Geotagging photos

[grahamgorilla]

I really like geotagging photos and in the past I've used separate applications like Geosetter to do this. When I recently bought an A7M3 which claimed it was capable of pulling geo location information from a connected phone, I was pleased by the idea that I wouldn't have to do this manually. I was concerned however, that the process might not be reliable or cumbersome. I don't think I read a report where folk said it worked well - usually just the opposite. Well - I hope I am not speaking too soon, but I have found the geotagging process incredibly easy. Once its all set up (paired with my Samsung S9+), all I need to do is to switch the camera on, ensuring my phone is in bluetooth range, and the location information is available to the camera within a few seconds! Nothing else to do. I don't need to explicitly run the Imaging Edge Mobile app on the phone - it appears there is a process running in the background on the phone constantly looking for the camera. This is a very low energy process, I have not noticed any difference in phone battery drain.

Maybe earlier versions of the camera firmware and Imaging Edge Mobile were a little more shaky, but it all works really well for me. Thumbs up to Sony on this one.

Graham

 

[Drewid]

On a separate note I've turned my Geotag off my cameras as I often photograph my spaniels and they are becoming hot property amongst the thieving community.

 

[Exploridaho]

From an outdoor perspective, I still think Geotagging is a bad idea.
Glad your happy with the software but I urge caution when geotagging fragile areas or culturally sensitive areas.
The Instagram hordes rarely respect the lands or rescources as they should.
Just my 2 cents

 

[grahamgorilla]

Hi Greg - I think I was just trying to say that the software solution, which has been much maligned in the past, works well for me. Personally, I think the moral issue you refer to is a separate to the technical process of geotagging. As highlighted in the article: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/...y-not-to-use-geotagging-overtourism-security/, geotagging can indeed be a social problem if not used responsibly. Personally, I geotag my photos for future reference, so I can be more sure of where they are recorded. I don't use Instagram at all and openly publish only a small number of the photos I take. Living in NE of the UK means its rather difficult to access truly fragile areas on our planet, or to visit culturally sensitive areas - so I don't have too many worries.

But, I have to agree that the indirect or accidental damage to the world we live in because of photos published on social media may be an issue for a small number of tourist hotspots.

Cheers
Graham