PhotoTrackr Plus brings geotagging to Nikon DSLRs, leaves your hotshoe open

Oh sure, Nikon's got its own solution for adding native geotagging to your existing DSLR, but the GP-1 dongle definitely has its drawbacks. Aside from sucking down around 4x more power than Gisteq's new PhotoTrackr Plus, it also eliminates the ability to use a dedicated flash in the hotshoe while capturing GPS data. Moreover, it has to warm up every time you turn the camera on / off, and there's just 18 tracking channels compared to the Gisteq's 44. Regardless of the back and forth, we do appreciate the PhotoTrackr Plus' ability to plug directly into the 10-pin terminal that few amateurs even think to recognize, though we do fear that the reliance on Bluetooth could cause issues if you stray too far from the transceiver. Still, this newfangled dongle is far superior to its past iterations, both of which simply logged data as you went and then added metadata after you synced the information with your images via PC; this dongle, however, embeds the data right away into every image. Better still, there's even a price advantage to going third party -- Nikon's aging GP-1 is pushing $200 on many webstores, while the Gisteq apparatus can be procured right now for $179. Take your pic, as they say.

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PhotoTrackr Plus Exclusively for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras

New geotagging solution sure to save time and make shooting much more enjoyable for Nikon DSLR owners.

Brea, CA (PRWEB) May 28, 2010 -- The world of photography has changed drastically since it began, and now that anyone who has a digital camera can attempt to go professional, there is more and more cause for serious photographers to look at tools like the PhotoTrackr Plus, found online at: http://www.gisteq.com/plus

PhotoTrackr Plus for Nikon
When you talk to professional photographers, or even serious amateurs, about camera companies you're basically talking about either Nikon or Canon. These are the top two digital SLR camera manufacturers out there today. The GiSTEQ company has now created a unique geotagging solution specifically for one of the top brands of cameras, the Nikon. This geotagging device is designed to make tagging photos that are taken on a Nikon DSLR easier, and much more enjoyable, for any camera lover.

Digital SLR cameras are much more affordable now than they have ever been before, and some professionals in the photography business estimate that within the next ten years a vast majority of camera owners will have their own DSLR, if they don't already. That is one reason why some believe that more GPS trackers and other gadgets are flooding the market now. But while some gadgets are simply silly, others, such as the PhotoTrackr Plus for Nikon, can actually help photographers to become better.

"It's great that anyone who wants to experience the wonder of photography can do so, but even a consummate professional can forget where they took a specific picture, and no one wants to waste time marking where they took every photo. This device makes it quick and simple for anyone who has the right DSLR cameras to be able to geotag their photos," said Eric Liu, the President of GiSTEQ Corp.

The PhotoTrackr Plus has a number of features attached to it that both professionals and amateurs will love, and one of the most important is that it can geocode pictures taken in RAW format. Many photographers opt to shoot in RAW so that they can easily fix any exposure mistakes that are made. The PhotoTrackr Plus allows you to geotag photos in both RAW and JPEG format. The GPS data is imported directly into your photo as you take it, so no extra steps are necessary, which speeds up the processing workflow, and there is no extra software needed to run the program, simply plug and play.

One truly unique aspect of the PhotoTrackr Plus is that it is capable of geotagging photos with the last known location, so that if you're unable to access a satellite signal, the device will save the information until you are in sight of a satellite. Compatible cameras include the Nikon D200, D300, D300s, D700, D2X, D2Xs, D2Hs, D3, D3X, and Fujifilm S5Pro.

For more information, visit the GiSTEQ site at: gisteq.com/plus

[LittleB Posted May 30th 2010 4:43AM]

There are a lot of sub-$150 GPS receivers have logging functions. Use a simple and free geo-setting software we can archive geotagging in a easy and cost-effective way.

[zeroshift Posted May 30th 2010 2:11PM]

@LittleB I actually wrote an iPhone app for that. It's called JPGeo, if anyone's interested.

[Dragngt Posted May 30th 2010 2:18PM]

@zeroshift So what is the point if all I have to do is take one photo with my iPhone and then the rest with my Canon DSLR? I just copy paste the info into iPhoto / Aperture from the iPhone photo.

[whoopn Posted May 31st 2010 2:51PM]

@LittleB
This isn't impressive Engadget! This has been around for about 5 years. RedHen Systems has made these little gems for quite some time:
http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/30/phototrackr-plus-brings-geotagging-to-nikon-dslrs-leaves-your-h/#commentform

I actually sent you an email 2 years ago telling you about them, but I was ignored...wth?

[whoopn Posted May 31st 2010 2:52PM]

@whoopn

Ooops wrong link:
http://www.redhensystems.com/inc/sdetail/168

[sykocus Posted May 30th 2010 4:46AM]

Not the first device of it's kind. http://www.redhensystems.com/inc/sdetail/168. Though it looks like they 1up'ed redhen's. It looks like it has an 1/8" plug on the side for a wired remote shutter release and is cheaper. Hopefully it doesn't have the same fitment issues as the redhen.

[xcomme Posted May 30th 2010 4:57AM]

GiSTEQ CD110BT Bluetooth from Amazon is less than $60.

