Chrome is one of the first things I disable on my Android devices, and I hate the idea of signing up for any accounts just to access local files.
But Canon welcomed me with a big surprise, and a fuck you, too!
Chrome is one of the first things I disable on my Android devices, and I hate the idea of signing up for any accounts just to access local files.
But Canon welcomed me with a big surprise, and a fuck you, too!
Yup, sucks. What I do is just take out the card a plug it into a little USB dongle thing which I can plug into either my phone or laptop.
Also faster than the app too. The app uses WiFi or Bluetooth. Its also annoyingly finicky to connect tk the camera.
What’s wild to me is that anyone would do it any other way. I’m astounded that this is somehow a “tip”.
Not even 10 years ago it was simply the way to do it.
Depends on your workflow.
As an example, if I’m in a studio and have a camera set up a certain way, it’s highly inconvenient to have to turn it off, pull the card out (which can mean removing it from the tripod if the card slot is on the bottom of the camera), plug it into a phone or laptop, copy the image, load the image for review, eject the card, reinsert the card, set the camera up again…
I mean, holy shit.
Why do that when you can tap the gallery through the app (already connected because you’ve got live view going), click on the photo, open it for review, keep shooting.
Of course, if you’ve shot a big day and have to offload 100gb of photos and video, an external card reader is the only way to go.
But for studio, live sessions, or quick shots, app transfer is so much easier. Some cameras have NFC, so you just tap your phone and start the transfer.
None of this has ever been a problem. It’s the requirement to have a connected account that makes it a problem.
I think it’s a bit hilarious that touching the camera is considered such a hassle now. When I learned photography we had to finish the reel and spend a day in a darkroom before we could see the final product.
Still, I hope someone makes some open source software for you. More convenience is always better.
If you are being paid for your work, or you are under time constraints, there’s no way anyone would choose to take dozens of steps over a few.
I still love my older cameras, including one of the first DSLRs (Canon Digital Rebel). No apps. Every feature sold to you is right there in the camera, and those feature still work 20 years later.
It’s the enshittification of technology that’s the real problem. Most people would love the conveniences offered by advanced features, but not when there’s a catch.
And this extends to well beyond “regular cameras”. GoPro has completely ruined their hardware by locking basic features (like image stabilization) behind their app and/or subscription!
That’s when photography existed as a skilled art, and a more enjoyable hobby. I miss those times.
Advantage of using the app: Remote shutter/control.
Very convenient if you take lunar photos.
Yeah but the app also does remote control / viewing. The transfer is a bonus of being able to quickly do the transfer and text it to someone right away.
Of course, none of this matters because I don’t have Chrome on my new phone and can’t even create the stupid account if I wanted to.
Also, can’t find information about which version they rolled that out in and get an older version.
You want version 3.2.40.36, which is the last one before the app requirement. It’s available on APKMirror and probably elsewhere as well.
Cables are better but they have a minimum time to setup and can be inconvenient if you do it while traveling. If you just need a quick transfer then using an app or wireless transfer is better.
If you’ve never actually used the Canon app on your phone: I assure you that it would be faster to ride the elevator down from your hotel room, walk to the nearest store, haggle with the store owner for 10 minutes over the price of the cable, get your money changed, buy it, and return to your hotel room than it would be to wait for the app to connect to your camera over wi-fi.
Apparently not anymore.