I saw this on sale at Costco.com and was wondering if anyone here has used it and can provide a review. It tags photos with GPS coordinates on location. I went out the the manufacturer website and it looks like it has some limitations. It doesn't tag raw files but my camera shoots raw+jpg so it would tag the the jpgs.
Sounds like it attaches a single GPS coordinate to all photos on a memory card, as opposed to tagging each image with unique GPS coordinates. I guess you could insert your memory card every time you move to a new location, but that would get old. Still pretty interesting.
Posted by Scott Bacon on June 14, 2008 at 10:12 AM
I haven't tried it myself, but I like the concept for those not interested in using a full-featured GPS device, ie. color screen w/ maps, compass, routing, waypoint and track functions.
The drawbacks (as you mentioned) is that it currently doesn't support raw formats, and it doesn't tag altitude. Those 2 would be deal-breakers for me, personally. But it looks like the manufacturer has plans to add features in the near future.
Rick wrote:
Sounds like it attaches a single GPS coordinate to all photos on a memory card, as opposed to tagging each image with unique GPS coordinates.
I didn't get that impression from the user guide. And I can't imagine they could sell even 1 of these, if that's the way it worked. I gathered that the device creates a standard GPS track and syncs coordinates to JPEGs on a memory card based on date and time in the EXIF data. This is how all post processing geotagging software works.
It's a bonus that it will automatically create a KML file for Google Earth and Google Maps. BTW, KML just became an accepted standard format for geo data. I think you'll begin to see more and more applications supporting this format, just as many applications currently support the GPX format.
Outdoor Photographer show this in the new issue in the gear section. I guess I'm too old. I can't imagine why I might use this. Could someone explain? Thanks.
The main reason I geotag my images is to produce trip logs with embedded images in Google Earth. I've been including Google Earth files in most of my travelogues and trip reports on my website.
IMO, this is a great way to view a trip report - 3D map with terrain and satellite imagery, the hiking/driving route, and photos with descriptions.
And just recently Google released an API that allows Google Earth to be displayed in a browser, making it even more accessible (before people had to have Google Earth installed).
Another reason is that it's a different way for me to keep "notes" while making images. I can usually remember where the good viewpoints are from a trail, but what about that great patch of wildflowers, or that especially cool foreground rock? With a geotagged image, I know exactly where it is - at least within 10-15 feet.
Discussion
6 replieshttp://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11270012&cm_mmc=BCEmail_310-_-FOCUS-_-43-_-ATPPhotoFinder
According the the FAQ they have some enhancements in the works to record altitude, etc.
http://photofinder.atpinc.com/support.html
http://photofinder.atpinc.com/support.html
The drawbacks (as you mentioned) is that it currently doesn't support raw formats, and it doesn't tag altitude. Those 2 would be deal-breakers for me, personally. But it looks like the manufacturer has plans to add features in the near future.
I didn't get that impression from the user guide. And I can't imagine they could sell even 1 of these, if that's the way it worked. I gathered that the device creates a standard GPS track and syncs coordinates to JPEGs on a memory card based on date and time in the EXIF data. This is how all post processing geotagging software works.
It's a bonus that it will automatically create a KML file for Google Earth and Google Maps. BTW, KML just became an accepted standard format for geo data. I think you'll begin to see more and more applications supporting this format, just as many applications currently support the GPX format.
IMO, this is a great way to view a trip report - 3D map with terrain and satellite imagery, the hiking/driving route, and photos with descriptions.
And just recently Google released an API that allows Google Earth to be displayed in a browser, making it even more accessible (before people had to have Google Earth installed).
Another reason is that it's a different way for me to keep "notes" while making images. I can usually remember where the good viewpoints are from a trail, but what about that great patch of wildflowers, or that especially cool foreground rock? With a geotagged image, I know exactly where it is - at least within 10-15 feet.