This section explores the options available for geo-tagging pictures. There area a few.
1. GPS built into the camera
2. Separate GPS unit, attached to the camera
3. Bluetooth device, attached to the camera, which connects to an external GPS device
4. iPhone software
5. Remember where you were and manually geo-tag using software apps
1. GPS built in to the camera.
The only camera I have which has GPS built in is the Nikon 1 AW-1. It seems to work fine except it takes around 5 minutes after power on to capture the GPS location.
2. Separate GPS unit, attached to the camera.
Nikon 1 V2 GPS adapter GP-N100
This is a handy little device which attaches to the (proprietary) hot shoe on the Nikon V1, V2. It captures in a few minutes. I haven’t done a real test but it looks like it drains the battery big time. Make sure you carry spare batteries!
There are assorted devices which connect to the hot-shoe of DSLR’s, like the D800, and also connect to the 10-pin socket via a cable. They are generally bulky, occupy the hot-shoe (although only for convenience. They can be also attached to the camera strap) and take up the 10-pin connector which is an issue if you want to use a remote trigger.
Above is an example of the Solmeta GPS connected to the D800E. You can see it’s a bit of a contraption! Also, on testing, this particular device seems to not work on the D800E.
Link to latest version from Solmeta, for D800:
http://www.solmeta.com/index.php/Product/show/id/2
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B006JNADP4/ref=pe_385040_30332190_TE_3p_M3T1_ST1_dp_1
There are compact GOS devices which connect directly to the 10-pin connector.
di-GPS Eco Professional:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EOR10AO/ref=pe_385040_30332190_TE_3p_M3T1_ST1_dp_1
Note (Sep 10, 2016): This works fine with the D810 and the D500. Accuracy is not great. Potentially interferes with larger lenses and installing/removing lenses. GPS acquisition can take a while (D810 - 1-2min). Wait until light is steady green before taking images. Set Location Data -> standby timer to OFF and see how much the battery drains.
Aokatec AK-G1s GPS Receiver for Nikon D800E
http://www.aokatec.com/AK-G.html
Note (Sep 10, 2016): Tested on D810. Slimmer profile to the Gi-GPS with less chance it will interfere with lenses. Complicated start-up procedure (see manual) that takes 3-4 minutes for a “cold” start and ~1min for a “hot” start. I noticed that after a shot, the unit can “lose” GPS (LED blinks red) for a few moments then goes to green. If a shot is taken while red, the last GPS fix is used. I missed a new fix because I was able to move 100ft and take a picture before the led had turned back to blinking green. Overall the fixes were quite accurate but the complexity of managing start-up may make this a non-starter (no pun).
3. Bluetooth-attached devices.
Potentially a really good solution, this arrangement consists of a small, bluetooth device connected to the 10-pin socket of the camera. This device “talks” to a separate GPS device which does not need to be thethered to the camera.
Here you see an Aokatec device on the camera. This talks to the MobileMate GPS receiver via bluetooth. It works well. The bluetooth device can be clipped anywhere on your person. Only downside I found was the batteries on the GPS device didn’t last long and there was no warning they were depleted. Also, the bluetooth device just plugs-in to the 10-pin socket (no securing screw) so it can easily fall out. There’s a flimsy tether string which can be tied to the camera strap ring but this is not a very satisfactory solution for adding and removing the device.
Link to latest device from Aokatec (AK-4NIII):
http://www.aokatec.com/AK-4N.html
The latest GPS/bluetooth device from MobileMate(MobileMate360):
http://www.gvglobaltech.com/mobilemate860.html
An alternative - Holux M1000C: (coupled with the AK-4NIII)
http://www.holux.com/JCore/en/products/products_content.jsp?pno=351
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001QRCZ7C/ref=pe_385040_30332200_pe_309540_26725410_item
I ended up using this device the most since it seemed the most consistently reliable and also was a data logger and could record tracks using Holux proprietary software - Holux EZ Tour. Only runs under Windows (Parallels on the Mac)
4. iPhone software
The best, and cleverest, iPhone gps software is gps4cam.
This is a software-only solution. When ready to go out and take photos, start up the app and off you go. The app logs location at regular intervals (or on demand) during the photo shoot. When finished, the app presents a q-code screen which you photograph. Load the images on to a computer, fire up the desktop app and the software geo-tags all the images. Magic! By its nature, the app works with any and all cameras. In fact, if you use multiple cameras, you can use the same q-code to geo-tag images from all cameras. The app operates in the background. You can put the iPhone to sleep and it will keep on logging. I think this is essential because you don’t want to accidentally shut it down when the phone is in your pocket. While it uses GPS, having the phone in your pocket seems to work OK. Downside is battery drain. The app will suck through your phone battery in no time. So, instead of buying a gps hardware device, you can spend money on a separate battery holder for the iPhone. I’d like to do more testing on this because it’s the closest to a “universal” solution. I guess it could also be used as a backup in case any of the hardware solutions fail or run out of battery.
I have also used Geotagr software on the iPhone. (http://www.galarina.eu/geotagr/)
This is similar to gps4cam and is described in the “Using the iPad” section of this site.
