New Nikon D3200 SLR Connects To iPad Over Wi-Fi

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d3200-nikon-Wi-Fi-dongle.jpeg
Thank God this thing also comes in black

We’ve been banging on about connecting proper cameras to the internet for quite a while now, and it seems that at last these cameras are starting to catch up to the world of smartphone cameras. Nikon’s new D3200 SLR updates the D3100 with some slightly better specs, but the big news is that it can be used with an optional Wi-Fi unit for sending photos to your iPhone, iPad, or whatever piece of junk you use instead.

If you’re thinking “Whatever, Charlie. This is Nikon. How much does this thing cost?” then I have your answer. A surprisingly cheap $60. That’s way less than an Eye-Fi card, and hopefully it’s way more reliable.

The D3200 is very similar to the D3100 before it. Upgrades include a much better 920,000-dot rear LCD (up from a pathetic-for–2012 230,000 dots), a bigger 24MP sensor (the old one was a perfectly adequate 14.2MP) and a slightly faster shooting speed.

In short, it’s a camera that will shoot great pictures, like all Nikon and Canon DSLRs. It will cost $700 when it goes on sale later in April.

But add in the little WU–1a (which I can’t help but pronounce “woo-lah!”) adapter and you can not only beam photos to your mobile device of choice, you can also remotely trigger the camera and preview images before shooting. Stupidly, though, the adapter plugs into the side of the camera, so you’ll have to leave the protective flap/door open (or just rip the thing off).

Inexplicably, the Android app will be available at launch, while the iOS version will follow at an unannounced future date. I’d guess that customers for good entry-level SLRs who also want to send photos to their phones are overwhelmingly iPhone and iPad owners, so this seems rather shortsighted. Still, I guess we should be grateful the app is free. I bought a €2,200 D700 body from Nikon a few years back (since sold) and it didn’t even come bundled with Nikon’s own software.

I’m pretty stoked about this news nonetheless, although these days my iPad 3 is my most-used camera, despite all its flaws.

For more info, check out Nikon’s press release.

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