Doh! It's got GPS!

Mellow

Joe
Admin
Joined
Dec 1, 2004
Messages
18,897
Age
60
Bike
'21 BMW R1250RT
2024 Miles
000540
Okay, on my recent trip... I took a ton of pics and was thinking how cool the gps function would be that some cameras have.

Someone at MNSTOC asked me if the camera had that cool GPS function and I said 'No, but wish it did'.

I was looking at the setting on my Olympus TG-2 camera THIS MORNING - GPS: Off...... Doh!
 

Blrfl

Natural Rider Enhancement
Joined
Aug 24, 2005
Messages
5,601
Age
55
Location
Northern Virginia
Bike
Fast Blue One
STOC #
4837
On a lot of cameras that have it, turning GPS on consumes the batteries like you wouldn't belive.

--Mark
 
OP
OP
Mellow

Mellow

Joe
Admin
Joined
Dec 1, 2004
Messages
18,897
Age
60
Bike
'21 BMW R1250RT
2024 Miles
000540
On a lot of cameras that have it, turning GPS on consumes the batteries like you wouldn't belive.

--Mark
Yeah, I've heard that... this camera I charged a week before the trip and put it in the bike... took around 250 pictures during the week-long trip and it was still at 2 bars on the battery indicator. So the battery is pretty robust to begin with. I may do some testing with it to see how many gps shots it takes to kill the battery.
 
OP
OP
Mellow

Mellow

Joe
Admin
Joined
Dec 1, 2004
Messages
18,897
Age
60
Bike
'21 BMW R1250RT
2024 Miles
000540
or just turn it on before taking pics and off when you are done
well, it's only on if the camera is on... and it comes on in a split second which is why I like this one so much.
 

Blrfl

Natural Rider Enhancement
Joined
Aug 24, 2005
Messages
5,601
Age
55
Location
Northern Virginia
Bike
Fast Blue One
STOC #
4837
or just turn it on before taking pics and off when you are done
Off doesn't always mean off. My Lumix ZS20 will run the GPS even if the camera is off but will stop if it doesn't get a fix for a certain amount of time or the battery level reaches a lower limit. There's a setting that will disable that, but it isn't the default.

--Mark
 
Joined
Nov 16, 2007
Messages
1,372
Location
MURFREESBORO, TN
Bike
18 Gold Wing
STOC #
7285
Off doesn't always mean off. My Lumix ZS20 will run the GPS even if the camera is off but will stop if it doesn't get a fix for a certain amount of time or the battery level reaches a lower limit. There's a setting that will disable that, but it isn't the default.

--Mark
+1 My camera will remind/message you that the GPS is still running even though the camera is off. And yes it does devour your battery very quickly! I keep it disabled and only use it sparingly.
 
OP
OP
Mellow

Mellow

Joe
Admin
Joined
Dec 1, 2004
Messages
18,897
Age
60
Bike
'21 BMW R1250RT
2024 Miles
000540
well, it's only on if the camera is on... and it comes on in a split second which is why I like this one so much.
I stand corrected - from Olympus site:

Does the GPS tracking stay active even when the camera is powered off?

Yes, the GPS is active aquiring location information while the camera is powered off. This allows the camera to have the most current information at all times. To increase battery life while camera is not being used, turn the GPS function off before powering down.
 
OP
OP
Mellow

Mellow

Joe
Admin
Joined
Dec 1, 2004
Messages
18,897
Age
60
Bike
'21 BMW R1250RT
2024 Miles
000540
What does the GPS function do?
Maybe log where it is taken?
Exactly. I have the camera around my neck when riding and snap a ton of shots without stopping... I don't smell the roses, I simply try to document where they are and I'll come back and smell them when I retire in an RV.. LOL

It would be nice to pin point some of them better.
 

T_C

Joined
Mar 8, 2012
Messages
4,338
Location
St. Louis, MO
Bike
2005 St1300
STOC #
8568
Fancy.. even including a compass so you know about wich way you (the camera actually) was facing when the shot was made.
That feature is handy when you are trying to create a log of the journey that references an overhead view like a map.
 
Joined
Mar 7, 2005
Messages
352
Location
Mississippi
Bike
'12 GL1800
STOC #
5308
We use a GPS camera at the office & it gives the location as well as the general direction the camera was pointed when the shot was taken. The main drawback....it will smoke the battery!!

