# Geotagging - best method in LR



## RGF (Jun 13, 2013)

Hi

Just curious if anyone does geo tagging of their images which are stored in LR.

I have looked at Canon's solutions and the major drawback is that the GP-E2 (and E1) occupy the hot shoe which limit flash. i guess with 1Dx and 600EX-RT I could go wireless but not with a 5DM3, if I have the flash off the camera.

Any thought how to do this? Is the best h/w the canon GP-E2 or should I get a some sort of GPS unit and simply merge location and image in LR. I don't need to know exact direction, just general location (this park or area of a park).

A not very good solution is to use my iphone in each area of the park but that is awkward and I am sure I would forget.

Thanks

Rich


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## Darlip (Jun 13, 2013)

Not sure about 3rd party solutions with regards to geotagging.

But regarding the GP-E2 I'm quite sure that it doesn't need to be attached to the hot-shoe. I think its enough to attach the carrying bag, with the device, on your belt and keep the USB-cable connected between the device and the camera. 

Another option would be to use Canon AB-E1





On the other hand... If you have a good sense of where you have been and if multiple shots are made in the same location, its quite easy to geotag pictures after import in LR using the mapfunction. Which in the end will save you some money


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## wsheldon (Jun 13, 2013)

RGF said:


> Hi
> 
> Just curious if anyone does geo tagging of their images which are stored in LR.
> 
> ...



If you have a hiking GPS (e.g. Garmin E-Trex) or similar device, you can have it log your track while you're shooting, then use open source software like Geosetter (http://www.geosetter.de/en/) to import the track and then tag all your photos at once. It generates xmp sidecar files that are automatically picked up by Lightroom. Matches are based on GPS time and photo time, so it's best to sync your camera to the GPS clock before going out, but you can apply offsets after the fact when necessary.

A few years ago I picked up a handy GPS logger optimized for photography for about $60 (GisTEQ PhotoTrakr - http://www.gisteq.com/PhotoTrackr/phototrackr-dpl900.php). It's basically a rugged USB key you turn on and stick in your pocket, then tag you photos later as just described. Software stunk but the hardware worked well, but it looks like it was discontinued. Too bad.


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## iKenndac (Jun 13, 2013)

As the poster above me said, you can get a standalone GPS unit and keep it in your bag. However, you don't need third-party software — Lightroom (and Aperture, if that's your thing) can import files from these devices directly and geotag photos with them.

I have a 6D now so I'm set, but before I used a rugged Garmin device I also use for hiking and bike riding. It's a bit clunky, but there are little standalone devices like this.

Finally, you can get apps for your phone that do this now. They'll drain the battery, though, but if you're only out for an hour or two they'll be fine. The key thing to look out for is the creation of GPX files — if you have a device or app that generates GPX files, they can be imported straight into Lightroom or Aperture without any extra software.


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## ookkerpak (Jun 13, 2013)

Have a look at this: http://www.geotagphotos.net

Yes, it's not the same as having a dedicated GPS-device for your camera, but it's actually quite fast and easy to use. And the battery consumption can be controlled via adjusting the "refresh-rate" of your coordinates.


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## Maxaperture (Jun 13, 2013)

ookkerpak said:


> Have a look at this: http://www.geotagphotos.net
> 
> Yes, it's not the same as having a dedicated GPS-device for your camera, but it's actually quite fast and easy to use. And the battery consumption can be controlled via adjusting the "refresh-rate" of your coordinates.



I use this software, and I must say, it's superb. Start the log recording, set it to tag anywhere from every two minutes upwards, and stop at the end of your shoot. Then just mail the log from within the application to your PC/Mac, and import into Lightroom. It's flawless, and so simple, I love it.
Also, surprisingly, I use it on my iPhone 4, and even a 5 hour log, used only 25% of the battery, which is pretty much the usual battery life for a 3 year old iPhone.


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## RGF (Jun 14, 2013)

Maxaperture said:


> ookkerpak said:
> 
> 
> > Have a look at this: http://www.geotagphotos.net
> ...



Thanks!!


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