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The camera (even the regular model) does not have its own GPS receiver at all. It relies on a smartphone to transmit GPS coordinates over Bluetooth. This is pr

The camera (even the regular model) does not have its own GPS receiver at all. It relies on a smartphone to transmit GPS coordinates over Bluetooth. This is pretty common in modern cameras, presumably because most photographers expect to be able to turn their cameras on and off very rapidly, and it would be difficult to maintain a GPS fix with that usage pattern.

ryukoposting 3mo ago
I don't think it's impossible. We aren't talking RTK here, you should be able to get a usable fix quickly. You also have some other advantages. For starters, the GPS coordinate doesn't need to be taken at the exact instant the photo is taken. If it takes a second to get the coordinate, that can be done in the background while the photographer continues to do their thing. Another advantage is that people never hold their cameras upside down, so the antenna can be pretty directional.
- trashb 3mo ago
  > people never hold their cameras upside down I'm not to sure about that. I rarely keep my camera (close to) fully horizontal.
  - teh64 3mo ago
    Also for macrophotography when you want to have the camera very close to the ground on a tripod, upside down is often used.
  - RobotToaster 3mo ago
    Turning your camera upside down is an old trick to see over crowds, since the viewfinder is now at the bottom.
    - stavros 3mo ago
      This trick is also used extensively in submarines.
  - ryukoposting 3mo ago
    You don't have to. There are GPS satellites along the horizon too. As long as it isn't literally upside down.
- someonebaggy 3mo ago
  Getting a GPS fix from the satellites alone with no internet connection or stored data takes a few hours, not seconds. First you have to listen to the very slow data channel that tells you where the satellites are that takes a few hours to transmit the complete set before repeating.
  - RobotToaster 3mo ago
    I'm no expert on GPS, but once you have the stored data it's good for several days isn't it? So after the first fix it shouldn't be too onerous.
    - someonebaggy 3mo ago
      That works for phones (and you can download it from the internet if out of date). It doesn't work for cameras which are usually turned off until you want to take pictures.
      - RobotToaster 3mo ago
        All I know is I've never seen the GPS module for my 10+ year old Pentax k30 take more than a few minutes to get a fix after months of having the battery completely removed, and it has no network connection.
      - throw0101a 3mo ago
        > It doesn't work for cameras which are usually turned off until you want to take pictures. The GPS almanac is valid for 180 days, so if you can save it (it's 15000 bits, ~1.8 kB), and keep time within ±20s and assuming a position of ±100km of your last fix, you can do a "warm" start with-in a minute: * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_to_first_fix https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_to_first_fix A completely cold start takes less than 15 minutes. And yes, cameras are usually turned off, but they do still trickle some power to keep the on-board clock going: so as long as you use your camera once every six months, and in the same city, there's a good chance you'll get a quick fix.
  - xocnad 3mo ago
teh64 3mo ago
Well Nikon has a GPS module (Nikon GP-1, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikon_GP-1 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikon_GP-1) for the hotshoe that does work, so I dont think that is the issue. Also at least on my D850, turning off the camera does not turn off the bluetooth automatically, and it can sync photos to the smartphone while the camera is off, so depending on how much power GPS would use, it could be possible to have it run in the background. And turning it off keeps some things running anyway, like showing the number of photos still available, so coordinates could be saved for a little while after turning off.
- galago 3mo ago
  I had a GP-1 at one point. It would take several seconds to get a GPS lock, so about a third of the time my images had no GPS or I had to wait for the light to indicate it was working. Not very practical in my case. Also it connected via an awkward cable.

ryukoposting 3mo ago

I don't think it's impossible. We aren't talking RTK here, you should be able to get a usable fix quickly. You also have some other advantages. For starters, the GPS coordinate doesn't need to be taken at the exact instant the photo is taken. If it takes a second to get the coordinate, that can be done in the background while the photographer continues to do their thing. Another advantage is that people never hold their cameras upside down, so the antenna can be pretty directional.

trashb 3mo ago
> people never hold their cameras upside down I'm not to sure about that. I rarely keep my camera (close to) fully horizontal.
- teh64 3mo ago
  Also for macrophotography when you want to have the camera very close to the ground on a tripod, upside down is often used.
- RobotToaster 3mo ago
  Turning your camera upside down is an old trick to see over crowds, since the viewfinder is now at the bottom.
  - stavros 3mo ago
    This trick is also used extensively in submarines.
- ryukoposting 3mo ago
  You don't have to. There are GPS satellites along the horizon too. As long as it isn't literally upside down.
someonebaggy 3mo ago
Getting a GPS fix from the satellites alone with no internet connection or stored data takes a few hours, not seconds. First you have to listen to the very slow data channel that tells you where the satellites are that takes a few hours to transmit the complete set before repeating.
- RobotToaster 3mo ago
  I'm no expert on GPS, but once you have the stored data it's good for several days isn't it? So after the first fix it shouldn't be too onerous.
  - someonebaggy 3mo ago
    That works for phones (and you can download it from the internet if out of date). It doesn't work for cameras which are usually turned off until you want to take pictures.
    - RobotToaster 3mo ago
      All I know is I've never seen the GPS module for my 10+ year old Pentax k30 take more than a few minutes to get a fix after months of having the battery completely removed, and it has no network connection.
    - throw0101a 3mo ago
      > It doesn't work for cameras which are usually turned off until you want to take pictures. The GPS almanac is valid for 180 days, so if you can save it (it's 15000 bits, ~1.8 kB), and keep time within ±20s and assuming a position of ±100km of your last fix, you can do a "warm" start with-in a minute: * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_to_first_fix https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_to_first_fix A completely cold start takes less than 15 minutes. And yes, cameras are usually turned off, but they do still trickle some power to keep the on-board clock going: so as long as you use your camera once every six months, and in the same city, there's a good chance you'll get a quick fix.
- xocnad 3mo ago

teh64 3mo ago

Well Nikon has a GPS module (Nikon GP-1, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikon_GP-1 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikon_GP-1) for the hotshoe that does work, so I dont think that is the issue. Also at least on my D850, turning off the camera does not turn off the bluetooth automatically, and it can sync photos to the smartphone while the camera is off, so depending on how much power GPS would use, it could be possible to have it run in the background. And turning it off keeps some things running anyway, like showing the number of photos still available, so coordinates could be saved for a little while after turning off.

galago 3mo ago
I had a GP-1 at one point. It would take several seconds to get a GPS lock, so about a third of the time my images had no GPS or I had to wait for the light to indicate it was working. Not very practical in my case. Also it connected via an awkward cable.