How to Transfer Pictures from Camera to Phone

I use a WiFi/3G ready Samsung Galaxy Camera to send instant pictures off by email, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc.  But most people don’t have a WiFi camera.  There are definitely times when you really want to use a better quality camera than your phone camera, yet you want to share it on your social networks right away.  Perhaps you need to zoom in your child’s face when receiving an award or you need a camera that works better in low light to take pictures of the the kids at Disneyland at night.  There’s nothing worse than taking some fun pictures and waiting till you get home to share them.  The moment you want to share is gone.

The Mobi Eye-Fi SD card, when inserted in your camera or camcorder, allows you to transfer pictures from camera to phone.  After you set up the free app on your camera, you don’t have to do anything except open the app to see your picture/videos.  It’s seamless. I love my Sony Camcorder, I’m on my 3rd one since the 1990’s.  But it’s main downfall is that it is not WiFi ready.  So it usually takes me weeks, even months before I download pictures.

Forget about sharing our latest adventures on Facebook.  But by placing the Mobi Eye-Fi SD card in my camcorder, I am able to share pictures right away.  It takes pictures in RAW format and saves them to my Sony camcorder Mobi Eye-Fi SD card and sends a jpg over to my Samsung Galaxy phone.

Pros:

• Pictures show up relatively quickly
• No WiFi or mobile signal needed to transfer pics from camera to phone
• Setting up the connection between the free app and Eye-Fi card is easy, just enter a code one time
• The full resolution picture stays on your camera and a smaller graphic size jpeg is sent to your phone
• No account login or even the cloud is needed to transfer pictures and videos

Cons:

• Pictures and videos only show up in the Eye-Fi app, not your phone’s camera gallery.  This may be a stumbling block for some who can’t remember where the pictures are
• The Eye-Fi Mobi is pricier than regular SD cards, but can do considerably more
• Videos, or course, take a while to transfer over, and you need to download a video player on your phone to see them play

You can also transfer pictures and videos to the Eye-Fi app on your tablet if you want to show family and friends your latest pics on a bigger screen.   Mobi Eye-Fi SD cards come in 8GB, 16 GB, and 32 GB.  I tried the 8 GB card and it works fine for me, even with the video footage I take with my camcorder. So you may be wondering, what size is the right size for me?  Fortunately, Eye-Fi has made this an easier decision by breaking it down for us:

The 8 GB works fine for around town, but if you’re traveling on vacation, you may want to consider purchasing a larger size.  For a limited time (until Dec. 31st), Eye-Fi is offering a free 8×10 inch framed canvas print when you purchase a Mobi 32GB directly from the Eye-Fi website.

 Setting Up the Connection  

To use Eye-Fi Mobi, make sure your camera takes a SDHC card.  The Eye-Fi Mobi card works with many different camera models.  You can check this list here to ensure your camera is compatible. My Sony camcorder wasn’t listed in Eye-Fi’s compatibility camera’s list, but it worked anyways, so give it a try.   Eye-Fi Mobi works with both Android and iOS smartphones as well as on the Kindle Fire.

To make the connection between your camera and your phone, you just need to enter in once the 10-digit activation code found in the Mobi packaging.  Keep this number, you will need it for each device you download the Eye-Fi Mobi app on. The beauty of the Mobi Eye-Fi is that is creates its own WiFi between the phone and the camera, so you can “connect” anywhere, even in the woods!  Once pictures are copied over, the card disconnects the WiFi to save on your phone’s battery power.

Here are pictures I have, showing up on my Eye-Fi Mobi app.  Some pictures my husband took and some I took.  The ones my husband took downloaded onto my Mobi Eye-Fi app, once I opened it and turned on my Sony camcorder.  This is great, I didn’t have to go to the camcorder to find the pictures from the Veterans’ Day event I missed.  I could view them straight from my phone.  I love simplicity.

A Mom’s Perspective

The Mobi Eye-Fi is a great solution to bringing “WiFi” to your non-Wi-Fi camera and allowing you to transfer pictures from camera to phone.

Don’t you hate it when you took a picture, but you can’t figure out where you put it?  Is it on your phone?  On your tablet?  On your camera?  On your camcorder?  How often have you forgotten download your pictures from your camera from last week, last month, even last year?  Eye-Fi Mobi can help you share your pictures faster.

Another feature I love about the Eye-Fi Mobi is that it offers you an automatic back-up of your camera’s pictures on your phone.  Should something happen to your camera, you still have your pictures saved.

The Eye-Fi Mobi SD card is a great solution for families to help them stay connected to their families and friends.  Tell us how it would make your life easier…or at least more fun?

*  I was given a Mobi Eye-Fi SD card for purposes of review.  All opinions are my own.