Geo position for each picture

Hallo,

I am using a Canon EOS 60D. I would like to save information about WHERE I take a picture. I was wondering if there is the possibility to save this info in the picture metadata, and if this can be done automatically by the Camera (by adding to it gps ability). Thanks for suggestions

There is a newly announced bit of Canon kit that will do this. But it won't do it with the 60D and it is horribly expensive.

You can record GPS data with a separate device (GPS data logger, mobile phone) and combine it with your photos (as long as the clocks on the camera and GPS device match). There are various bits of software to do this - Downloader Pro, GeoSetter and LightRoom 4 are the most often mentioned.

So, a couple of questions -

Do you have an iPhone or Android phone?
Do you shoot raw or jpeg?

What kind of phone do you have in your pocket? I use an app on Android that keeps track of my location, then syncs with photos when I get home and adds to the meta data...

Hi,

I usually shot in jpg format. And I do have an Android phone... but using a phone would mean that at every shoot I need to open the phone and click a "record my position" button ? This is not really what I was thinking of. Also, when I activate the GPS on my phone, the battery lasts no more then 2 hours, and this is also a disadvantage.

I would rather go for a dedicated device with a long battery life (or that uses normal batteries), that can automatically record the position at every shot. Then I would do the sync later. Does something like that exists ? And which one is the best for a Canon 60D.

Thanks

A notebook is a good way of remembering. At sea I'm a fan of GPS and knowing to the inch where I am, but ashore I really am not over bothered. I've got an AA road atlas in the car and its good enough. Beyond that I can walk anyone to any of the spots I've shot from in the last ten years.

davikokar wrote in post #14258240
I usually shot in jpg format.

OK, that makes it a bit easier as the position data can be written straight to the Exif bit of the image.

davikokar wrote in post #14258240
And I do have an Android phone... but using a phone would mean that at every shoot I need to open the phone and click a "record my position" button ? This is not really what I was thinking of. Also, when I activate the GPS on my phone, the battery lasts no more then 2 hours, and this is also a disadvantage.

With my iPhone I just start up the GPS logging application and let it run in the background. When I get home I can transfer the GPS info (in the form of a .gpx file) to my PC and tag the images with the position data. However, your comments about battery life are very familiar, which is why i use a dedicated GPS data logger.

davikokar wrote in post #14258240
I would rather go for a dedicated device with a long battery life (or that uses normal batteries), that can automatically record the position at every shot. Then I would do the sync later. Does something like that exists ? And which one is the best for a Canon 60D.

There are many devices that do exactly that. The one (BGT-31) I use isn't cheap, but it does have an amazing battery life (around three day's continuous logging), it's waterproof, it's easy to use and it keeps a signal very well (inside a case, inside a bag, inside a seat pocket, inside a bus).

There are a lot of similar devices, most of them cheaper than mine. It's a few years since I checked out the various options, so googling 'gps dataloggers comparisons' might be a good idea. Or look for 'gps datalogger' on Amazon. Almost all of them will record the data in a format that can be easily used by the various bits of software.

Hope that helps.

hollis_f wrote in post #14258301
OK, that makes it a bit easier as the position data can be written straight to the Exif bit of the image.

With my iPhone I just start up the GPS logging application and let it run in the background. When I get home I can transfer the GPS info (in the form of a .gpx file) to my PC and tag the images with the position data. However, your comments about battery life are very familiar, which is why i use a dedicated GPS data logger.

There are many devices that do exactly that. The one (BGT-31) I use isn't cheap, but it does have an amazing battery life (around three day's continuous logging), it's waterproof, it's easy to use and it keeps a signal very well (inside a case, inside a bag, inside a seat pocket, inside a bus).

There are a lot of similar devices, most of them cheaper than mine. It's a few years since I checked out the various options, so googling 'gps dataloggers comparisons' might be a good idea. Or look for 'gps datalogger' on Amazon. Almost all of them will record the data in a format that can be easily used by the various bits of software.

Hope that helps.

Thanks for your input.

If you're using Aperture 3 and an iPhone, take a look at this video:
http://www.apple.com/a​perture/how-to/#video-gps.
If you're using Lightroom 4: http://www.cultofmac.c​om …m-to-geotag-photos-video/
These are 2 ways to do it but there are others. HTH.

davikokar wrote in post #14258240
Hi,

I usually shot in jpg format. And I do have an Android phone... but using a phone would mean that at every shoot I need to open the phone and click a "record my position" button ? This is not really what I was thinking of. Also, when I activate the GPS on my phone, the battery lasts no more then 2 hours, and this is also a disadvantage.

I would rather go for a dedicated device with a long battery life (or that uses normal batteries), that can automatically record the position at every shot. Then I would do the sync later. Does something like that exists ? And which one is the best for a Canon 60D.

Thanks

Really don't know what to tell you about your battery life... I don't have that problem while running GPS with the screen off...

This is the Android App I use: https://play.google.co​m …kLmdlb3RhZ3Bob3​Rvc3BybyJd

It sync's with your clock on your camera, so you don't have to whip out your phone and hit a button every time you shoot... you get home from shooting, copy the photos to your computer, log on to the software's website, point it to the folder containing the photos, and it takes care of the rest.

Honestly, I don't use it much these days anymore... I picked up a 230HS with built-in GPS... so if I'm in a new spot shooting for a while, I'll take a shot with the 230 and it will have the location data embedded. However, if the 60D is the only camera you have the Android App is a great way to geotag your stuff without any hassle.

How about a crude work around...assuming you have a device that can display coordinates, after you take the picture you want to tag, you then take a shot of the screen of the device displaying the coordinates. I have done that on an occasional scenic, where I know I might desire to return for a winter snow scene for instance. I'm not tagging every shot however, so it is easy enought to sort out later. My GPS also has the ability to store several hundred "waypoints" so I have used that as well.

Another good source on techniques is at http://www.mapability.​com …how-to-geotag-photos.html. In particualr the writter has a good method that he elaboartes on (see next paragraph). See the comment added to this thread by hollis_f as well.

"One of these takes automation even further, by tagging a whole folder of photos without the need for you to enter a single latitude or longitude! The way it does it is rather clever. When you set out for your morning photo-shoot, you turn on your GPS receiver, and tell it to create a Track. You then turn on your camera, and check that its internal clock is set to the same tme as the GPS. Having done that, you can put the GPS in your bag or clip it to your belt, and forget about it for the rest of the day. Whenever you snap a photo, your camera will record on the EXIF tag of that image the exact time, to the second, when the photo was taken. When you get back to your computer, you download the Track-file from your GPS. RoboGeo will then check the time that each photo was taken, and unless you are flying a jet-fighter plane, will work out from the Track-file exactly where you were, and write the EXIF location-tags accordingly. Pretty neat, huh ?!"

davikokar wrote in post #14257963
Hallo,

I am using a Canon EOS 60D. I would like to save information about WHERE I take a picture. I was wondering if there is the possibility to save this info in the picture metadata, and if this can be done automatically by the Camera (by adding to it gps ability). Thanks for suggestions

Check out these guys... this one works pretty well.

http://gps4cam.com/