Nikon and GPS information page

nrChris · March 19, 2006

I'm trying to make a comprehensive collection of links to info on GPS and Digital photography--particularly with Nikon DSLRs. It is a work in progress, so feel free to email me with additions, corrections, or arguments.

I plan on keeping the page updated and hope to make it into a premiere information portal for GPS and photography. Feel free to check it out:

http://www.nrchris.com/gps.htm

Thanks!

-CF

chuckice · March 19, 2006

nrChris wrote:

I'm trying to make a comprehensive collection of links to info on GPS and Digital photography--particularly with Nikon DSLRs. It is a work in progress, so feel free to email me with additions, corrections, or arguments.

I plan on keeping the page updated and hope to make it into a premiere information portal for GPS and photography. Feel free to check it out:

http://www.nrchris.com/gps.htm

Thanks!

-CF

Thanks for the info...I just went thru the headaches of getting a D200 & MC-35 & Magellan Meridian to speak. It wasn't too hard actually but I'm guessing if your gps knowledge is minimal then the D200 + MC-35 manual will leave you wanting. Once working tho it's such a nice feature...

docwalker · March 19, 2006

Getting the dang MC-35 was my biggest hassle. I had the GPS and have been using it for years. I tried it out once this week and it is sooo easy to use.

docwalker · March 20, 2006

While you guys are researching this, please keep an eye out for information on using a DB-9 serial to Female USB converter. I have a USB GPS that I would like to connect to the serial port of the MC-35. Almost all of the current production GPS units have USB connectors now so eventually Nikon will have to create USB version of the MC-35.

On second thought, that might be the reason they are so hard to find right now. Maybe they are getting ready to release a new version.

I was thinking about which GPS units to use and an idea came to me. My Nextel phone has a GPS. It will output NMEA. I have the data cable to reprogram the phone and connect it to a computer for GPS use. But, it is also a USB connection. So I will still need to research the connector.

DoctorIt · March 20, 2006

Yo Chris awesome work!

Docwalker - I had always assumed the MC-35 would be USB capable! That's really hard to believe! So the only GPS units you can use with it are the ancient ones? Wow!

docwalker · March 20, 2006

Sadly that is the case at this time. I have 4 units that are older so I will keep them around.

I would rather use them for connecting to a camera. I will use a newer unit to navigate with. While researching, I see that Garmin has finally figured out that users want removable memory. So they are going to utilize the microSD chip. If Magellan would only give up on proprietary batteries. Magellan has had removable memory for years.

I use GPS devices for SAR and other life or death uses. I will not use a device that only has proprietery batteries if I can help it. I even have a AA battery holder for my cell phone. If I need power I usually have something else around that I can scavenge batteries from (flashlight, battery pack from my camera, flash unit...)

nrChris · March 20, 2006

One of the forum threads mentions using a standard USB to serial adapter to patch the GPS to the MC-35. (They came with older PDAs--I have one from an old Palm) Not sure if they were succesful or not, but after work I will double check and get back to you. For my needs a basic eTrex and serial cable will do nicely.

I would like to be able to dispense with the $100 cable though--but we're stuck with that one.

-CF

DoctorIt · March 20, 2006

nrChris wrote:

One of the forum threads mentions using a standard USB to serial adapter to patch the GPS to the MC-35. (They came with older PDAs--I have one from an old Palm) Not sure if they were succesful or not, but after work I will double check and get back to you. For my needs a basic eTrex and serial cable will do nicely.

I would like to be able to dispense with the $100 cable though--but we're stuck with that one.

-CF

So did you get a GPS unit yet? I'm willing to travel to test this stuff out with my Garmin unit.

limbik · March 20, 2006

Wow, thanks for working on this, I was just looking for this info the other day.

I do hope Nikon comes out with a USB version of the MC-35 soon.

rainforest1155 · March 20, 2006

Your page looks like a good link collection for starters.

Here's a thread where someone asked for GPS devices and I presented the lowcost device I'm using very successfully.

There I also pointed to a tool description I use to convert different formats of GPS data into the one I need.

Keep up the good work,
Sebastian

nrChris · March 20, 2006

Thanks everyone. I have, and will continue to incorporate feedback and additional info to the page.

Erik--Think I'm going to sell the D70 and pickup a GPS and lens with the funds. Something in me is intrinsically opposed to buying a $100 cable though....

-C

limbik · March 20, 2006

nrChris wrote:

Thanks everyone. I have, and will continue to incorporate feedback and additional info to the page.

Erik--Think I'm going to sell the D70 and pickup a GPS and lens with the funds. Something in me is intrinsically opposed to buying a $100 cable though....

-C

Yea, $100 for a serial cable is crazy... There must be a way to homebrew a usb version.
I can find 232>USB ICs, and the pinouts, but where the heck can you get those darn 8/10 pin round plugs?

docwalker · March 21, 2006

They cost about $100 dollars... You buy an mc-35 and cut it off the end

D

DoctorIt · March 21, 2006

limbik wrote:

Yea, $100 for a serial cable is crazy... There must be a way to homebrew a usb version.
I can find 232>USB ICs, and the pinouts, but where the heck can you get those darn 8/10 pin round plugs?

the end that goes in the camera? What's it look like? I can dig around in some of the catalogs in the lab.

nrChris · March 21, 2006

It is a proprietary 10-pin connector. But a $10 Adidt remote release off of eBay and salvage the connector--not as nice (no screw lock) as the Nikon, but it will do. I think it is more complicated than just soldering some wires together though--gasp--circuitry is involved!

