wireless connection question

Lloyd_Christmas · 06-18-2022, 01:26 PM

Hi all,

I've had my mk 3 for about a year and really love it.
I have used the image sync iPhone app for pulling down jpegs via Bluetooth and it has been convenient and quick...until now.
During the eclipse a while back, I wanted to use the phone app to control the camera and do some shooting.
In that case, it needed to hook up via wifi not Bluetooth.
Now that I have connected via wifi, it seems to default to that method over bluetooth.
The issue is transfer of jpegs. When I try it has to build the entire group of thumbnails first and that takes several minutes over wifi.
I can turn off the RAW files to speed this up a little.
I have tried a few things in the app to go back to bluetooth connection but it seems to prefer wifi if available.
Is there a way around this? Transfer of jpegs with bluetooth was so much faster.

thanks

Adam · 06-18-2022, 03:00 PM

If image sync works the same way on the K-3 III as other Pentax bodies, then one trick is to minimize the number of files on the card to improve performance (i.e. by deleting old photos or moving them to sd2). That will hopefully speed up both the thumbnail generation and the transfers.

Lloyd_Christmas · 06-18-2022, 04:47 PM

Originally posted by Adam

If image sync works the same way on the K-3 III as other Pentax bodies, then one trick is to minimize the number of files on the card to improve performance (i.e. by deleting old photos or moving them to sd2). That will hopefully speed up both the thumbnail generation and the transfers.

Thanks, Adam. I imagine few files will help; but before it was so fast.
One thing I forgot to mention, when I turn off wifi on my phone to try and force it to go Bluetooth again...it turns the wifi back on via the app!
It's so slow that it's not usable like before when it was quick...

**UncleVanya** · 06-18-2022, 07:02 PM - **1 Like**

Try uninstalling and reinstalling?

WiFi could get interference from strong nearby signals. It isn’t typical but it can happen if the camera picked a channel already in use.

Lloyd_Christmas · 06-18-2022, 07:20 PM

Thanks, UncleVanya

I will consult the manual about this and may try to dump the app and reinstall.

AfterPentax Mark II · 06-19-2022, 04:04 AM - **1 Like**

Originally posted by Lloyd_Christmas

Hi all,

I've had my mk 3 for about a year and really love it.
I have used the image sync iPhone app for pulling down jpegs via Bluetooth and it has been convenient and quick...until now.
During the eclipse a while back, I wanted to use the phone app to control the camera and do some shooting.
In that case, it needed to hook up via wifi not Bluetooth.
Now that I have connected via wifi, it seems to default to that method over bluetooth.
The issue is transfer of jpegs. When I try it has to build the entire group of thumbnails first and that takes several minutes over wifi.
I can turn off the RAW files to speed this up a little.
I have tried a few things in the app to go back to bluetooth connection but it seems to prefer wifi if available.
Is there a way around this? Transfer of jpegs with bluetooth was so much faster.

thanks

On the camera: disable WiFi. On the phone go to wifi connections find the wifi connection for the Mk III and remove the connection, usually it is indicated as "forget". The phone can not make automatic connection with your MkIII again. Then set-up the bluetooth connection again. Perhaps in the app it is possible to choose between automatic or manual connection for wifi. So for the next time choose manually if possible.
But bluetooth and Wi-Fi should work independently from each other, so of you select items to transfer, you must be able choose between bluetooth or Wi-Fi to do so.

**Kobie** · 06-22-2022, 04:39 AM

From my tinkering around with image sync and the mk3, this is what I found between Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.
Bluetooth is only for controlling the camera remotely.
Wi-fi is for file transfer which has much more bandwidth than Bluetooth. I have thousands of photos on my card and no issue with rapid transfer of images. I have image sync defaulted to pull from slot 2 for jpegs.
I never use the app to control connecting to the camera as I find it doesn't work well
I use the phones settings directly to establish the connection first, then I open image sync.
As for the Bluetooth vs wi-fi thing...
If using Bluetooth only, you won't be able to see the live view on the phone, but you can still remotely shoot. When both Bluetooth and wi-fi are on, you'll get the live view on the phone and remote shooting as well. GPS location data requires the Bluetooth connection as well and does not use wifi.

