Casio releases EX-H20G Hybrid-GPS and EX-Z16
Casio release 2 new consumer cameras for Photokina.
“Casio introduces the Exilim EX-H20G, a camera for traveling that employs a Hybrid-GPS system to track your position, even while indoors, against map data stored in the camera's internal memory. When used with the Single Frame SR Zoom function, the wide-angle 24mm optical 10x zoom lens actually offers a 15x zoom range that maintains the image quality needed for 14 Mp photos. At the same time, Casio announces the entry-level 12 Mp EX-Z16 with 3x optical and a dedicated movie button with YouTube capture feature…”
Here's the question for you, our listeners/readers…
How important is GPS to you? Is this something that you would buy a camera for?
Also how important are panorama functions?
We'll talk about it more on the show…
I like the GPS in my camera. I take a lot of photos while on cruises and out in the middle of the ocean there are no markings to identify where you are. The GPS provides a nice little map to track location on while on the trip, as well as for once back home.
GPS is important to me in a camera, but would probably not sway my choice in the face of many other factors. Same with built in WiFi, I’d love to have it in my next camera, but it is not the primary factor in the purchase.
All things being equal, the GPS option would tip the balance (as in I want it). Otherwise, it’s not a huge factor.
Panorama functions are interesting, but not really anything I care about. If a camera had something particularly compelling, I would certainly try it, but I don’t think it is something I would use with any regularity.
I used to think I wanted GPS in my camera. In fact I started out with the AMOD 3080 dongle and HoudahGEO and then sent tons of feedback to Ubermind when they were doing their plugin. Then I got the GPS adapter for my Nikon…and they all sit in the drawer. Most of the time, if really critical placement is not necessary I just snap a reference pic with my iPhone and let Aperture tag the rest. Otherwise it’s the AMOD device and sometimes I get around to tagging, sometimes not.
I don’t have a lot of experience, but the Nikon system drains the batteries pretty fast. I wouldn’t pay extra for a GPS in-camera, and I certainly would like the ability to turn it off.
GPS is very important to me. I was using Mapature to roughly map photos manually in Aperture 2 and began using Aperture 3 to do the same on the day it launched. I was using my older iPhone and now am using my iPhone4 to grab reference locations when needed.
I also use an iPhone app called Trails. By making sure that my DSLR and iPhone’s times are matched up I can use Trails to record a track of hikes, kayaking and photowalks and then export a gpx file to Aperture. Aperture syncs up all the photos taken during the hike perfectly based on the time codes. It’s a simple yet quite accurate process, doesn’t require any extra hardware and only cost me a few dollars.
Trails is worth a look if you’re interested in this stuff. You choose between “profiles” Jogging, Hiking, Biking and Driving and have control over the Accuracy, maps settings, background recording, units, etc. You can basically tell it to not load any maps (no data being used constantly) and turn on background recording, start recoding, leave the app and do whatever else you need to do with the phone during the walk. No worries about taking a phone call or checking the weather. Great app for this.
So between using the iPhone for reference, manually mapping with places and tracking with Trails I have geo tagged every image and video that I have created in 2010. That’s a lot by the way : )
I think it’s incredibly useful. Like Joseph said on the show last week… Between keywords, rating and geo tagging I can tell Aperture to show me all my favorite images of my son that were taken in my back yard over the last however many days, weeks, and months that I want. It’s beautiful.
I for one will be adopting any and all technology that I can use to organize my photos in ways that will make them easier to locate years and years down the road.
Some features are “toys” – a youtube option is up there with the ability to directly upload to your friendster or geocities space, and then submit it to altavista. Having geotag info in the metadata of my images is something that could be very useful now and in the future.
Key to me though is the ability to take good quality photos, easily. Everything else is on the nice to have list. Would not having something like a panorama option or GPS stop me from buying a camera? No, as there are workarounds – if awkward – to do this on any camera…. so it only comes into play if I was chosing between two cameras that were otherwise exactly the same. 🙂