Selecting a GPS
This page describes what to look for when purchasing a GPS for GeoTagging Photos.
The most important feature of any GPS for geotagging photos is a long track log memory. Some GPSes can hold 2000 track points while others can hold 10000 track points. The higher the number the better and larger numbers are required if you will be away from a computer for a long time (even just a few days). Unfortunately, this can be difficult information to find since it is usually not a major selling point. I can’t even find that information on Garmin’s web page.
I purchased the Garmin Etrex Legend because it can hold 10000 track points and was a good price point. Plus it is well supported by the World Wide Media Exchange tools. Garmin makes a whole line of Etrex models, each with different features. The Legend was a nice compromise because it also has memory for maps and has most of the features that interest me in a GPS. There are more expensive versions with colour screens, more memory, or barometric altimeters and such. They all have my vote.
As much as I purchased the GPS for GeoTagging, having the maps was a great feature when we went to New Zealand shorly after I purchsed it. I found this site that had free detailed maps of New Zealand for the Garmin GPS. That alone is worth getting a Garmin because this data would cost hundreds of dollars if purchsed for any GPS unit. It was very cool being able to make our way through back streets and finding points of interest just by looking at the GPS. Not exactly important for GeoTagging, but still fun.
Word of Caution
I don’t know about other GPS units, but with the Etrex Legend, and I assume other Etrex models as well, if you save the track log to one of the 10 or so storage locations that data will become useless for GeoTagging. The saved track logs lose the time stamps that are so important for GeoTagging. I did this right after purchasing the GPS when on a trip to New Zealand and Australia. We were away for so long that I wanted to save as much track information as I could before I got home. It wasn’t until I got home that I realized the saved logs had no time stamps.
What I eventually did was load the track logs into the WWMX Location Stamper and drag and drop the photos to about where they were taken. Unfortunately, the WWMX Location Stamper will not load track logs without time information. Fortunately, the GPX file is a text file and easy to edit. I was able to manually insert timestamps into the track log (the actual times are not important, but they have to be increasing). It was a pain, and I will never using the track log save slots again, but now you know and won’t make that mistake.
August 1st, 2006 at 2:17 am
Great web site – I too have caught the geo-tagging bug!
I’ve found the Garmin geko 301 really good for geo-tagging because it outputs both the location and compass direction on its serial port in NMEI format. I don’t use waypoints or tracks to take geo-photos, instead I log the data from the geko serial port into a data logger I made called a GeoTagger. Works a treat. See http://www.jelbert.com/geotagger.jpg for a pic
With WAAS enabled I get down to 3M accuracy. For me, a geo-tagged picture is only complete if you have location AND direction information with it.
Richard
August 23rd, 2006 at 9:17 am
Ok, I am going by what you have said and I am going to buy the same GPS to take with me on my trip to Ecuador next month. I will let you know how I make out
Thanks for the great site
Paul
August 23rd, 2006 at 10:29 am
I have just discovered the Etrex Legend CX and it looks like an great choice. I will try to write up some more information about it. It is more expensive than the Legend but can write the track logs directly to a removable memory card as a .gpx file. This means that the track logs can effectively be an unlimited size AND it writes them out in the best format.
September 16th, 2006 at 1:29 pm
Remember that GPX does not allow you to transfer the direction information so if this is important then you’ll need another solution.
Richard
October 8th, 2006 at 12:30 pm
I am trying to use Wintec WBT100 to geotag my pictures, it is a little bluetooth GPS unit with build in track recorder, the track can be easyly exported to GPX and other formats. And the battery last 10 hours. I am just having problems with the software to geotag the pictures. The free choices do not work properly for my, so I am starting to think of RoboGEO.
October 19th, 2006 at 6:08 pm
Just buy a data logger to attach to your GPS. The DGPS-XM4 records over 390,000 trak points and its battery lasts for 10 days continuos use. http://www.gps-datalogger.com/
November 26th, 2006 at 8:56 pm
Between myself and a few friends, we own a myriad of gps unit,
chartplotters, and fishfinders. All of us have noticed the lousy
visibility of these units when trying to view them in direct sunlight.
One of my buddies stumbled across a gps accessories
site that offers sun visors (or shades if you will) specifically made
for these units. I have purchase several of these for my units and can
tell you that they definetly help quite a bit. I don’t suppose there’s
a perfect solution for this problem, but if anyone knows of one, let me
know.
June 29th, 2007 at 4:42 am
gps data logger…
Hi. Thanks for the good read….
August 27th, 2008 at 1:22 am
thanks a lot for this nice explanation, since I’m starting to think about buying a GPS for geotagging. do you have any update about what would be a good one, with a good cost? thanks again!
April 3rd, 2009 at 11:23 pm
The Microsoft support says my Garmin Etrex Vista doesn’t have the date stamp. My tracks are saved to the 20 storage registers, then made into GPX files later. I am going to get data from many gps operators with different models.
Are you all saying that only one track can be taken between downloads and not saved to a register before it is downloaded to their computer, so it will not loose it’s date stamp?
We have several hundred miles of trails to inventory and take photos of junction signs.
February 15th, 2010 at 12:56 am
Regarding loosing Date/Time when saving a track as GPX: there is a work-around for the Etrex Legend HCX with SD-card.
- Configure the Etrex to save your tracks on the SD-card
Main Menu -> Tracks -> Setup -> Data Card Setup -> select “Log track to Data Card”. Use it for a while and record and save your track(s) as usual.
- Plug the Etrex into a computer using the USB cable but do NOT use MapSource to import the tracks.
Connect to the computer as a drive: Main Menu -> Setup -> Interface -> USB Mass Storage.
- Open Explorer and open the new diskdrive “Removable Disk”. In the window on the right you have al your saved trackx as YYYYMMDD.GPX files. Copy (drag) them to you Harddrive.
Proceed with these files as usual for geotagging photos, editing in MapSource or whatever use you may have. These .gpx files are not filtered but are actually “Active Log”-files, with date/time data etc.