Lloyd_Christmas · 07-04-2022, 11:41 AM - **1 Like**

Originally posted by Kobie

From my tinkering around with image sync and the mk3, this is what I found between Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.
Bluetooth is only for controlling the camera remotely.
Wi-fi is for file transfer which has much more bandwidth than Bluetooth. I have thousands of photos on my card and no issue with rapid transfer of images. I have image sync defaulted to pull from slot 2 for jpegs.
I never use the app to control connecting to the camera as I find it doesn't work well
I use the phones settings directly to establish the connection first, then I open image sync.
As for the Bluetooth vs wi-fi thing...
If using Bluetooth only, you won't be able to see the live view on the phone, but you can still remotely shoot. When both Bluetooth and wi-fi are on, you'll get the live view on the phone and remote shooting as well. GPS location data requires the Bluetooth connection as well and does not use wifi.

Thanks, Kobie!
I have a completely full 64GB card in slot 1 and now the raw/jpeg are being recorded on a partly full slot 2.
I have not tried connecting without the app open yet.
What I find is that the JPG transfers to my iPhone will not completed until the app is completely finished making all the thumbnails for both occupied slots. So I took the card out of slot 1 and was able to do the transfer quicker.

If wi-fi has more bandwidth then that's what I want for the transfer...however, if I only want GPS coordinates from my phone then I want the lowest power consumption option which I suppose is bluetooth?

I have tried turning off wifi action on the camera, and have tried turning off wifi on the phone.
The app will say connecting Bluetooth but a few seconds later will ask to join the wifi. If I say "no" then it displays a helpful message but seems to not connect at all.

Thanks again for the advice.

06-18-2022, 01:26 PM	#1
Lloyd_Christmas Pentaxian Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: Atlanta, GA Posts: 458	wireless connection question Hi all, I've had my mk 3 for about a year and really love it. I have used the image sync iPhone app for pulling down jpegs via Bluetooth and it has been convenient and quick...until now. During the eclipse a while back, I wanted to use the phone app to control the camera and do some shooting. In that case, it needed to hook up via wifi not Bluetooth. Now that I have connected via wifi, it seems to default to that method over bluetooth. The issue is transfer of jpegs. When I try it has to build the entire group of thumbnails first and that takes several minutes over wifi. I can turn off the RAW files to speed this up a little. I have tried a few things in the app to go back to bluetooth connection but it seems to prefer wifi if available. Is there a way around this? Transfer of jpegs with bluetooth was so much faster. thanks

06-18-2022, 03:00 PM	#2
Adam Administrator Site Webmaster Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Arizona Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 51,595	If image sync works the same way on the K-3 III as other Pentax bodies, then one trick is to minimize the number of files on the card to improve performance (i.e. by deleting old photos or moving them to sd2). That will hopefully speed up both the thumbnail generation and the transfers. Adam PentaxForums.com Webmaster (Site Usage Guide \| Site Help \| My Photography) PentaxForums.com server and development costs are user-supported. You can help cover these costs by donating or purchasing one of our Pentax eBooks. Or, buy your photo gear from our affiliates, Adorama, B&H Photo, KEH, or Topaz Labs, and get FREE Marketplace access - click here to see how! Trusted Pentax retailers:

06-19-2022, 04:04 AM - 1 Like	#6
AfterPentax Mark II Pentaxian Join Date: Mar 2021 Posts: 1,462	Originally posted by Lloyd_Christmas Hi all, I've had my mk 3 for about a year and really love it. I have used the image sync iPhone app for pulling down jpegs via Bluetooth and it has been convenient and quick...until now. During the eclipse a while back, I wanted to use the phone app to control the camera and do some shooting. In that case, it needed to hook up via wifi not Bluetooth. Now that I have connected via wifi, it seems to default to that method over bluetooth. The issue is transfer of jpegs. When I try it has to build the entire group of thumbnails first and that takes several minutes over wifi. I can turn off the RAW files to speed this up a little. I have tried a few things in the app to go back to bluetooth connection but it seems to prefer wifi if available. Is there a way around this? Transfer of jpegs with bluetooth was so much faster. thanks On the camera: disable WiFi. On the phone go to wifi connections find the wifi connection for the Mk III and remove the connection, usually it is indicated as "forget". The phone can not make automatic connection with your MkIII again. Then set-up the bluetooth connection again. Perhaps in the app it is possible to choose between automatic or manual connection for wifi. So for the next time choose manually if possible. But bluetooth and Wi-Fi should work independently from each other, so of you select items to transfer, you must be able choose between bluetooth or Wi-Fi to do so. Last edited by AfterPentax Mark II; 06-19-2022 at 04:14 AM. Reason: typo and some extra words...

