Review on Nikon 27046 WT 5A Wireless Transmitter by Dana Bullock

after testing the waters on a camcorder, which incidentally I returned for its maddeningly unscientific looks, awkward "parking" on a DSLR and of course outrageously unreasonable price; Also, juggling extra chargers, wires, and USB cables almost drove me crazy. I have decided to return it to the manufacturer. I ended up giving it a go with the Nikon WT-5 and have a lot to share. If my D4 wasn't a high-end device with a high price tag, I'd live with it, and probably all the camcorder's other ugliness. So my new Nikon WT-5 finally arrived in the box with a big smile after paying $553 with no shipping, handling or taxes. Installation could have been easy if I had followed the instruction manual. At first I was confused ignoring the fact that this damn ugly thing called a PC (with a wireless transmitter utility installed, whatever that means) was an integral part of the setup. Anyway, I learned the lesson the hard way and sooner or later got the machine on the air. I tried to condense the rest of the story in terms of pluses and minuses. I won't promise, but I'll try to add more points as they are revealed to me. At the end of this review, I'll answer the million-dollar question: Was it wise to trade your camcorder in for this nifty-looking, expensive utility? So here are the advantages: 1. Extremely smooth. sort of a made for each other deal when installed on the Nikon D4. it just can't get any better.2. exceptional ergonomics. It doesn't appreciably increase the size of your DSLR, so with this little accessory3 your camera fits pretty much where it used to be. The ability to create your own Wi-Fi hotspot eliminates the need for another Wi-Fi router and allows you to connect to a wireless network literally anywhere in the universe. No headaches of charging batteries other than your camera battery, no extra chargers to mess around with, and no extra USB cables or wires to worry about.5. No dependency on iOS apps. The camera can be controlled via any standard web browser. This is very important if you are considering buying similar devices without prior agreement (like a camcorder) that only work when iOS apps are active. So if the manufacturer goes out of business, there is no one to support these applications. so your entire investment can go down the drain. Disadvantages: 1. expensive. I'd happily pay $350 instead of $553 for this barely noticeable accessory. some extra battery drain. but I'd rather charge one battery than 2 if I had my own. so it's ok 3. There is some delay in transmitting the image when real-time display is enabled. Therefore, this device is ABSOLUTELY NOT suitable for fast-moving or moving objects. but I think this problem can be universal to all other competitors.4. the lack of an inexpensive and efficient iOS app that could be used to control the camera from an iPad. I want to be alone. The browser option might be a good backup to rely on if all else fails5. It CANNOT be used with ANY other camera in the world. Period. not even another Nikon model let alone other brands, the same cannot be said of a camcorder and now the answer to that million dollar question was whether it was a wise idea to trade the camcorder for a Nikon WT 5 exchange. Well I would say that the answer is not very simple. it all depends on your individual situation. For example, if you have a Canon and/or more than just a Nikon D4, the answer is "no". For someone like me who only owns a D4 and cares a lot about looks, battery issues, dependency on iOS apps and hoping that Tunes will have a Nikon app or some other third-party app very soon that greatly improves its usefulness I would say that the WT-5 is the better choice.