Geotagging with the Sony a7RIII and PlayMemories Mobile!
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- Опубліковано 4 жов 2024
- Gone are the days of using my old Garmin Fenix to create tracks, that I then had to convert to GPX files, that I then had to import one-by-one into Lightroom, to then sync to each photo I took on that shoot. No more!
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Do you geotag your photos? If so, let me know what method you use!
Thanks James. I have the newest version of the Playmemories Mobile app, on an iPhone X, but it doesn't display the Location Information Linkage section. Also, I can't get the camera to pair with with my phone; neither seems to see the other. Did you do anything to prep your camera and phone for this video? Were they previously connected via your wifi? Any suggestions?
Update: I found the Sony help page for this. If you don't see the Location Information Linkage section, you need to jump through quite a few hoops, including one step that involves downloading a special camera-specific file to your phone. Here's the link:
Weeird! Thanks for providing that link Robert. I believe it showed up for me the first time but I do remember having to spend a few minutes figuring it out.
Hi James: What I have been doing is to take a photo with my phone at the same location. Your phone will usually have the date/time synced to local, so make sure your camera is also set to the local time or zone. Then import the pics from both camera and phone into Lightroom. The camera will have the geotags already, then select the corresponding camera pics and sync them in Map. Done, quick and easy.
Yep, I've done something similar, but I'm sort of OCD about it and want the photo to be tagged in the exact spot I was standing. So I'd take phone pics to get close, then move the pin on the map to the correct location if my memory of the place were still in tact, haha.
Thank you very much for the excellent video on an over complicated process. The manufacturers could not have made this more complex if they tried. Come back Steve Jobs, we need you now more than ever. Thanks James.
Thanks to you I can now geo tag on my Sony A7III
Thanks for your help this was great.
Very Helpful. Thanks a lot!!!!!!!!
Great tip and great video explaining it, James. Thanks for sharing!
Perfect!! I thought I got a defective unit as I kept trying to link my iphone and the a7iii via iphone's bluetooth setup and my iphone never sees the camera!! Thanks so much!
Excellent ! It was easy and well explained.
Thank you ! :)
Actual tutorial starts @3:15
So technically this camera does not have a built-in GPS receiver. It gets geo coordinates from a paired smartphone that has a GPS receiver as long as the time is in sync.
5D Mark IV does it without the need of a smartphone. Its GPS receiver locks on satellites extremely fast. It takes only a few seconds regardless of how far I've traveled with the camera switched off (GPS off when camera is off). I just have to give it a few seconds to make sure it has "seen" the satellites before taking pictures.
this works only if the app is on, i wish there a way if already taken pics could get geotag after connecting to smartphone
Wow, this was very helpful. Thank you for sharing.
My pleasure, cheers!
Thanks James! Anything more on the a7riii would be appreciated! Patty and I both have one.
Awesome Carol! Isn't it amazing? I'm in love. Will definitely be creating more so stay tuned.
Hi! Just switched to from Canon to Sony with the a7iii. Trying get my head around some of the features. I found your Bluetooth connection video very helpful and easy to follow, another useful feature sorted. Thank you.
One thing to add, you need to go on the actual Playmemories settings on the phone and tap to allow Always. Otherwise, it won't recognize it.
Does the app need to be on while using the camera for it work?
Yes, or at least running in the background. But is not like syncing it to use the camera remotely. The nice thing is that once you set up the camera as long as it is near it recognizes it and loads up the location.
Thanks a lot for the instructions! Between the camera menu being complete voodoo and the app esoteric at best I was struggling to get the pairing to work :). Cheers!
Very helpful video, thanks!
Thank you a lot - just what I was looking for 👍
hey I was wondering, I have an old sony alpha 33 from 2010, I love the idea of geolocalization. Obiusly on those days gps bluetooth or wifi on cameras weren't available. Is there a hardware you can connect to add GPS on an old camera? I know its a weird idea, but just guessing
Thanks James been using a hx90v for travel camera last few years and love the geotag.
