Canon EOS 6d GPS

I'm going full frame!

After having a great time with my 7d i now sold it. Why? Because for a long time i have my mind set on getting me a FF camera..
Sindce the launch of the 5d3 i'm in love, but after reading Ken Rockwell's reviews about the 5d3 (and 6d) i'm not too sure about the 5d3.
Maybe the 6d suits me better afterall.

For what i have read. The 6d has GPS while the 5d3 needs a module called GP-E2 in order to activate GPS.
When GPS is active on a 5d3 it also includes a compass to indicate the direction the camera is facing.
Does the build in GPS of the 6d do the same? Includes facing direction in the exifs?

Another GPS thing.. Both systems have a 'logging' option to track a route.
Now if you use the GP-E2, i suppose you dont need to turn on your 5d3 to track a route, but only the GP-E2 module..?
In case of the 6d this is different. I suppose you should always keep the camera turned on if you want to track a route.
This must be draining your battery very quick, no?

Besides those two questions i have regarding these dslr's i wanted to know your opinion about the 6d's housing.
For what i understand it's build using many plastic, much less magnesium.
Could this become a issue when it's exposed to (less) rain (compared to the 5d3 or 7d)?

Thanks in advance

6D's built in GPS does not include heading (compass). You need the more accurate GP-E2 for that.

The GPS log works even when the camera is off.

In terms of battery, I've had the GPS log on all day, and taken around 400 photos, and the battery was down to approx. 20%. That includes using the LCD screen a fair amount, and using wifi too.

Thanks Crunchie

In the meanwhile i found this information which says the 6d does include heading compass. Now i'm confused

Ken explaines in his review;

"GPS could run down your camera if left on, since it's always updating at the intervals you set (default: 15 seconds).
I didn't play with it enough, but it might make sense to turn the 6D OFF when you're not using it.
I leave all my cameras ON, since that way they're always ready and don't run down the batteries — but I don't use GPS."

This confuses me too. But i think Ken's not into GPS much so he could be wrong.

I found information about the 6d's housing so that question has been explained;

Canon doesn't screw around; the 6D is made as well as the 5D Mark III.
It's drizzle resistant, but if you're crazy enough to shoot in a typhoon, you'll want a 1D X.
The top and bottom are plastic. The top has to be plastic so the Wi-Fi and GPS antennas can work.
The middle parts are metal.

the gps implementation seems half assed. it doesnt turn off when the camera is off, and there is no option for it. I would like to use it, but too much of a hassle.

I too thought that GPS would be a big benefit of the 6D, but I've had no success the few times I've tried to get it going. The "problem" is probably that I'm trying to use it in light forest, and that I generally have a flash trigger mounted in the hot shoe that may be blocking the GPS antenna. However, that is how I need it to work, and it doesn't. Disappointing.

I must be old-fashioned. Can someone tell me of what use is GPS on a camera? Don't you generally know where you are when you are taking photos? I mean, has it ever happened that you came home with shots of the Eiffel Tower when you just know you were in Houston that day? Of course, I am still trying to figure out the purpose of Facebook, Twitter and for the most part cell phones in general.

My main subject is reasonably rare native orchids. While I can usually remember which track in which forest I was on, it would be much more useful to have this narrowed down to a few metres so that I can find the specimens again more easily to catch them at a different growth stage (in bud, in flower, in seed), or for a reshoot. After a while, you realise that one turn in the track, or one mossy bank can look much like another.

I've got a 6D, on mine you turn off the GPS in settings. If you dont go into settings and turn off GPS but do turn off the camera the GPS still runs (and will eventually run down the battery). Agreed the 6D's GPS does not compare to a typical Garmin when working under heavy cover.....that said I dont link GPS data to EXIF with my belief that people who lurk for nefarious reasons dont need to know where and more importantly when the shot was taken.

Post a picture on this forum.
You will get the same standard responses...

What was the camera?
What was the lens?
What were the settings?
Where was it taken?

Having GPS embedded in the exif data will help, particularly if you walked miles for a specific landscape shot, and a few years later you look at the picture again and want to know where it was taken.

I think i will still buy the 5d3 instead of the 6d and if ever needed i will buy the GPS add-on.
From what i read i suppose the 6d's GPS isn't that great at all. Hopefully the GP-E2 does a better job.

I think the 5d3 is just better build. The AF system is (much) better. Viewfinder @ 100% instead of 97%.
HDR and Continious shooting in RAW (instead of JPEG only). LCD auto brightness and much more..
Only downsides are price and weight.

Recommendations?

Thanks in advance.

I've used 6D's built-in GPS in the forests of London and in some forested mountain tops in Norway, with flash, without any trouble.

The GPS is designed to stay on, even when the camera is off, so that it keeps track of your location. This way it's "ready" when you shoot. Else it takes a few seconds (or up to several minutes) to lock on. All of Canon's P&S (eg SX230) that have built-in GPS mimic this behaviour.

The GPS does NOT have a compass/does NOT provide heading information. From the GPS manual that came with the 6D: "The digital compass function is not incorporated".

Refer Canon USA: http://learn.usa.canon​.com …12/eos6d_inside​_gps.shtml

Thanks for clarifieng that matter, crunchie

YashicaFX2 wrote in post #16364515
I must be old-fashioned. Can someone tell me of what use is GPS on a camera? Don't you generally know where you are when you are taking photos? I mean, has it ever happened that you came home with shots of the Eiffel Tower when you just know you were in Houston that day? Of course, I am still trying to figure out the purpose of Facebook, Twitter and for the most part cell phones in general.

I'm on it with you. I have a Garmin E-Trex that is almost always with me. Push one button to create a waypoint, then name it whatever I want. I can always find the spot again, and I don't use camera battery for what I would consider unnecessary for photographic functions. 2 AA lithium batteries last for 20 hours when I leave it on, and a lot longer if I only turn in on to set a location. The one I have is $200 at Amazon - maybe not cheap, but it can be stuck in a pocket and used when I don't want to mess with the camera. It won't embed in the exif, but there are applications you can use to add it manually.

I guess it's all what's important to you. I think that half of the time people buy things to get features they will never use, just to be cool.

For those who may not understand GPS technology, it's virtually impossible for a GPS receiver to have any idea how the receiver is oriented (north, south, up, down, etc.) when the receiver is stationary (not moving) unless it has additional instruments such as a compass built into the device.

While you are moving with a GPS receiver, the receiver can calculate your direction of movement by doing a little math using sequential readings.