Nikon pro cameras have the adequate communication accessories at their disposal such as the WT-6; these are not cheap, nor easy to implement, but they guarantee reliable communication.
Well, there are four reviews at B&H Photo-Video website, all giving 1 star for the WT-6, and claiming that they encountered problems. On Amazon it looks a bit better and a few users have gotten it to work but again there are reports of not getting it to work and the connection being cut off. To be honest with this kind of reviews, I would hesitate to buy this accessory. It is also not clear whether it works with the D810 and UT-1 like WT-5 does.
From what I've seen, studio photographers generally use a cable for displaying the images on a larger screen even if they have wireless available in the camera. If wireless worked well, I am sure they would use it.
Claiming that photo journalism does not need quality, and can work it out with a smartphone, is a little bit shortsighted, if not exaggerated, no?
"The latter" refers to the second part of the sentence i.e. social use, not photojournalists.
That said, I guess some PJs also use cell phone cameras nowadays for some situations where they want to really blend in.
My wish is that WT-x like devices are directly integrated into the professional bodies and can rely on existing robust communication infrastructures e.g. GSM and therefore the need to integrate - inter alia - SIM card slot devices. May be you should have a look at the workflow of big agencies, where quasi instantaneous communication / transmission is of the essence.
From what I've understood, most of the hardware support for wireless communication is built into the D4(s)/D5, and the WT-5/6 unit is needed to take the signal and antenna out of the metal chassis to be able to get enough range (100m+) for the communication e.g. in a remote camera use situation at sports arenas etc. The WT-7 is much bigger than the WT-6 because the D500 has less of the needed electronics built in. The WT-7 seems a bit of a hack job given that it requires cables to communicate with the camera and has no tripod socket. Nikon should think about compatibility of these accessories across cameras; the WT-6 for example should plug onto any of their professional cameras directly.
However, it does not support GSM. I guess since Sony does make cell phones as well, they have the expertise to implement this whereas Nikon may not find it in house. Some kind of collaboration would be a good option if Nikon can't recruit the right people. Perhaps Nikon doesn't see this as important enough to recruit the best people to do it.
A last word: photography is predominantly social communication. What else should it be ?
There is slow communication and fast communication similar to slow food and fast food.
I think we need better quality and better thought out images, and preferably fewer images, not more. The world is already enamored with fast and easy, and this takes a big toll on quality.
However, the majority may not see it this way. Better software support is needed for those cameras which support built in wireless. I don't think the level of software support Nikon provides for wireless communication on smartphones is even 10% of what would be regarded as "acceptable". This must be hitting Nikon's reputation hard and their sales as well. For professional users, an arcane interface to wireless communication is perhaps more acceptable as they set it up once and then it is used. But it seems from the reviews of the WT-6 that not everyone makes the grade.
