikon and Wi-Fi
Nikon’s leading efforts in image transfer began even before the digital revolution, when they took on the challenge of helping news reporters more quickly transfer film-based images from news locations back to where printing was done. In the early 1980s Nikon developed the NT-1000, a system that allowed reporters to scan and transmit 35mm negatives on-site at a news event, and send them electronically back to their headquarters for printing and production. This technology allowed newspapers to more quickly include photos in their newspapers because they did not have to wait for reporters to return “from the field” to process photos.

This Nikon advancement was used during the 1984 Olympics, where an NT-1000 system was used to send images of the opening ceremonies back to Japan for newspapers to print. At the 1988 Seoul Olympics, an NT-2000 system transmitted the first color images.

As the digital photography age evolved, Nikon continued to develop industry-leading technologies to allow simple and convenient transfer of now-digital images from the camera to a computer. Originally cameras were tethered to computers with wires; however, the growth of Wi-Fi standards led Nikon develop wireless solutions that not only benefitted professionals, but also consumers who were entering the digital photography world.

Nikon Professional Cameras and WiFi
Nikon has a long history of advancements in the Wi-Fi arena. Nikon leveraged the industry-standard IEEE 802.11 (a/b/g/n) wireless standard to develop solutions that allowed Nikon users to more easily connect and share images from the camera directly to the computer.

With the launch of its D2 series of DSLRs, Nikon also launched the WT-1 wireless transmitter, the first of its kind. Primarily designed for professional use, the transmitters made it possible to transfer images at high speed via wireless LAN to a PC. The WT-1 and the upgraded WT-2, freed photographers from cables, and also eliminated the limitations of memory card capacity – shooting was un-tethered and unlimited.

The use of wireless transmitters also simplified the workflow of a professional photographer – he or she could eliminate several steps in the process of transferring images to a computer. The benefits were squarely focused on professional photographers, in particular press photographers, who could take unlimited numbers of pictures at a venue, and have the images transferred quickly and securely to a computer via Wi-Fi. For studio professionals, the WT-2 also brought the Remote Camera Control function, which allowed a photographer to remotely release the shutter – valuable for situations like nature photography or where a camera can be positioned where a human being could not be.

Wi-Fi technology is so robust and evolving that it allows us to develop a range of innovations – advanced controls for the professional, and simple-to-use features for the consumer photographer. Nikon’s expertise in photography, combined with the power of Wi-Fi, means we can offer innovative solutions that benefits our entire target consumer base.

Nikon Consumer Digital Cameras and Wi-Fi
In 2005, Nikon brought Wi-Fi capability to consumer digital cameras with the launch of the Nikon COOLPIX P1 & P2. The built-in Wi-Fi technology allowed the cameras to transfer images directly to a computer and viewed by Nikon’s PictureProject software. The P1 and P2 also allowed for cable-free direct printing with PictBridge compatible printers. They were also the world’s first compact camera with built-in Wi-Fi technology.

Today, a broad range of Nikon DSLR cameras leverage Wi-Fi via wireless adaptors, from the top-of-the-line professional D4 (using the WT-5 wireless transmitter) to the compact, consumer friendly D3200 (using the new WU-1a wireless mobile adaptor). New advances in Nikon Wi-Fi capabilities allow even more control, including the ability to use a smart device to operate camera controls – even the ability to start and stop HD video recording from a smart phone. And in the age of mobile phones, Nikon also has made it simple to send images from a D3200 directly to a smart phone or tablet for immediate and simple sharing via social media platforms.

In addition, a majority of Nikon compact digital cameras support Eye-Fi, SD cards that have built-in Wi-Fi functionality.

Top Benefits of Wi-Fi
Nikon believes Wi-Fi provides a broad range of benefits and uses for its customers. First and foremost, it provides a simple and more flexible way to transfer media from camera to PC, tablet or smart phone. Apps on the smart device allow for immediate emailing, texting or uploading onto a social media platform – for example, to my Picturetown. This allows consumers to more quickly and easily share their images without having to return to their computer, download from a memory card, and then upload to social media. For professionals, Wi-Fi provides the freedom to keep shooting without worrying about memory card storage limits.

Wi-Fi also gives both professionals and consumers more control over their cameras, by allowing remote control of camera functions from a PC, a tablet or a smart phone. For example, using the WU-1a wireless mobile adaptor, a consumer can see the complete Live View preview and fire the camera remotely, snap a picture or start/stop an HD video. The WT-5 wireless transmitter provides even more control, allowing professionals to adjust focus, aperture, shutter speed and even switch shooting modes – all via a smart device or PC.

Last, Wi-Fi provides an automatic back-up function, ensuring images, whether professional or personal, are captured and saved quickly and efficiently to PCs or cloud-based services.

What’s Next?
The future of Wi-Fi is infinite. As new, more advanced Wi-Fi technologies are developed, Nikon will continue to identify ways to make its customers’ lives more simple and efficient using Wi-Fi technologies.

As cloud computing and storage advance, Nikon will look at ways to leverage Wi-Fi and cloud to make capture, transfer and sharing of media more simple, secure and fast. Professionals and consumers alike will benefit from Nikon’s efforts to advance Wi-Fi technology. And Nikon is of course looking at advanced technologies beyond Wi-Fi, including 4G/LTE technologies, to determine if they can be incorporated into the Nikon experience to the benefit of consumer and professional photographers.