[spaz1 Posted May 30th 2010 5:02AM]

If you don't need a precise location for each shot you do, use a phone with GPS, and take the same photo as you would with a dSLR. That way you get the same GPS location of the shot... it's not perfect but it does the job.

[zeroinfinity2 Posted May 30th 2010 8:02AM]

@spaz1

If it has a ringtone, it's not a camera.

[PBB Posted May 30th 2010 9:08AM]

@zeroinfinity2
No, take two shots of the same thing, one with the phone and one with the DSLR. The phone will give you the GPS location so you can use it later.

[Jayratch Posted May 30th 2010 9:17AM]

@zeroinfinity2 Missing the point. Your not using the phone to take the actual picture, you use it to geotag it. I take 150 shots on my real camera in a certain location (wedding? Museum? Park?) and then take one with my iPhone, I can transpose the location data from my iPhone into the dslr pics on my mac.
Considering a used iPhone 3g can be had for about the same price as this gadget, I'll probably pass. I just hope the d400 comes with gps built in.

[pvito Posted May 30th 2010 2:03PM]

@spaz1
Hey that's a pretty good idea! Thanks!

[Gonzie Posted May 30th 2010 5:20AM]

"we do fear that the reliance on Bluetooth could cause issues if you stray too far from the transceiver"

if the gps transceiver isn't on your person, then your doing it wrong.

[XRX Posted May 30th 2010 5:35AM]

Both nikon & canon are getting fiery about the sony's increasing market share.............

[ALwin Posted May 30th 2010 6:24AM]

This article has a few mistakes.

1) The Nikon GP-1 doesn't have to stay on the camera's flash hot-shoe, it can be attached to the shoulder strap or if you're innovative you can use a piece of velcro to attach it somewhere else on the camera.

2) The Nikon GP-1 will connect to some Nikon Camera models which does NOT have the 10-pin port (which is mainly found on their high-end pro bodies)

But true the GP-1 is a little slow and signal connection can be weak sometimes.

[Draper Posted May 30th 2010 6:24AM]

There's also the "foolography unleashed" which took way too long to get to market (and in limited quantities).

[daba Posted May 30th 2010 6:59AM]

No support for the D5000. Kind of disappointed. Isn't there a possibility of a converter cable?

[theNEOone Posted May 30th 2010 9:19AM]

No D90 support? Dubya Tee Eff. Isn't the D90 Nikon's most popular recent dSLR?

[sykocus Posted May 30th 2010 11:01AM]

@theNEOone my guess is it has nothing to do with how popular the D90 is and everything to do with a subtle interface for the device to connect to the camera with.

[kreg37 Posted May 30th 2010 9:22AM]

While we're on the subject, does anyone have a geo-tracking app for iPhone they recommend, jailbroken or otherwise? I'd prefer something relatively accurate and doesn't drain the battery.

Otherwise, is there any other good solution for a Canon T2i shooting RAW?

[Jayratch Posted May 30th 2010 9:23AM]

Bummer about the price. I guess if I can afford a $1k+ camera I shouldn't balk at $200... but I haven't spent that much on a gps device since 2006. This is literally a gps chip that interfaces with a camera. It receives a request and transmits a code for location data. I'm pretty sure that your typical consumer dashboard unit accomplishes that with a $30 single chip. I know my phone does. So... why the bulk and why the costly? Should be 1 piece, USB stick sized, and $69 at most.

Then there's also the latest EyeFi which adds location data, for $99...

[sykocus Posted May 30th 2010 10:59AM]

@Jayratch I don't know about other phones, but my phone takes about 10 times as longer and is about 5 times less accurate then any of my dedicated GPS receivers. So as you said for $110+ more I'll take the extra quality especially considering how much I have invested in my SLR and lenses.

[CL Posted May 30th 2010 12:04PM]

@Jayratch

While I don't have a geotagging EyeFi card, I kind of doubt that it will be useful if I am out in the middle of nowhere shooting landscape photos, and I think landscape shots are where geotagging is the most useful.

[CL Posted May 30th 2010 12:00PM]

I would stay far away from GiSTEQ products. I have one of their trackers and while the tracker itself mostly ok, other than the confusing interface and the fact that I can't use it while it's charging, but their software is the worst POS I ever used. It crashes all the time (on both windows and osx), unreliable connections, laden with ridiculous copy protection, attempt to force people to use their horrible software (and disrupt my regular work flow), terrible osx support, non-existence customer support.

[Hefavitzen Posted May 30th 2010 1:43PM]

I have a Nikon D5000 and use a SolMeta Geotagger N1 that I got used off of a photography forum for $100. Works like a champ! It came with the 10-pin cable, a cable that fits my D5000 (not the 10-pin one) and attaches to the hot-shoe or, using the included clip, clips to the camera strap. It has an "always on" setting or an "auto" setting that turns it on and off with the camera. I haven't had any dead battery issues.

Additionally, the system embeds the information right in the pictures and Picasa picks it right up. I am currently in Hawaii and uploaded pictues last night; GPS data included.

Not sure Phototracker has created any new tricks with this one.

[BluechipJ Posted May 31st 2010 9:43AM]

Nice! I'm currently using the http://www.easytagger.ca/ but a wireless option would be nice but you lose out on compass direction since it's not sitting on the hotshoe.