Secret Hvar Offroad Tour

Just returned to Hotel Amfora in Hvar, Croatia after a great day out seeing 'Secret Hvar' by 4x4 with very informative guide 'Simon' ( easier to say than Sinisa). His enthusiasm and his local knowledge about Hvar were first rate. 

Used a Panasonic Lumix GF1 with Sony GPS data logger to capture tour photos and videos. Once back at hotel it was a simple task to put the SD memory card from the camera into the Sony GPS which geotagged all the images using the times of the photos to select the nearest location in the Sony GPS track log with the location data then being placed in each photos EXIF file on the SD card. 

When I get back from the trip it will be easy to upload the photos ( now containing geotags in their EXIF files) to my PC and then onto SMUGMUG which is my chosen web photo storage site which allows display of geotagged images on web maps using the 'Map this' function. Simple when you know how!

- Post from Hvar, Croatia

Lumix FT3 - rugged compact with GPS versus Nikon P6000

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FT3 eventually arrived and it has been tested over the summer. The GPS functionality is stunningly good compared to my older (but not actually old) Nikon P6000. The GPS lock is very quick. This contrasts starkly with the over 5 minutes of messing about trying to get the Nikon to lock on to the satellites. I have a method that I will share in a separate post as the Nikon P6000, although far from ideal as a GOS logging travel camera, can be put to good use if surveying an area without turning of the GOS tracking after lock on is achieved.

The Lumix FT3 also improves on the P6000 when tagging GPS location by confirming the nearest town name from an internal database. This increases personal confidence in the GPS accuracy significantly - and it works really well.

Of course, on one level, it seems odd to compare a viewfinderless FT3 with the prosumer P6000 and indeed the viewfinder on the P6000 is very good in bright sunlight. Despite the bright rear screen on the Lumix FT3 it can still be a struggle to see the screen image well enough to be sure of getting the shot you want in bright sunshine. More of a hit and miss affair. But when all is said and done, the Nikon P6000 was purchased as a GPS Travel Camera and at that particular job it is frustratingly poor because it is impossible to jump out  of the car or bus and take a quick, GPS tagged shot of a beautiful scene. So the P6000 must go and for quick geotagged photography, the Lumix FT3 excels. The Leica brand lens translates to pin sharp and bright photos. I haven't tried the Lumix FT3 underwater yet - but it is definitely rain proof.

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FT3 digital compatc camera is truely a recommended carry everywhere GPS Travel Camera. 

Cyclopark in Kent - geotagged images of development

I recently had the opportunity to geophotograph the new cycling facility development in NW Kent, UK called Cyclopark.

The images can be seen here:

http://imagesoutheast.smugmug.com/



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Panasonic FT3 rugged GPS compact now shipping in UK

Murphy's Law I guess - what can go wrong will go wrong - surely true with geotagging. Forgot to synchronize camera and datalogger time? Summer time discrepancy ? All the photos on one spot on the map? Well in this case it is the news that the new Panasonic FT3 ruggedness GPS travel camera will be shipped by Amazon the day AFTER we returned from Paris!

I'll have to find another UK location to test out the FT3.

Still no sign of the Panasonic FT3 due March 2011

The UK is havng some excellent Spring sunshine at the moment. That only makes it worse that the FT3 rugged compact with GPS built in is still not being shipped here. Must be delayed by the sunami problems in Japan. Just a guess but I understand that Panasonic factories are near the area affected. So, the Easter test of the FT3 will have to wait. Shame.

New Panasonic Waterproof Camera with GPS - FT3

Currently waiting for the new FT3 Panasonic compact to arrive. Was scheduled for March release but Japan's sunami problems must have delayed the launch date. It's currently scheduled for delivery during April by Amazon UK.

What makes this camera stand out for me? Well my go to camera at the moment is the excellent Panasonic GF1. True it doesn't have built in GPS but with my Sony GPS logger it still makes for the most compact travel camera with close to DSLR quality images. I was so impressed that I seriously considered selling all my Nikon DSLR kit.

Back to the FT3. As a potential replacement for my Nikon P6000 (GPS) camera it has pros and cons:

Pros: Smaller, lighter, hopefully quicker GPS satellite lock, waterproof, shockproof, full HD movie and 3D shooting, built in altimeter, compass and barometer.

Cons: One handed shooting not as secure, no data upload via ethernet cable, no ability to add lens attachments for super wide or telephoto.

It all comes down to how the camera is to be used. Now I have a GPS logger with the GF1 it is not a huge difference in size from the P6000 to take out for serious travel photography or survey work. So, the FT3 is a better choice to have in the backpack/pocket/briefcase for those moments when you see great photographic opportunities but that wasn't the primary mission. Looking forward to testing the FT3 out on a travel trip to Paris.

The blog about cameras with GPS for travel