by Dr Gareth Lewell, Captivate Dental, Moorabbin, VIC
I use a Canon digital SLR in the surgery and it had an ordinary SD card. Another dentist told me about the Eye-Fi card and how happy he was with it, so I ordered one online.
What’s good about it
It transfers photos automatically and wirelessly from your camera to your computer. The card contains software that connects with your wireless network. Every time I take a photo in the clinic, the transfer starts within a few seconds and it will be on the computer almost immediately.
I no longer have to plug in the camera and transfer the images via a USB port. Often we will show the images to the patient immediately or we will use them as part of our treatment planning.
We have set up the computer so the images are stored in a folder marked with the date. We access that folder later and transfer them to the patient file, our treatment plan or wherever we want the images to go.
The cards range in size from 8gb to 16gb and are priced between $60 and $130. Newer software includes a feature that will transfer the images directly onto tablets, smartphones, websites or an online cloud.
What’s not so good
Software needs to be installed onto your computer that connects to your wireless network. This allows for the wireless transfer of the photos. Every once in a while that software gets updated. I had one issue where it updated and then didn’t work for a couple of days.
Where did you get it
Originally I ordered mine online through a specialty camera shop. They’re now available in Target.
