Add GPS locations to your photos

June 13, 2011 @ 8:19AM

Add GPS locations to your photos

gps4cam is a simple solution for your non-GPS enabled DSLR

By planetMitch

I have a Canon EOS 5D Mark II and as expensive as it is, it doesn't have a GPS unit to geotag my photos (that means it can't put the exact location the photo was taken inside the EXIF data of the image). Heck, my iPhone can do it, but not my very expensive DSLR? Yikes!

Well, I've found a very inexpensive way to use my iPhone to do the GPS encoding for me - with an iPhone app called gps4cam. Sorry, but only iPhones are supported at this point.

gps4cam is a handy iPhone application you should have. Until the DSLR makers decide to include GPS for encoding location information to your photos automatically and without adding lots of $ to the camera cost – and if you don’t want to buy an expensive add on unit, then this might be the easiest option on the market. There are some more expensive options that do work (depending on camera model and functionality) and they encode directly into the images as they are shot. This method takes a tiny bit more work, but it has the advantage of not attaching something else to your camera and it is very inexpensive.

I did a little video podcast (below) about my experience and have written a larger review on my blog if you'd like to jump over there to see the whole review.

In a nutshell, this thing is a no-brainer!

planetMitch

Tagged with:
geotag
Geotagging
gps
location

Comments

Anthony DeRobertis

10 months ago

I've personally used a stand-alone GPS unit which can record tracks in GPX format and a Linux program called gpscorrelate to geotag. (GPX, by the way, is in UTC, so time zones don't matter).

My Garmin can easily record position at 1 second intervals for hours, most of a day probably. (And it a quick swap of its AA batteries makes it keep going).

Originally I would set the camera time off the GPS, but later I realized I could just take a picture of the GPS screen and use that to compute the offset.

This is basically what you're doing with the iPhone app, I believe. But it works for folks without an iPhone.

gpscorrelate is at http://freefoote.dview.net/linux_gpscorr.html

Ryano

8 months ago

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stephgrl33c

7 months ago

This was a cool article. I really do think I have learned so much from this really cool and interesting resource. Thanks - Baubles

pix66

6 months ago

I know DSLR mark II models are very costly. It is one of my dreams to buy it, but sadly I cannot afford it right now. Once I start earning, I will definitely love to have one. I would like to know more about www.mixbook.com could you help me. I love photography and love to do it as an additional career or hobby whatever way it comes. I know my family will not support me in making it as a career, so it is better to keep it aside.

Jeff B

3 months ago

I'll have to use this GPS technique for students who need help attending one of my classes for CPR training in Dallas.