GPS

[Beardedgroundsman]

Having the good old A99, I love the ease of Geo-tagging my travel and landscape photos.

I am still shocked and disappointed that this was the last camera to have built in GPS.

Nowadays, it seems you have to use a separate device or even a smart phone and then mess around via  a computer to record the photo location on your EXIF.

With Sony having GPS technology in place, and the connectors on the Hotshoe of most of the later models why not produce a module that can be simply connected to the camera to record the info without fuss and bother?

I know most people own smart phones nowadays, but one of the joys of landscape, wildlife and travel photography is being "off-line"

If Sony do this, I'll be happy to upgrade to a high resolution FF e-mount, but at the moment I'll just carry on living in the past.

[Beardedgroundsman]

Hey  Guess what!!!.... Sony had a solution to my GPS problem with the Sony GPS-CS3KA unit.

BUT, they've stopped making it - how frustrating is this!

[HannahEd01]

Hi Beardedgroundsman, what is the model of your camera? A99? That shows many possibilities. what is the solution that doesn't exist? Did you try to send it for repair?

[Beardedgroundsman]

Hi Hannah,

I do have the A99 which has perfectly good GPS  built in. Unfortunately, this is the last model to be produced with GPS.

I am now looking for a more modern camera, with the amazing advances in auto focus and sensor technology, but none of them have GPS (for geotagging) and although Sony brought out a separate device, the GPS-CS3, which made geotagging easy by putting your camera's memory card into the device after taking your photos and transferring the information to your EXIF file - they took it off the market!

So, in a nutshell, I am torn between sticking with my A99 with GPS and upgrading to an A7Rii (or higher) but losing the ability to easily geotag my photos.

[Bat_Rick]

Hi Beardedgroundsman, it seems like the only solution now is so use your smartphone to add the location, you can find out how to do this here. I've checked the GPS-CS3 stock availability however no luck finding any unit :(.

[Beardedgroundsman]

Hi Bat_Rick

I know I'm strange, but I don't own a smart phone, and have no other need for one.

I'm looking into the possibilities of a Bad Elf GPS, especially if "Foolography" soon produce a gizmo that plugs into a Sony camera like they have for Canon and Nikon.

It's funny how some technology is ditched before it is improved on - eg: Concorde, SRN4 hovercraft etc etc

[Bat_Rick]

Hi, I believe in this case your only option is to find a used GPS unit, if they are listed on Ebay for example.

[Beardedgroundsman]

I've found out that you can use smart phones without a sim card - therefore not costing anything to run (Can't use for phone, text or streaming) - GPS may only be that - not enhanced from phone masts.

So it looks like i'll be buying my youngest Granddaughters old phone off her - I expect I'll pay over the odds for it! - but that's what grandads do!

[Stanka71]

But it is necessary to install Sony’s app: “Imaging edge mobile” and pair it with your camera.

You have to keep it run this app all time requiring GPS location, can be even minimized on background

Bad thing - sometimes it has issues when using phone for other apps using GPS (have to restart app)

Not your case.

Good thing - really small battery consumption. Flawless autopairing when switching on & off camera during shooting pictures. App in smartphone can run there whole day (personaly tested) 

[Strampke]

Plus that built in GPS on the camera takes it time to find the location.

Smartphones are smarter and therefore swift.