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GeoTagging M cameras - made easy - gps4cam


Bo_Lorentzen

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Some here may know that I geotag most of my images. to some it matters and to others its a complete waste of time, I shall not argue with taste and priorities at all.

 

About a month ago I became aware of the iphone app gps4cam, it is simply a life changer in terms of geotagging.! the guys behind the app have changed the way the track-file is transferred to the laptop and also how it is synchronized with the camera clock. These two elements are the number one headache involved with geotagging for most users.

 

How it works - Collecting the data - When you start shooting, launch the app on your iphone, tap "start a new trip" and forget... Stick the phone back in your pocket. At the end of the day, tap EXPORT" This will bring up a advanced barcode called a QR code. put the phone down and take a sharp picture of the screen. Done.

 

I capture the barcode with a 35mm or longer M lens, this is enough for the code to work, but I still prefer to use a 50-75 for the frame so it get a little more resolution it make me feel better. :D

 

How it works - GeoTagging the images. Next - insert the card in your choice of laptop, open the gps4cam app, locate the card to process, and also locate a output folder, click GO. Done you have geotagged your images and they will now show up on maps in picassa flkkar iphoto etc, in lightroom there is a position info click to go to google maps..

 

How this works - really... So the app capture the gps info, save it and generate a QR raster code when you export, the trick is that this code updates every 10 seconds, and is time aware, so you could wait a week before photographing the code and it would still be correct, because when you photograph the code, the code contains the data to know when it was photographed, this is the key to this app, next the laptop app will search your image folder for the picture or pictures of QR codes, it will then match the code time-stamp with the camera capture time and then process the gps positions accordingly.

 

The most beautiful part of this app is that there is really nothing else you need to do, if you have experimented with geotagging software you will know these are involved big systems with time adjustment options, file import from different devices etc. gps4cam have no control panels and no required finetuning. it just work every time... :D

 

More details than you want - really, you can stop reading here.. :-)

The iphone app can be adjusted to save power, do manual position capture, I like a fairly accurate position and have selected 1 minute intervals, the default is 5 minutes and there is a powersave function using cell-tower position to get you in the general area without turning on the gps. the latter is awesome for traveling where you want to know this was paris but don't care what zip code you are in, as the cell tower positioning uses no more power than the phone normally do.

 

EDIT: My workflow is slight bit different, when processing, I select from and to folder to be the same folder on the card, the result is that the gps4cam software do not move the images but only edits the exif data to add the gps position. when done I launch Lightroom and import the same way I always do, LightRoom recognize the gps tag.

 

EDIT: gps4cam support DNG files as well as JPG's. so it code both my jpg and the DNG raw file on the card.

 

As I said, I do understand the arguments for and against geotagging. However, I have been scanning my grandfathers negatives for over a year, and just started on my fathers negatives, unfortunately both photographers are no longer with us, and are not telling where they did take these pictures, I dance for joy when i find a landmark I know, or even a street sign. Guys, if you shoot film or don't geotag, just shoot a good street sign at least once a day.. your grand children will thank you. (though you may not be around for the praise).

Edited by Bo_Lorentzen
Added workflow info.
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I do something similar using an iPhone app called Trails - though that exports the GPS details to external software or via email. Some other software then updates the DNG files.

 

It works very well, but it helps if the camera and phone clocks are synchronised - though Trails allows you to enter an 'offset' value.

 

I can't say I use it all the time, but GPS logging can be useful.

 

A free alternative is to take a snap with your iPhone when you want to remember where you were - that will have the GPS co-ordinates in the Exif.

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I have tried several of the iPhone apps and also used the iPhone camera EXIF (although tend to forget to use it!!!) but I agree that gps4cam is the most useable around at the moment. One of the impressive features of the iPhone is the quality of the GPS location information which compares well against the ruggedised Garmin I use in the mountains and on SAR calls.

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  • 2 weeks later...

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Hi Bo,

 

Many thanks for your post about gps4cam. I just successfully tried out gps4cam with an Nikon D40 and an iPhone 3GS, running iOS 4, version 4.2.1. BTW, my old iPhone has some cracked glass in the corner of the display extending a little bit into the advanced barcode called a QR code that one gets after tapping EXPORT. Nevertheless, gps4cam worked like a charm and correctly geotagged the images taking in the time frame the gps4cam Apps was up and running on the iPhone and excluding older images. I guess it's time to retire the Solmeta gps unit I used on the D3 and D300. Now I finally have geotagging for my M9 images as well. It's so nice to have the geotagging functionality for all my cameras in use.

