GPS for A7r II

[jrp]

I assume that Sony have yet to produce a GPS add-on for the A7 series cameras.

What is the App du jour for tagging fran iPhone / iPad and tagging in Lightroom, say?

 

[MikeEvangelist]

I currently use Geotag Photos Pro, which works well. It records tracks of your location, then automatically uploads them to Dropbox for easy access from within Lightroom. Info here - https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/geotag-photos-pro/id355503746?mt=8

I've also used and liked GPX Master+. https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/gpx-master+/id414297402?mt=8

I only switched because Geotag Photos has an app for the Apple Watch, which lets me start and stop tracking from the watch.

 

[dandrewk]

I've used MyTracks since my first A7, and it has worked flawlessly.

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/mytracks-the-gps-logger/id358697908?mt=8

Keep in mind that these apps tend to use a lot of the phones battery. MyTracks (and some others) let you adjust the frequency of the gps loggings. Unless you are a moving vehicle, you really don't need it to record a location every second.

 

[MikeEvangelist]

Keep in mind that these apps tend to use a lot of the phones battery. MyTracks (and some others) let you adjust the frequency of the gps loggings.

Good point. Both of the apps I mentioned can adjust the track frequency. I keep Geotag Photos set to log every 30 seconds. I've often run it all day and still have plenty of power left at the end.

 

[jrp]

Any comments on the accuracy of the trail, particularly where the GPS signal is intermittent.

 

[MikeEvangelist]

Any comments on the accuracy of the trail, particularly where the GPS signal is intermittent.

When I'm outside, it's great. Inside big buildings it can get a little weird, but even then it usually works fine.

Here's an image showing what I mean. The log points within the red oval were when I was walking inside some big buildings. But even with that jumpiness, Lightroom would still tag the locations pretty well.

(this image is from a Mac app called GPX Editor, which I sometimes use to view and edit the tracks.)

 

[dandrewk]

Yeah, it's totally dependent on the GPS on your phone.

The good news - most cell phones with GPS are very robust and MUCH better than any in-camera GPS I've used, including the ones that attach to the flash shoe.

 

[jrp]

Indeed, but I have read some old reviews that suggested that the trails produced by different apps running in parallel were quite different, particularly when the signal was lost intermittently.