One of the features that I really like in my Canon EOS 5D Mark IV is its ability to connect to FTP/FTPS servers with its built-in Wi-Fi. It’s enabled a very unique wireless photography workflow for me over the past two years. According to the product specifications document, the upcoming mirrorless EOS R supports the WFT-E7 (v2) wireless transmitter but cannot talk to FTP/FTP servers. Adding a bulky WFT-E7 negates the size advantage over Canon DSLR cameras.
The camera is scheduled to be announced publicly tomorrow; let’s hope there’s a change in the specs, but I’m doubtful. While having improved connection abilities to smartphones (via Bluetooth 4.1) may be good, I don’t think I’ll be able to achieve what I can do with my 5D Mark IV with the EOS R. We’ll find out definitively tomorrow!
Update: No built-in support for communicating with FTP servers confirmed sadly:
Wireless LAN (IEEE802.11b/g/n) (2.4 GHz only), with Bluetooth support
Features supported – EOS Utility, Smartphone, Upload to Web, Wireless printing
Update: August 5, 2018: Canon is planning an update its Camera Connect App to faciliate transferring and editing of RAW files on the iPad. Even with the lower file sizes for CR3, it’s going to take a long time to transfer these files to the iPad via Wi-Fi. I’d love for a feature like Proxy RAW editing where you can make gross adjustments, including metadata editing, to a proxy version of a RAW file without having to download the whole thing to your mobile device.
Answering the demand for enhanced mobile editing of RAW image files, Canon is also announcing a new application, Digital Photo Professional Express (DPP Express). In combination with an updated Canon Camera Connect App, DPP Express enables users to send, view, edit and process CR3 RAW files on their iPad[vii]. A free download of the app will be available October 2018.
