Any known GP-E2 Knockoffs?

So almost everything with a chip and a battery in it get's copied in China and the results sometimes are surprisingly good (cf YN-622Cs).

I was wondering wether anybody is aware of GP-E2 knockoffs - it seems like the perfect target for the clever engineers at e.g. Yongnou.

Nope. There are some devices with similar functionality, but requiring post-processing to marry the tracking data to the image, but they rely on the reverse of the GP-E2's method - they record a location and time when you take the picture, rather than feed that data through Canon's data lines in the hot shoe and/or USB port. It'll take them a while to reverse engineer the handshaking, including making the GPS activate the Canon menu. And the result would be much more brand-specific than reverse-engineered flashes are.

Thanks Jon - I had a GP-E2 in my hands last week and man, this thing is big! So I probably pass on it anyway.

Since I apparently have the local GPS guru on the line: Are you aware of any loggers that look and work pretty much like an USB stick? Preferably single button, press it to turn the unit on/off, nothing else. If I plug it into an USB port it should do two things:

(a) recharge
(b) switch to mass storage device and let me download all tracks as GPS files - exactly like the Garmin eTrexes.

Preferably dead cheap so that I can drop one in each of my bags..

Another problem with GPS data recording is that GPS engines still need a fair bit of energy. Noticed how your iPhone runs out of power a lot sooner when you got the GPS activated... I wonder how they manage that in the cameras that have GPS on all the time....

DerDembo wrote in post #16260447
Thanks Jon - I had a GP-E2 in my hands last week and man, this thing is big! So I probably pass on it anyway.

Since I apparently have the local GPS guru on the line: Are you aware of any loggers that look and work pretty much like an USB stick? Preferably single button, press it to turn the unit on/off, nothing else. If I plug it into an USB port it should do two things:

(a) recharge
(b) switch to mass storage device and let me download all tracks as GPS files - exactly like the Garmin eTrexes.

Preferably dead cheap so that I can drop one in each of my bags..

The antenna is one reason they're big. The bigger the antenna, the better able the receiver will be to get a fix. Also, as vk2gwk said, these guys take a lot of power, and the more satellite channels they process at a time (which helps get faster and more accurate fixes) the more power-hungry they tend to be. If I set the GPS on my SX230 to continuous logging, I get only a few hours (even if I don't take any pictures with it). As for dead cheap, forget it. Better just pick up a couple of last-generation (used or reconditioned) eTrexes toward the bottom of the line. Just make sure that whichever model you get does save tracks. Garmin's wrist-watch style (FR-10)recorder has a 5 hr. battery life when continuously tracking or 10 days at 1/2 hr/day (and used as a watch the rest of the time). It's $130 or so. The Foretrex 301's maybe $10 more, but significantly bigger; it does 18 hr. on two AAA cells. I see an eTrex 10 available at around $110 - uses two AA cells and gets 18 hr. on them. Since it supports GLONASS (the Russian stanav system) too, that's what I'd go for as a low-end one.

DerDembo wrote in post #16260447
Since I apparently have the local GPS guru on the line: Are you aware of any loggers that look and work pretty much like an USB stick? Preferably single button, press it to turn the unit on/off, nothing else. If I plug it into an USB port it should do two things:

(a) recharge
(b) switch to mass storage device and let me download all tracks as GPS files - exactly like the Garmin eTrexes.

Preferably dead cheap so that I can drop one in each of my bags..

I had something small and cheap that was very similar to what you describe, I sometimes see people recommend it in various camera fora. It was insensitive, a pain to set up, and had a short battery life.

I bit the bullet and spent proper money on a BGT-31. Does the job perfectly - one recharge and it will record a track every 5 seconds, inside a case, inside a day-bag, inside a seat-pocket, inside a bus - for more than 48 hours.

DerDembo wrote in post #16260447
Thanks Jon - I had a GP-E2 in my hands last week and man, this thing is big! So I probably pass on it anyway.

Since I apparently have the local GPS guru on the line: Are you aware of any loggers that look and work pretty much like an USB stick? Preferably single button, press it to turn the unit on/off, nothing else. If I plug it into an USB port it should do two things:

(a) recharge
(b) switch to mass storage device and let me download all tracks as GPS files - exactly like the Garmin eTrexes.

Preferably dead cheap so that I can drop one in each of my bags..

Before getting the GP-E2, I used this:

http://www.amazon.com …B00133DDEI/ref=​pd_sim_e_6

About the size of a box of matches, it recharges via a usb cable, and the charge lasts all day. I used mine every day for two weeks and never ran out of space for data. You can transfer the .gpx track files via Bluetooth or by USB. Great unit, and reliable. Recommended.

Edit: BTW, there are many other similar devices. Do a search for GPS Data Logger on Amazon and you'll find a whole bunch that work the way you described.

I just use the one in the 6D. Works good and no battery issues thus far.

Hmmm, I guess I'll stick with my eTrex and iPhone 5 for. I might give the WBT-201 a spin but it seems to be problematic on a Mac according to several reviews I've read.

Anyway, thank you all very much for your suggestions!

DerDembo wrote in post #16261836
Hmmm, I guess I'll stick with my eTrex and iPhone 5 for. I might give the WBT-201 a spin but it seems to be problematic on a Mac according to several reviews I've read.

Completely untrue. I used my WBT-201 with my iMac for many years and it worked flawlessly. I was using the Bluetooth to download the .gpx files. No issues ever.

Thanks tgara - using Bluetooth seems to be the way to go then. I'll keep my eyes open for an WBT-201.