The Eye-Fi Pro comes in the SDHC format but, unfortunately, there's no CompactFlash version.

In 2008, I pegged those wireless Eye-Fi memory cards as one of the most exciting technologies of the year but lamented that because they couldn't handle RAW images and were kind of slow, they were really only made for consumers. Give it time, I said back then. Sooner or later, Eye-Fi would come out with a version for pro photographers and we could all finally kiss our annoying cords and card readers good-bye.

Well, ladies and gentlemen, Eye-Fi has released a Pro card at last and I'm sad to say you still might want to hang onto those card readers. While the Eye-Fi Pro SDHC card does a lot of things the earlier card couldn't do—include transmit RAW images—its pokey speeds and occasionally shaky connections make it only a novelty, at best, for most jobs. Furthermore, the lack of a CompactFlash version of the Pro card will also limit its appeal among professionals.

But let's start off with what's right about the new Pro card which, like its predecessor, uses a miniature antenna inside to beam images to a computer or to online photo sharing sites. Though there's no CF version, Eye-Fi did decide to go with the SDHC format which should, ostensibly, allow them to create cards of up to 32 gb. The initial version is a 4 gb card which will allow you to shoot a fair amount of RAW images depending on the camera.

For my testing, I shot with Eye-Fi Pro in a Sigma DP2 (also reviewed here on page 68) which captures X3F RAW images of approximately 12 mb in size. The fact that the card had little trouble recognizing the X3F files—which even Photoshop has problems with—was pleasantly surprising. I also liked the relatively simple set-up process for the Wi-Fi card—very similar to the previous version— and how quickly you can start shooting with the Eye-Fi Pro after taking it out of the packaging.

Another great addition to the Eye-Fi Pro is its ability to directly use a computer's wireless signal to transmit images rather than having to go through a wireless network. Called "Ad Hoc Uploading" the feature is great if you're away from your studio's wireless network—such as when traveling—and just want to wirelessly zap your shots to your laptop without having to piggyback on someone else's network or use a wireless router.

Setting up Ad Hoc Uploading is also quite easy—especially if you're a Mac user—requiring just a couple of clicks to configure your computer's Wi-Fi signal to create a "camera to computer" connection. Eye-Fi's Web-based Manager walks you briskly through the steps. There's also Hotspot uploading, letting you upload your shots from any of over 10,000 Wayport hotspots in places such as McDonald's, Hertz airport locations and hotels.

Another nice new feature is Selective Transfer which lets you pick and choose which images on the card you want to send. In the past, the card would just send everything over automatically. Tag the photos you want to send on the card using the camera's "protect" or "lock" feature and Eye-Fi Pro will only transmit those shots. There's also a handy automatic geotagging feature which embeds location info into your photos without needing to attach one of those GPS devices on top of your camera.

Now for the bad news but with a little good news sprinkled on top. If you shoot JPEG, you likely won't have too much of a problem with the wireless transfer speeds from the Eye-Fi Pro. Shooting with the DP2 in Fine JPEG mode, it took me from 20 to 30 seconds per 2 mb file which isn't bad. If you're shooting large batches though, prepare to wait.

And now for more bad news. Shooting in RAW took me anywhere from two minutes to ten minutes. Yes, that's a broad range mostly because some of my RAW files would start to transfer over and then stop and start again and then stop. When the transfer would stop, a message would pop up in Eye-Fi Manager that there had been a transfer "interruption" and it would then take a few seconds to start again.

While most RAW images took only about two minutes, every third or fourth shot would get tied up. Not good if you're in a hurry. And while you can also transfer video files using Eye-Fi Pro, I had even less success sending those. Several times, 30-second movie clips I sent from the DP2 would stop mid-way through the transfer and then start up all over from the beginning. Bummer.


THE BOTTOM LINE

While there's a lot I like about the new wireless Eye-Fi Pro cards including RAW compatibility; Ad Hoc and Hotspot uploading; geotagging; and selective transfer, the slow transfer speeds for RAW images and videos will frustrate pro photographers who are in a hurry. And if you're like most pros out there hustling from job to job, this likely includes you.

Eye-Fi Pro

www.eye.fi Pros: RAW compatibility a big plus; Ad Hoc uploading is great for travel shoots; Geotagging and selective transfer are welcomed new features. Cons: Transfer speeds for RAW images are slow; no CompactFlash version. Pricing: $149