Such an important part of the photo for me,quick example we were fishing off a small boat in the yasawa islands right on sunset a huge school of fish started taking our bait. Took a snap of the fish. Barman akatour guide that nightfrom the mother cruise ship, says to me the next day wow what a great ref spot but i dont were it is, got the gps info the camera. He wrote it down on a bar matt. Blue lagoon cruises fiji check it out. Looking at rx100m7 for new travel camera, play memories will do the trick nicely.
Play Memories is EXTREMELY IMPORTANT
For the following reasons.
1. Time saving with creating
A. Timelapse
B. Correcting distortion
The Sony R series has the potential to be a content creators dream, because it is now in 2021 all about story telling.
Sony has good pictures and good video, so to complete the production it is important Sony R series cameras to at least have the option of Play Memories.
It is now very important for cameras to have access to similar apps that are avaliable on Smartphones, these benefits will include but not be limited to the following.
1. Complete in Camera Production
2. Provide completion to the smart phone
The customer will save money if they can complete their production within the camera.
Moreover having android as a operating system would enable the camera to have Unbeatable features which combined with Sony image and Video quality, is an unbeatable package. Thus enhancing brand loyalty and leading the way into the new modern era.
Nice tutorial. Thank you.
thanks James!
Cool
hello is there a way you can install play memories on the A7R4.........thank you
The thing is it only tags the first image. Do you have a solution for that?
Very Cool, this feature also works with the new Sony DSC-RX10 IV, really saves the syncing later in Lightroom with iPhone pictures taken in same location. I will be testing this out in Costa Rica and Panama using unlimited data via iPhone on their Verizon's TravelPass ($10/day). will carry along a booster charger for iPhone incase having this paired location feature activated drains the phone battery faster than anticipated.
Good luck in Costa Rica and Panama Pat, let us know how it does with battery life!
Even the successor has no onboard GPS. What are these manufacturers thinking!
great video!
does it require manual setup every time it is switched on?
I'm sure it will re-establish connection automatically when switched on. Just be sure bluetooth is enabled on both devices.
Thank, James! Your video is a year and a half old, but it still helped me.
I'd heard that the PlayMemories app was pretty worthless for geotagging on the fly, so I never tried it. I just connected my a7Riii to the latest Android version of Imaging Edge and tested it to find it worked just as you show in your video.
Have you tried it in the field? In a few days, I'm heading off on a nine-day expedition to the wilds of southern Utah and eastern Nevada. I would like something I can rely on. Is Imaging Edge reliable? Thanks again.
Thanks
what about altitude information?
It truly is a wonderful feature that I love ... but ... the big snag is on my a7iii set up for geotagging via my iPhone is the Sony's battery life is reduced to about thirty minutes. How does your a7RIII handle the BT power drain? Or is there a solution?
thanks worked great
Hi James. I own the Sony A7riii and an Iphone 6+ (IOS 11.1.2). I downloaded the PlayMobileApp, activated bluetooth, but "Location Information linkage" does not show on my iphone? Why is that? Do you have an answer? Thanks Michael
I believe you'll need to link the camera to the app first, through wifi. So you'll have to do the bit where you scan the QR code on the Sony with the PlayMemories app. After that, it should give you the option. Let me know if that works!
Same issue, where on the Sony is the QR Code located? The box? I gave that a shot and I got a "not compatible code" alert. Am I looking in the wrong place?
I was able to find the QR Code on the camera. I just tried to send photo to camera and eventually was able to get the code that way. Hope this helps someone.
Glad you got it sorted out Heddrick. It's not the most intuitive process is it?
Not at all. Perhaps I've been spoiled with "plug and play" but this was dreadful by comparison.
is there a way to perhaps plug in the SD card and just view the spot on a map? Or you have to manually enter those coordinates?
Does the BT stay connected when the camera or phone go to sleep during your walk? Do I assume rightly that if you switch the camera off to change lenses you need to reconnect?
Great video James! Does geotag work for videos as well?
Thanks. I have Sony A7III and Sony A6500. Can I get geotagging at both or do I have to go into the program and change every time?