-CF

DoctorIt · March 21, 2006

nrChris wrote:

It is a proprietary 10-pin connector. But a $10 Adidt remote release off of eBay and salvage the connector--not as nice (no screw lock) as the Nikon, but it will do. I think it is more complicated than just soldering some wires together though--gasp--circuitry is involved!

-CF

See Limbik's reply 2 posts above here... if he knows what IC we need I can order it all and we can give it a whirl. I already have the cheapo remote release, by the way, I'd be willing to sacrifice it in the interest of "let's do it!".

Limbik, you got yer ears on? What are the parts we need?

nrChris · March 21, 2006

I am onboard--I would like to be in a position to offer a cheaper, smaller, slicker--version of Nikon's cable on a limited basis. Erik--we should go into business. I am sick of working for a living!!

-CF

DoctorIt · March 21, 2006

nrChris wrote:

I am sick of working for a living!!

me too, but i don't like eating Ramen noodles all that much... maybe we should pick a slightly bigger market?

docwalker · March 21, 2006

Sign me up as a beta tester :-) I have a real need for this.

Also, have you guys read the discussion in DPreview? Someone there took an MC35 and modified it to work with a GARMIN GPS18 unit. It is very small and looks to work. I would do it but I have not done any soldering or electrical work on a regular basis for several years. I did solder 2 connections on the radio dispatch console a few weeks ago but it ended up looking like crap. Luckily it is inside the protective boot. :-)

Please let me know what I can do to help.

limbik · March 21, 2006

DoctorIt wrote:

me too, but i don't like eating Ramen noodles all that much... maybe we should pick a slightly bigger market?

:food good idea

I'll hopefully have my D200 in a week or two, I've got one more Canon lens to sell before I'm ready to make the switch, but I'll order two of the cheapo remotes instead of just one.

There is a guy making his own version that is not exactly an mc-35, and not any cheaper, but somehow he managed to find a bunch of the genuine connectors:
http://www.schneordesign.com/Avi/F100/diy_05.htm

Either way it would be nice to have a longer cable off the camera so the circut box can sit in a bag with the gps. I sure wish we could just use the interface usb thats already on the camera... :pissed

limbik · March 23, 2006

I'm still up in the air about going to the darkside, so I got thinking about a cross-platform solution to this. Does anyone know of a simple software utility that can write GPS data into the exifs on a disk?

Here is what would be ideal: Software for a pocket pc (since most pocket PCs have a compact flash and SD slot, and have GPS connectivity) that could read the live GPS coordinates from whatever device is connected to the pda and write that data into the exif for files on either CF or SD cards inserted.

Or if this is available for a standard windoze machine it could be used with a laptop, but its really something that needs the responsiveness of a dedicated device. Thoughts?

docwalker · March 23, 2006

WWMX and a couple others do similar things. I never felt that was a solution for me. I either want the bulk geo function in the SM interface, StarExplorer, or the camera. As SM is busy, SE does not have the ability to modify geo data yet, that left the camera. :-) So I got the camera. Good luck going the software route...

limbik · March 23, 2006

docwalker wrote:

Good luck going the software route...

Its not high on my list... But may be my only option, I agree on camera is far better.

rainforest1155 · March 23, 2006

limbik wrote:

I'm still up in the air about going to the darkside, so I got thinking about a cross-platform solution to this. Does anyone know of a simple software utility that can write GPS data into the exifs on a disk?

Here is what would be ideal: Software for a pocket pc (since most pocket PCs have a compact flash and SD slot, and have GPS connectivity) that could read the live GPS coordinates from whatever device is connected to the pda and write that data into the exif for files on either CF or SD cards inserted.

WWMX Location Stamper is probably the only free tool that I'm aware of that works hassle-free so far. Give it a try.

Apart from that - have a look at the links I posted earlier in the thread. One of them links to a thread where I described my experience with a really low-cost GPS-device (~120 US$) that takes SD cards to record raw NMEA data which you can then convert to GPX (with the tool I linked in the second link) and have the track with a map displayed in WWMX.

Hope this helps,
Sebastian

limbik · March 23, 2006

WOW... So let me get this straight, I turn on the GPS, throw it in the bag, ignore it, don't worry about wiring it to the camera, and then when I get home I download a log from the GPS and stamp all the photos exifs with GPS data automagically by syncing with the time of the photo?

rainforest1155 · March 23, 2006

limbik wrote:

WOW... So let me get this straight, I turn on the GPS, throw it in the bag, ignore it, don't worry about wiring it to the camera, and then when I get home I download a log from the GPS and stamp all the photos exifs with GPS data automagically by syncing with the time of the photo?

I don't know if this is any different with other GPS devices, but I think it's the case that you can't throw them into a bag unless you got an external antenna, because they need to 'see the sky'.
Unfortunately you can't connect an antenna to the device I use, but I've bought a very cheaper strap-holder from Garmin which fits it perfectly and attached it to the shoulder strap of my bagpack - works great most of the time as long as there's enough sky visible.

But basicly it's like you summarized. It just depends on how long your trips are - the built-in battery lasts at least 8-9 hours, but you can increase this time by a lot if you switch the GPS off when you don't need it for a while.

Sebastian

limbik · March 23, 2006

Wow, I'm sold. Forget this crazy homebrew gadget madness I think I'll spend more time taking pictures...

Here are the 232-USB chips I was looking at in case any of you go this route:

http://www.ftdichip.com/Products/FT232BM.htm

Here is an interesting thread on dpreview:

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1021&message=16094121

nrChris · March 23, 2006

Thanks for the links, limbik. I have updated the resource page with them.

-Chris

Nikon and GPS information page

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