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Author Topic: Wireless GPS logger - while traveling in various landscape  (Read 62787 times)

john beardsworth

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Re: Wireless GPS logger - while traveling in various landscape
« Reply #20 on: August 23, 2015, 03:45:23 am »

What is the GPS logging app du jour for tagging your photos in Lightroom?

There isn't one.

Personally I prefer dragging and dropping thumbnails onto the map, or using a Garmin logger on my Nikons, but others like tracklogs and there are many out there. MotionX seems quite common.
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dreed

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Re: Wireless GPS logger - while traveling in various landscape
« Reply #21 on: August 27, 2015, 04:39:24 pm »

What is the GPS logging app du jour for tagging your photos in Lightroom?

Before I import into LR, I use "GeoSetter" to merge GPX file data into image files so that merging in LR isn't required.


"GeoSetter" also allows for including location name tags into files, not just GPS coordinates.
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pluton

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Re: Wireless GPS logger - while traveling in various landscape
« Reply #22 on: August 27, 2015, 11:51:39 pm »

I was suggesting buying a cheap $50 phone, equipping it with a fixed sum (eg $20) sim card, enjoying its week long battery life and pressing "911" or whatever your local emergency number is?
H

Right, the so-called 'burner phones'. I've not encountered them, but yes, that makes sense.
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rob211

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Re: Wireless GPS logger - while traveling in various landscape
« Reply #23 on: August 31, 2015, 02:19:34 pm »

What is the GPS logging app du jour for tagging your photos in Lightroom?
I think the best iOS app is gps4cam. It can log accurately, and some of the parameters are adjustable. It has a companion desktop application, and all you have to do is take a photo of a QRCode and then the desktop app finds it and geocodes your photos. No GPX files to import; in fact nothing but the photos. It also works with HoudahGeo, which gives you more control over fine tuning locations, writing to files, etc. It's pretty amazing how they get all the info into that QRCode. Then just use "read metadata..." to get it into Lr.

In response to the OP, GPS loggers in general aren't very Mac friendly, and many don't work with iOS. But some do.

Accuracy kinda depends. The latest chips help, and so does the antenna. Reception is pretty key; in general new ones will be better than an iPhone in many situations (see here: http://fulcrumapp.com/blog/gps-accuracy-experimentation/).

But accuracy while moving can be an issue too. If you need something that can keep up with a fast moving object (like a camera mounted in a car) then a higher refresh rate can help; 10hz is probably the most feasible consumer unit right now, like the XGPS 160. It's used a lot with car geeks on the track. iPhones don't keep up very well. It's also a nice unit cuz it works as an external for iOS apps, and can data log. It's got a 10 hour battery but can run on a 12v connection.

I've use a GlobalStar BT 335, but it's a pain, mainly due to poor Mac support. I prefer my iPhone when I can, or a dedicated GPS unit like a Garmin (which I have for other purposes, not just geotagging).

One issue with dedicated units to be aware of is acquisition time. My built-in GPS in a Panny takes forever; you just sit there waiting while the animals slowly move out of range. Then hang around to take an establishing shot to get the GPS. Some units are better than others, but with some loggers you pretty much need to leave 'em on. If you are stopping and taking photos at one spot for a while, it's sometimes better to just use an iPhone that's got BT and wifi and cell turned off; take a photo to capture the location and just copy from that later.
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Lightsmith

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Re: Wireless GPS logger - while traveling in various landscape
« Reply #24 on: October 23, 2015, 08:06:12 pm »

I know of no smartphone that has more than an 18 hour battery life. It would be even shorter with Bluetooth enabled all day long. My Holux 1000 can go for more than a week of continuous use before recharging is needed. It is also 2.5 x 1.5 x .625 inches in size so I turn it on and put it in a shirt pocket and forget about it.

When I used a smartphone while traveling the GPS was nowhere near as fast to determine my position and it would fail in most parts of the state if I lost cell reception. I used the Holux in China and Costa Rica and Europe with no problems and no need to have an international phone plan.

