Travellious Test Labs: Eye-Fi Pro X2

If you were to look at an Eye-Fi card without knowing what it was, you might guess it was just a normal SD memory card. But tucked inside its tiny plastic shell, is lots of memory AND the ability to talk to your computer without a card reader. This feature is awesome for all photographers, but how can it benefit travelers in particular? Keep reading, and I'll show you how.

I've been itching to try out the Eye-Fi Pro X2 ever since it was released; as it's the only Eye-Fi card that supports RAW images (a must for all digital SLR owners.) Recently, I was able to give one a whirl so I used it on a couple of local trips, including our adventures at the Washington Brewers Festival. I had a few questions that I've been dying to answer: how is this card useful for travelers? What kind of trips could I actually use it on? Will it kill my camera battery?

If you're carrying your laptop with you on your travels, you've probably been lugging around a memory card reader. Eye-Fi cards give you a couple of options to ditch that card reader, and send your photos directly from your camera to your computer over WiFi. The simplest, and most robust, method is to pair your laptop with your card AND setup Direct Mode between your card and your computer. This tells the card to wirelessly send photos to your particular computer, running the Eye-Fi software. With the setup I described, regardless of Internet access availability, the Eye-Fi card will be able to send photos to your computer. (Direct mode for when you've got no Wifi in the area and standard connection mode for when you do.) The photos will transfer automatically when you take them and it's able to communicate with your computer; once it's done all you have to do is format the card. This approach is a big time saver; instead of spending your time transferring photos, you can get another drink, sleep a little longer, or just plain relax. Plus, with the space you'll save, you can easily fit an extra pair of underwear in your bag.

If, and it's a BIG if, you know you're going to have easy-to-access, reliable high speed internet access, you can set up your Eye-Fi card to use "Relayed Transfer" mode to send your photos back home to your computer. The images get uploaded to Eye-Fi servers and will get downloaded automatically to your home computer. If you're going on such a internet-connected trip, you can save the space and weight of your laptop AND a portable hard drive. My back, for one, likes that idea.
Now, this idea won't work if you're going to be running around less developed countries, or staying in hotels with Internet that requires logging in via a web page. While Eye-Fi cards can be set up to connect to password-protected services, such as Boingo, it didn't have a way that I found to magically navigate the myriad jumble of third-party hotel internet providers. If you're staying in unfamiliar hotels, odds are, you'll need to bring your trusty laptop with you.

In all my tests, both in shooting in the field and in transferring images at home, Eye-Fi cards didn't kill my battery much faster than a regular SD card. So, pack and shoot like you normally would. You won't need to run out and buy extra batteries just to satiate this little device. However, if you come back to your room with a dead battery and a full memory card, you'll need a charged spare to get your photos transferred.

I love to geotag my photos when I upload them to Flickr. However, if I forget to do it while I'm still traveling, my accuracy leaves a lot to be desired the longer I wait. The Eye-Fi X2 Pro helps me skip that step by using its internal GPS and allowing you the option to automatically geotag your photos, as you take them. I think this feature could save travelers a lot of time; doing one more thing to help us all spend less time managing photos and more time enjoying our trips.

Yes, the Eye-Fi X2 Pro has a lot of cool features for photographers. Some of those features could, in the right circumstances, allow travelers to travel lighter. But I think the real gain for travelers is in saving time and effort wrangling their photos. After configuring your card, the only effort you need to make is to turn your camera on in your room at night and make sure you charge your batteries. I can't say it enough, less time moving photos on your laptop mean more time enjoying your travels.

Is the Eye-Fi X2 Pro for everyone? Simply, no. If you've got an older digital SLR that uses a different type of card, you're out of luck. If you use a point and shoot digital camera, you can opt for one of the simpler models of Eye-Fi cards and save a few dollars. But if you've got a digital SLR that uses SD cards, I think that the Eye-Fi X2 Pro would be an excellent addition to your travel photography repertoire.

Details:

Eye-Fi X2 Pro - $60 from Amazon.