John
 

ST_Jim

In the Hotel California...
Joined
Dec 8, 2004
Messages
581
Location
Simi Valley, CA
Bike
2004 ST1300ABS
STOC #
4829
I've got a Panasonic DMC-ZS7 with GPS. It has three settings: always off, always on, and on/off with the camera. Unfortunately it takes some seconds to get a fix after turn on, so the first shots taken will have the last location stamped unless I wait a while. So when I want to GPS stamp photos I'll simply set the GPS to always on and throw the camera in the tankbag - fortunately I have spare batteries. :D

Examples of what the "Map This" button on SmugMug shows:
http://maps.smugmug.com/?feedType=geoUser&Data=JimHenke

Unfortunately I've got some dust inside the camera lens - I kind of hate to buy a new one, but it's kind of irritating on clear skies or oceans.
 
Joined
Sep 4, 2013
Messages
8,191
Location
Cleveland
Bike
2010 ST1300
I read an interesting article about the gps function in cameras. This information (location) is included in the meta data for each and every picture. If the pic is posted on the web, hackers (or moderately informed 13 year olds) can download and see this meta data. The thrust of the article was security, and it suggested not using the gps to reveal possessions at home, valuable items, or even pictures of children. Evidently, criminals have used this recoverable location info to track down and harass people and steal from them. I cannot verify this, and don't know if the author was paranoid, but the article appeared in what I would consider to be a reputable publication and he made a convincing argument to be careful.
 
Joined
Sep 18, 2012
Messages
343
Age
75
Location
Central Florida - Orlando area
Bike
ST1300/GSX1300R
I read an interesting article about the gps function in cameras. This information (location) is included in the meta data for each and every picture. If the pic is posted on the web, hackers (or moderately informed 13 year olds) can download and see this meta data. The thrust of the article was security, and it suggested not using the gps to reveal possessions at home, valuable items, or even pictures of children. Evidently, criminals have used this recoverable location info to track down and harass people and steal from them. I cannot verify this, and don't know if the author was paranoid, but the article appeared in what I would consider to be a reputable publication and he made a convincing argument to be careful.
It's one more step toward making our private lives less private. You hear worries about drones overhead spying, and making more laws about drone use here. Anyone with a cell phone can record anything they can see, and post it on facebook or you tube, and anyone with an EXIF program can see where.
 
OP
OP
Mellow

Mellow

Joe
Admin
Joined
Dec 1, 2004
Messages
18,897
Age
60
Bike
'21 BMW R1250RT
2024 Miles
000540
With more information, comes more responsibility.. you have to understand what you're doing... unfortunately, some folks with smart phones are not the least bit technical so can make those type of mistakes.
 
Joined
Sep 4, 2013
Messages
8,191
Location
Cleveland
Bike
2010 ST1300
With more information, comes more responsibility.. you have to understand what you're doing... unfortunately, some folks with smart phones are not the least bit technical so can make those type of mistakes.
Joe, I agree completely. However, I've spent almost 40 years doing a lot of high end residential electrical installations and talking to my customers. Most of my customers - well educated or not, doctors, lawyers, etc, - have only a rudimentary understanding of what their electronic toys can do and can use only a limited number of their capabilities. This applies across the spectrum of audio-visual systems, smart phones, alarm systems, cameras, lighting/dimming systems, you name it. If we toss computers, electronic readers, and tablets into the mix it gets worse. Using your standard bell curve, very few people are technologically savvy, most people know something, and a few don't want to know anything.

I was surprised by the article, and the ramifications of doing something as simple as snapping a picture and posting it on a chat site can be far more than most people expect. Indeed, it is getting more and more difficult to be well informed about the consequences of our actions.
 

ST_Jim

In the Hotel California...
Joined
Dec 8, 2004
Messages
581
Location
Simi Valley, CA
Bike
2004 ST1300ABS
STOC #
4829
Re: Security. Yes, I only turn camera GPS on when traveling, so the location tags aren't too revealing of sensitive information. I turn GPS off when taking home pictures, when I put the camera away, etc.

I've also got a Nikon I can setup to add lines to the metadata - so I have info like "Copyright: James L Henke", etc. But you can readily find software which can edit this kind of information. There have been many instances of people stealing online images for their own use. I usually have my family SmugMug directories password protected, but who knows how secure that really is.

Don't post or otherwise make it available if you are worried about what would happen in the wrong hands. Or better yet don't take the picture in the first place. Including those images of my Garmin 2730 with a top speed recorded!
 
Top Bottom