A smartphone provides no advantages over the tiny Holux and several key disadvantages. The less I have to charge while traveling the better. With the Holux and my Aokatec Bluetooth receivers and set of camera batteries I can be off the grid for a week or more with no problems.
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Tony Jay

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Re: Wireless GPS logger - while traveling in various landscape
« Reply #25 on: October 24, 2015, 05:21:10 am »

I know of no smartphone that has more than an 18 hour battery life. It would be even shorter with Bluetooth enabled all day long. My Holux 1000 can go for more than a week of continuous use before recharging is needed. It is also 2.5 x 1.5 x .625 inches in size so I turn it on and put it in a shirt pocket and forget about it.

When I used a smartphone while traveling the GPS was nowhere near as fast to determine my position and it would fail in most parts of the state if I lost cell reception. I used the Holux in China and Costa Rica and Europe with no problems and no need to have an international phone plan.

A smartphone provides no advantages over the tiny Holux and several key disadvantages. The less I have to charge while traveling the better. With the Holux and my Aokatec Bluetooth receivers and set of camera batteries I can be off the grid for a week or more with no problems.
Correct me if I am wrong but Smartphones have built in GPS receivers.
They do not need cellphone towers to know where they are; triangulation off those towers is not necessary for GPS to work.
Perhaps certain apps may want this info but the GPS apps on my Smartphone do not need to be in communication with a cellphone tower to work just fine.
One does not need an international phone plan to use the GPS when travelling.

I cannot argue about battery life apart from the fact that the phone does not draw much more power than when the screen is off.
I plan to take my Smartphone to parts of Africa in about a fortnight where we will be way off the grid as far as cellphone reception goes.
I will use it as a GPS (to find my way when needed) as well as a track logger for geotagging images.

Tony Jay
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Lightsmith

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Re: Wireless GPS logger - while traveling in various landscape
« Reply #26 on: October 30, 2015, 01:11:20 am »

I cannot understand the insistence on using a smartphone for everything including applications where there are better solutions. It is like a Swiss army knife that provides many functions but none are particularly good.

Out in the field I carry a Holux receiver and 2 Aokatec bluetooth receivers for my two cameras and 2 Aokatec GPS receivers that plug into the cameras but take longer to find a location and need to relocate whenever the camera is turned off so they serve as backups. The total package is half the size of a single smartphone and I can go for a week or more with no need to plug stuff into AC outlets.

Total cost of the Holux and the 4 Aokatec devices was $200 and gives me a primary and a backup GPS for each of my cameras. With the Nikon cameras all I have to do is plug the Aokatec into the camera and leave the Holux on all the time and every time I turn on the camera I have the GPS coordinates immediately available and the data is automatically added to each image file. Foolproof, cheap, reliable, and takes zero effort to work and to have the files geotagged automatically. So long as I shoot with Nikon cameras it is a no brainer to take this approach.

To determine my route in the field I make use of a Garmin GPS and my backup is a Suunto compass and topo maps. Relying on a smartphone would be foolish.
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Hans Kruse

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Re: Wireless GPS logger - while traveling in various landscape
« Reply #27 on: October 30, 2015, 03:15:20 am »

I use my iPhone 6S+ for capturing a tracklog. I use the Geotag Photos Pro app which connects with Dropbox so after a shoot I upload and the GPX file goes into Dropbox and then the tracklog is available in Lightroom on my Mac by selecting it from Dropbox. It is very easy and convenient.

The app drags only little battery and seems very precise even though I do not need accuracy down to a few meters anyway. I like the app and why should I carry extra devices around when my iPhone is with me anyway?

I geotag all my images and I use some of the geotagged images to load back on my iPhone so I can navigate to the location of the photo when I want to go back where a photo is shot. I use the TomTom app for that and it can navigate to the GPS location of a photo. I use this for the shooting locations on my workshops as I otherwise would be able to remember them all  ;)
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