 

Thanks again, with best regards, k-hawinkler

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Bo: Thanks for the information. Sounds like an improvement over older processes.

 

I've been manually dropping my photos onto the Flickr map. It takes between 5 and 10 mins. of time per final set to position 50 to 100 photos (usually the shots are in clusters of 5 to 8 per location, all close to my starting point).

 

Does the batch processing method you describe with gps4cam take less than 5 minutes to process?

 

Cheers!

Will

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Will,

 

Have not timed it, basically you don't do anything :D

 

The last thing you do is take a picture of the QR code on the iphone screen, then connect the card to your laptop and run the app... done. the app will find the code and tag the images. you can have the app write to the card which is what I do, and then import the as always with lightroom.. or you can have the app write the tagged files to any directory on your computer.

 

Importantly, tag before importing into lightroom or aperture to make sure the app see the tag.

 

.

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  • 5 weeks later...

Do you have another camera to try out with?

 

I follow these steps:

 

• start gps4cam on iPhone

• wait a minute or two, check whether the gps4cam map shows my location, i.e. it got the coordinates from satellites.

• leave gps4cam active, put iPhone in pocket so it is with me and the cameras I use at all times.

• start taking pictures, I use several cameras.

• done with taking photos.

• get back to gps4cam on iPhone

• export QR code, displays the pattern on the iPhone

• photograph the pattern with every camera I had in use

• download each cameras images including the last image of the QR code into their own folder

• run the software on the computer that sticks the coordinates into the images.

• display images with Preview on my Mac, it also shows on a map the locations.

 

• Be happy, smile.

 

Good luck.

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I got into contact with the gps4cam people. They were very helpful. The issue is that the program uses the preview jpg. For some reason the DMR produces a preview jpg which is too small so the qrcode is no longer readable. I still take all photos with dng but just the qrcode in jpg-mode - and it works. Problem solved.:)

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  • 11 months later...

Thanks to Bo Lorentzen!!

I like to give this post attention again.

 

I just discovered this app (gps4cam) for Iphone and now also for Android and like to tell you that it is very impressive!!

It is so easy.

At the end of your phototrip you create a Qr code on the screen of your phone and simply take a picture of the screen with the camera('s) you used.

At home crop (if necessary depends on the closest distance of your lens) the QR code out of the last photo. The GPS data will be added to your photo's when you run the very simple program (freeware from gps4cam) on the computer.

 

Regards Cor

Edited by Knors
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Steve,

 

Thanks. That must explain why I had no problem at all with my D3, but had a problem with my M9.

Also, back then I used an old iPhone with a cracked corner. Now I have the 4S.

 

Have to try again. Also, which focal length would be the best Leica lens to use for that final shot?

I presume a tele or macro lens.

 

K-H.

Edited by k-hawinkler
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The longest should be the best, prob not much difference between a 50mm at .7m and 90mm at 1m

 

I made the final shot with a 28 mm closest distance 50 mm which did not work at once however when i made a crop of the phone screen part and saved this. it worked perfectly

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  • 3 years later...

I agree with Bo and everyone else here that gps4cam is a wonderful piece of software.

 

I am reviving this thread because I have put together a workflow that allows me to go from viewing a (digital) photograph to viewing the location on Google Maps with 3 mouse clicks, hands off the keyboard.  And all for (almost) free!

 

I own an iPhone 6, paid for!

 

I purchased gps4cam on the iStore: $3.99.

 

I downloaded the matching software from www.gps4cam.com, (available both for Mac and Windows) free

 

I have been using IrfanView as my favorite image viewer for years.  It's available at www.irfanView.com free

 

I downloaded the plugins kit from www.IrfanView.com free

 

IrfanView is set up as my default software for viewing images on my computer.  Do the same on your computer.

 

Now, when I start my day, I also start gps4cam on my iPhone.  It runs in the background and does not interfere with the other phone functions.

 

Shoot pictures, preferably with a Leica.

 

At the end of the day, I "export" the iPhone data to the "QRcode" and photograph the QRcode with the camera (and with each camera if I used more than one)

 

BTW, don't worry if the QRcode changes from time to time; that just gps4cam updating the time!

 

Batch process the DNG in Lightroom.

 

Process the JPG files with gps4cam on my laptop (Windows)

 

Now, when I doubleclick an image, IrfanView displays the image.

 

Click the "Image Information" button on the toolbar (i letter in a blue circle).  Click EXIF info.  Click "Show in Google Maps"

 

Voila!

 

Enjoy.  Guy

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