Stand alone GPS tracker/tagger for photos

[jljonathan]

Is anyone using a stand alone GPS tracker/tagger gadget for tagging their images once input into Lightroom on a Mac that they can recommend. I travel and shoot, and when I get home I would like to be able to add the gps data to the images. I don't use a cell phone, so it must be stand alone, preferably with a screen, to that I don't always have to hook up to a computer to change settings. Also, good battery life and strong sensitivity are a must.

[Thomas Krüger]

You could use a GPS tracker like the Wintec WBT-201 and sync tracks and images with Geosetter.

http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Wintec
http://www.geosetter.de/en/

[john beardsworth]

I have a small Garmin which attaches directly to my Nikons (via the cable release). I'm not sure Canon shooters have many inexpensive choices.

Do you know Lightroom 4 lets you add GPS values by dragging images to a map or by reading a GPX track?

[Robert-Peter Westphal]

Hi,

as I carry a iPhone with me all the time, I installed a great app called GeoTagg photo pro / www.tappytaps.com.

This app allows me to very simply synchronise the date and time wit the camera. After the recording of the location, it will create a gpx-file which can simply be installed ionto Lr for tagging all images. I used it for several tours now and can it it works great and without any flaws.

Robert

[fike]

I use an iphone app too (motionX GPS). The nice thing about using a phone is that you can email the track to yourself so you don't need to attach the GPS to the PC and download files. If attaching the GPS to your computer each time you want to geotag is okay with you, then any tracking GPS will work. I also use a waterproof Garmin eTrex Vista HCX.  I think they are somewhat cheap now ($195) and the two aa batteries last over 12 hours in tracklog mode.  This one is probably the cheapest base-GPS with an LCD screen and USB capability.  http://www.rei.com/product/825490/garmin-etrex-10-gps

[francois]

iPhone and Geotag Photo Pro for me.

[luxborealis]

I use one of those $50 knockoff devices (eBay shipped from Hong Kong) that sit atop the hot shoe and plug into the camera. Works great – although it's not OEM, it geotags all my images perfectly.

[dreed]

I've used Garmin with great success. Whilst driving it sits on the dash board and tells me where to go (or where I am). When I get to where I am I change it to pedestrian mode and throw it in my backpack so that it keeps track of where I walk. When I get home I plug it into the computer using USB and run GPSbabel to convert the Garmin files to GPX and then import those with Lightroom for matching and geotagging.

[Tom Frerichs]

I have a Garmin eTrex Legend that I purchased several years ago, long before LR4. I set it to record a track, and toss it into my backpack. Later, I download (using Garmin's supplied software) the *.gpx file, suck it into LR, and voila! I have geotaging.

It wasn't a cheap GPS, but it seems to have pretty good sensitivity. It even works in some buildings, let alone in deep canyons.

Tom

[fike]

The garmin hiking GPSes are some of the most sensitive. I turned mine on and left it in a bag on the floor of the backseat of my car, under a bunch of stuff. It still managed to track me all day long. It's a much better GPS than my iPhone though the iPhone is much more convenient and user-friendly.

[jljonathan]

Is the Garmin (what models?), or for that matter the knock off mentioned, Mac friendly? I'm on a Mac here and have heard about problems with the software and the files.

[Alan Smallbone]

I use a Qstarz QT-1000XT, small rechargeable, battery will last for several days and it uses a standard Nokia cell phone batter so it is easy to get and carry spares, very fast lock and is easy to use with Lightroom. just download and save the track file and point lightroom to it.

Alan

[photonico]

i have been using a Sony GPS-CS3KA tracker - works great.
it uses rechargeable battery, put that inside my backpack, turn it on and that's it. battery last 1,5 day on average.
it generates .log file that I then convert to .gpx with a freeware called loadmytracks.
I then import pix and log file into houdah geo for geotag and reverse geocode, so that I can write gps coordinates and location name into the file.

[fike]

With the Garmin's I think they say windows only, but that is only if you want to use their mapping software.  The GPS will mount its memory as a FAT32 drive when plugged in through USB2. I am nearly certain that this not dependent on OS (you don't have different memory sticks for windows and mac).

[john beardsworth]

Is the Garmin (what models?), or for that matter the knock off mentioned, Mac friendly?

If you attach the Garmin to the camera, that question isn't relevant - the GPS data is written directly into the EXIF data by the camera.

[jljonathan]

I don't know if  attaching it is possible with the Sony Nex-7. I also shoot with a Canon 1dsIII; maybe it can be attached to that. How are these usually attached to a camera?

[john beardsworth]

Once you're using 2 cameras, the idea of plugging the unit directly into the camera is not so viable. And I don't know about Sony, but Canons typically require an expensive device. You're probably in tracklog territory.

[Alan Smallbone]

The one I use is a standalone device nothing is attached to the camera, after the trip or on each day download the log file and let lightroom apply the coordinates, that works well, just make sure your camera time is accurate.

Alan

[jljonathan]

What are you using, and is it and the logs Mac friendly?

[Alan Smallbone]

It generates standard nmea log files, the software that comes with it looks to be Windows only, make it will work under Parallels or something like that, I don't use Macs so it is not an issue for me, but this is the model:
http://www.qstarz.com/Products/GPS%20Products/BT-Q1000XT-F.htm

Alan