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
Pentax K-3 Mark III: iOS Wireless Connection	PF Staff	Homepage & Official Pentax News	1	12-14-2021 01:52 AM
Finding in Pentax Optical Wireless and acon radio wireless	andy888	Flashes, Lighting, and Studio	4	12-06-2016 03:05 AM
Cactus RF60 Wireless Flash With Wireless Flash Transceiver V6 question	Spodeworld	Flashes, Lighting, and Studio	21	04-04-2016 09:49 PM
FLU Card Connection Question	shiner	Pentax K-3 & K-3 II	2	03-28-2014 12:33 AM
Wireless connection to a TV via an Android device...	jpzk	General Talk	10	11-20-2012 08:20 PM

06-18-2022, 04:47 PM	#3
Lloyd_Christmas Pentaxian Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: Atlanta, GA Posts: 458 Original Poster	Originally posted by Adam If image sync works the same way on the K-3 III as other Pentax bodies, then one trick is to minimize the number of files on the card to improve performance (i.e. by deleting old photos or moving them to sd2). That will hopefully speed up both the thumbnail generation and the transfers. Thanks, Adam. I imagine few files will help; but before it was so fast. One thing I forgot to mention, when I turn off wifi on my phone to try and force it to go Bluetooth again...it turns the wifi back on via the app! It's so slow that it's not usable like before when it was quick...

06-18-2022, 07:02 PM - 1 Like	#4
UncleVanya Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Jul 2014 Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 28,407	Try uninstalling and reinstalling? WiFi could get interference from strong nearby signals. It isn’t typical but it can happen if the camera picked a channel already in use.

06-18-2022, 07:20 PM	#5
Lloyd_Christmas Pentaxian Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: Atlanta, GA Posts: 458 Original Poster	Thanks, UncleVanya I will consult the manual about this and may try to dump the app and reinstall.

06-22-2022, 04:39 AM	#7
Kobie Site Supporter Join Date: Oct 2014 Location: Bowmanville Photos: Albums Posts: 1,211	From my tinkering around with image sync and the mk3, this is what I found between Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Bluetooth is only for controlling the camera remotely. Wi-fi is for file transfer which has much more bandwidth than Bluetooth. I have thousands of photos on my card and no issue with rapid transfer of images. I have image sync defaulted to pull from slot 2 for jpegs. I never use the app to control connecting to the camera as I find it doesn't work well I use the phones settings directly to establish the connection first, then I open image sync. As for the Bluetooth vs wi-fi thing... If using Bluetooth only, you won't be able to see the live view on the phone, but you can still remotely shoot. When both Bluetooth and wi-fi are on, you'll get the live view on the phone and remote shooting as well. GPS location data requires the Bluetooth connection as well and does not use wifi.

07-04-2022, 11:41 AM - 1 Like	#8
Lloyd_Christmas Pentaxian Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: Atlanta, GA Posts: 458 Original Poster	Originally posted by Kobie From my tinkering around with image sync and the mk3, this is what I found between Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Bluetooth is only for controlling the camera remotely. Wi-fi is for file transfer which has much more bandwidth than Bluetooth. I have thousands of photos on my card and no issue with rapid transfer of images. I have image sync defaulted to pull from slot 2 for jpegs. I never use the app to control connecting to the camera as I find it doesn't work well I use the phones settings directly to establish the connection first, then I open image sync. As for the Bluetooth vs wi-fi thing... If using Bluetooth only, you won't be able to see the live view on the phone, but you can still remotely shoot. When both Bluetooth and wi-fi are on, you'll get the live view on the phone and remote shooting as well. GPS location data requires the Bluetooth connection as well and does not use wifi. Thanks, Kobie! I have a completely full 64GB card in slot 1 and now the raw/jpeg are being recorded on a partly full slot 2. I have not tried connecting without the app open yet. What I find is that the JPG transfers to my iPhone will not completed until the app is completely finished making all the thumbnails for both occupied slots. So I took the card out of slot 1 and was able to do the transfer quicker. If wi-fi has more bandwidth then that's what I want for the transfer...however, if I only want GPS coordinates from my phone then I want the lowest power consumption option which I suppose is bluetooth? I have tried turning off wifi action on the camera, and have tried turning off wifi on the phone. The app will say connecting Bluetooth but a few seconds later will ask to join the wifi. If I say "no" then it displays a helpful message but seems to not connect at all. Thanks again for the advice.