Do you want built-in GPS

[Einst_Stein]

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S and SL have built-in GPS, M puts it in multi-functional grip. TL puts it in EVF, CL does not offer GPS. Older digital Leica do not have it.

In a coming long walk trip I want GPS record in every picture, but I am hesitated to carry SL or M+ MFG. So TL + EVF is the only choice. But luckily I found a cheap P&S that has built-in GPS.  24~720mm, paid less than 100$.

I wonder how do you like GPS?

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[Darrell]

GPS is important to my photography. It’s the main reason I haven’t upgraded from my SL (601) yet and since the new EVF for the M11 doesn’t have it, I’ll be keeping my M10 for a while.

[pop]

There are quite capable GPS tracker apps for every kind of phone. There are also very capable apps which use the data from those GPS trackers to tag your photos. Most of those apps are free of charge and they can tag images taken with different cameras in one fell swoop.

I have stopped using the GPS function of any camera a long time ago. More often than not, the GPS data collected by the camera is inaccurate, it takes the camera a long time to actually locate itself, it drains the battery and will not work indoors or even in particular settings outdoors.

[LocalHero1953]

I don't have a need for it. None of the cameras I have carried for walking or travel have had GPS and I haven't missed it. As long as it can be switched off (to avoid draining the battery) and has no impact on weather-sealing or ruggedness, then I have no objection to its presence.

[pop]

One day I wondered why my archive contained so many pictures taken in the ocean to the east of Africa. It turned out that the M (Typ 240) tagged all photos with (0,0) if there was no GPS device attached to the camera. Not so useful.

[thighslapper]

I'd love it  ..... if it works consistently and accurately.

On the SL it was mostly fine..... sad to see it's absent on the SL2 

Very handy for extended busy trips with multiple locations as it's often difficult in retrospect to remember exactly where you took the photo.

I do a lot of woodland photography and finding good previous locations months later is often very tricky ..... GPS helps a great deal. Not found any of the phone apps that useful and transferring the data later is a pain. 

[250swb]

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If every photo you make is memorable why wouldn't you remember where you were? I only have one camera with GPS, my Olympus Tough, and at first it was a real novelty to know from the EXIF how high I was above sea level, which way I was facing, etc., but then I realised I'd known that all the time because I had a map.

[pop]

1 hour ago, 250swb said:

If every photo you make is memorable why wouldn't you remember where you were?

My brother used to document locations where he found local flora. More than the usual locations, he was interested in the unusual ones. A few tens of meters difference in height or evening vs. morning sun could make all the difference. For this kind of documentation, a reliable geo location device would have been very valuable back then. Once we have that technology, claiming that I jest knowed it 'cuz it was memorable falls a bit short.

[250swb]

4 minutes ago, pop said:

My brother used to document locations where he found local flora. More than the usual locations, he was interested in the unusual ones. A few tens of meters difference in height or evening vs. morning sun could make all the difference. For this kind of documentation, a reliable geo location device would have been very valuable back then. Once we have that technology, claiming that I jest knowed it 'cuz it was memorable falls a bit short.

It makes me wonder how we survived in those primitive times, but somehow we did survive. I guess we could all think of an exception, but claiming something is essential today when it didn't even exist yesterday is going a bit far, although I'm sure memories of any life before Twitter have degraded to a blank canvas for many.

[pop]

7 minutes ago, 250swb said:

claiming something is essential today when it didn't even exist yesterday

Ah - "very valuable" is the same as essential?

Agriculture, medicine, motorized traffic can not be essential because they did not exist at some other time?

It's, of course, all right if you personally just make photographs because you find something 'memorable'. Other people's need can be different, and some also take photographs that are to be useful, such as documenting things were the time and the place of the shooting may, indeed, be essential.

[250swb]

2 hours ago, pop said:

Ah - "very valuable" is the same as essential?

Agriculture, medicine, motorized traffic can not be essential because they did not exist at some other time?

 

All the tools available for determining position on the Earth yesterday still work today despite GPS. People do survive without agriculture, they do use natural remedies, they can walk. And given that not all current digital cameras have GPS there are a lot of people in industry who disagree with you that it's a valuable feature.

[pop]

7 minutes ago, 250swb said:

All the tools available for determining position on the Earth yesterday still work today despite GPS. People do survive without agriculture, they do use natural remedies, they can walk. And given that not all current digital cameras have GPS there are a lot of people in industry who disagree with you that it's a valuable feature.

You are entirely right, of course: photography itself is not valuable. Most people on earth live their lives without taking any photographs at all.

However: pinpointing the exact place where a photograph has been taken to an accuracy of a few meters is very fast using GPS. Other methods using maps and a compass or such is much slower and nowhere as accurate.

Given that biologists all over the world need an accurate assessment of what plants can grow where, pinpointing the exact location where a population has been detected is of great importance. The use of GPS can be called 'valuable' in that it (a) allows locating a population much more accurately and (b) in a much shorter time, thus allowing more observations within the same time, thus reducing the number of excursions needed for a survey.

[Viv]

No.

[Einst_Stein]

Some of my cameras have GPS, some don’t. I have noticed how useful it is till recently. 
The pictures taken by T are all GPS tagged since I use EVF, but not CL. 
The pictures taken by SL are all GPS tagged but not M240.
The pictures with GPS are soooo much easier to organize. 
So I decided to get the multifunction grip for m240. 

I also tried smart phone app, it works, but I just don’t like the way to use it. 

As far as the criticism why don’t use one’s memory , well, why take pictures after all!
 

[250swb]

On 12/13/2022 at 1:25 PM, pop said:

 

Given that biologists all over the world need an accurate assessment of what plants can grow where, pinpointing the exact location where a population has been detected is of great importance. The use of GPS can be called 'valuable' in that it (a) allows locating a population much more accurately and (b) in a much shorter time, thus allowing more observations within the same time, thus reducing the number of excursions needed for a survey.

Laudable ideas, science is naturally the exception. But if all Leica's had GPS it would mostly be showing the location of a cup of coffee, on a table, in a café, and the mobile phones GPS would be showing the location of a Leica, on a table, next to a cup of coffee, in a café. 

[Kiwimac]

I’ve had cameras with it. I always thought it would be useful but to be honest I’ve never really found it so. 
 

It eats battery and to be honest if I really needed to know exactly where I was I think a handheld GPS unit would be just fine. 

[Kiwimac]

On 12/18/2022 at 9:35 PM, 250swb said:

Laudable ideas, science is naturally the exception. But if all Leica's had GPS it would mostly be showing the location of a cup of coffee, on a table, in a café, and the mobile phones GPS would be showing the location of a Leica, on a table, next to a cup of coffee, in a café. 

Or where a cat was at a given moment in time. 

[DenverSteve]

I know where an entire sequence is/was shot.  Just like 30 years ago, if I need to know what corner, or exact location/address a specific shot was taken, I make notes.  That said, if a reliable, accurate GPS existed in my Leicas, I would be happy to use it.  M11 doesn’t update adequately so half of my shots show I’m at home. 

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[Chris W]

No.

One of the problems with GPS is that it's being used by most tech apps to track where we are 24/7.

If you upload your photos to the Leica app, why wouldn't Leica collect the GPS data to see how often you shoot, where you shoot and which locations are the most popular for photography. I prefer to remain more anonymous.

[pippy]

On 12/12/2022 at 4:21 AM, Einst_Stein said:

...I wonder how do you like GPS?...

In a car with Sat-Nav? Absolutely.

In a camera? Not even remotely useful. Complete and utter rubbish. What a waste of money/space/materials/power/everything else.

Philip.