If I had to make one prediction about cameras and camcorders for 2014, it’s that the majority of them will include built-in wireless capabilities. In fact, this may be the first year in which camera manufacturers will introduce more models with built in Wi-Fi than ever before.
Two CES 2014 announcements, one from Samsung and the other from Canon, underscored how committed camera manufacturers are about including Wi-Fi in most of their new cameras.
This means that consumers can take better photos and video than they can with their smart phones (since most cameras have better sensors and lenses than smart phones), but won’t feel left out of the social networking scene, since Wi-Fi allows them to upload photos and video directly to Facebook, Instagram, and many other online sites.
Canon introduced several wireless products, including the 12-megapixel PowerShot N100, $350, which has a 5x optical zoom lens (24-120mm zoom range), a 3-inch touchscreen LCD, and can capture 1080p HD video. But unlike its predecessor, the PowerShot N, this model not only has Wi-Fi, but also includes NFC (near-field communication), which lets you quickly pair the camera with an Android phone or tablet. Once you set it up, all you need to do is to press the Mobile Device Connect Button on the N100 and tap an NFC-enabled Android device to the N100 camera, and it automatically launches the Canon Camera Window App on the mobile device.
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The two new Samsung models, the NX30 SLR-like and the Samsung Galaxy Camera 2 superzoom, take Wi-Fi further. For starters, one of the two new models, the 16-megapixel Samsung Galaxy Camera 2, is not just wireless, but also includes 4G LTE connectivity, which is the same type of connectivity found on your smart phone. (There was no word yet on which carriers would be providing the cellular network).
As for the 20-megapixel NX30, Samsung said that it includes Wi-Fi and NFC. When paired with a mobile device, you can control a wide array of functions on the NX30 via your mobile device. In addition, the NX30 will also include built-in apps, such as one from Dropbox, for quickly uploading your photos to cloud storage. No pricing has been announced yet on either of the two new Samsung cameras.
Wireless is coming to new camcorders too: For instance, Canon introduced wireless capabilities on its new HD action cam, the Vixia Mini X, $400, and two of the three full-size Vixia HD camcorders. And Liquid Image just introduced an action cam with 4G LTE connectivity.
Over the next few days, we'll be covering the latest news on cameras and camcorders, connected and nonconnected, so keep checking back.
—Terry Sullivan
For all the show news, trends, and analysis visit, our insider's guide to CES 2014.
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