Many Nikon cameras have the ability to connect to their phone and instantly download photos using Snapbridge. In this era of social media and immediate content, this is a handy feature. I was thrilled when Nikon created Snapbridge, but a little put out when I found the app hard to use and glitchy. Nikon listened to their photographers, and a few months ago they updated Snapbridge to version 2.0. If you haven’t updated to version 2.0, you should do it now.
Snapbridge version 2.0 has many new improvements. First, the interface is easier to navigate and understand. I really like how Nikon has added screens that tells you exactly what the app is doing…i.e. when it is trying to pair with a camera. They have increased the ability to sync with five cameras, so you can connect to all your bodies on a big shoot. If you have problems, there is a button in the menu that directs you to Snapbridge help, a handy tool when you are first learning how to use Snapbridge. Overall, version 2.0 just works much better and is fun to use.
Snapbridge still doesn’t work with RAW files (imagine downloading 45mp files to your phone!). But I have found a work around for this in the field. My normal shooting mode is RAW. But if I really want to quickly post an image from a photo, I will switch from RAW mode to RAW/Basic JPEG mode. The basic jpeg will automatically download to my phone, and I will have the RAW files to work on later. Since I normally don’t want all my images automatically downloading, I switch back to RAW mode and keep shooting. Give it a try the next time you want to post to Instagram on the road.