What about Sony A7...What would you suggest? Is there a way to connect it with iOS / Playmemories during importing? No simpler way that you did with the Lightroom?
Thanks for the guide! How much does it affect the battery of the camera? And of the phone?
Bluetooth in general is a very low energy consuming technology so I doubt it uses much. My concern would be iPhone constantly pulling GPS data but I'm pretty sure it's doing that anyway with other apps. I haven't used the feature for an entire days shoot to compare yet but I'll let you know when I do. I doubt it will be an issue though!
Great video! Thanks! Once you've paired both devices, do they automatically connect from that point onwards until you stop them or do you need to re-pair them all the time?
It should repair automatically as long as the app is open!
@@JamesBrandon Does this mean you should keep the app open when you shoot? What if you have an hour-long shooting session during which you keep the phone in your pocket all the time? Doesn't the iPhone close the app automatically after some time, breaking the geolocation stream? Thanks!
Thanks for your video. So if you're in the mountains and you don't have cell phone service does the geo-tagging still work, I'm assuming not, just a question. Thanks again!
I had a bit of trouble keeping the connection going in Hawaii over the past few weeks but still trying to sort out what was happening. It did work in several areas without cell service though.
hows the wireless tethering to a ipad feature is it fast? do you drop connection?
I haven't tried it yet. I've got an iPad but it spends 99% of its life as a toy for my kids now, haha.
Hey do you every find that it doesn’t connect. I have the app open and turn the camera on and the app just says “searching for camera” I keep trying to find the pattern. Sometimes it works sometimes it doesn’t! It’s driving me crazy! What do you turn on first? Does it always connect for you or does it take a long period of time?
Great video suggestion. Do you know if there is a similar app that's compatible with Nikon?
SnapBridge
So does this mean you get no location info if it's not paired?
Question: Once that initial setup is done, will it just work whenever the phone is nearby?
Android phone version of Play Memories will not pair with blue-tooth it wants wi-fi . Not sure why the difference ?
Turn off your WiFi because it interferes with Bluetooth, then re-try it. That worked for me.
Is it suposed to record Altitude too? I get Latitude and Longitude. But no Altitude?
Just coordinates I believe.
Hi James. Thanks for the great video! I have both an A99ii and an A7Riii and I'd like to pair them both. Do you know if that's possible- to pair both of them simultaneously and then just have Iphone (Playmemories mobile app) connect with whatever phone happens to be in range? I shouldn't ever have both of them on and in range at the same time. Any help would be appreciated! Thanks
Sorry, I meant to say whichever camera happens to be in range.
As long as the A99ii has the ability to link up to the app it should work! I don't have that camera so I can't test it but it should just work so that whatever camera you turn on, it will link to that one and tag the photos. Cheers!
it does have the ability. same setup as you demonstrated in your video. The problem is, it doesn't seem to want to let me add a second camera. I think if I deleted the pairing info for the first one I could add the second one, but it doesn't want to seem to let me add a second one
oops. my bad. forgot one step. all connected now! Thanks again
Video starts at 3:16
This instruction does not really help:
1. There is no Bluetooth option on Android
2. The WIFI connection between Android and A7RIII is difficult to establish
3. Camera and Phone drag a log of battery when connected and logging
4. There are conflicts between Bluetooth and WiFi used at the same time
5. Generally, the connection is very unstable
6. For every new shooting the camera must be reconnected ... and the chance is great that the connection could not be established.
In the garden it may work but not during a travel with limited access to electricity.
Ata Lipsos No problem on my Android, Samsung Note 8. All Android phones I have owned in the last 5 years have Bluetooth. It works fine.
Ata Lipsos do u mean manual connection every time the camera is switched on?
I have a question: Did you ever experience any heat up or camera getting warmer while using only photos not videos? I am new to Sony and i thought they already dealt with that. Or is it normal that mirrorless camera get such warm temp once it is used for more than 30 min.. thanks
Hey Sheif, no I've never experienced that, not with just taking photos. What camera are you using?
Hey James, i am using Sony A7R3.
Ok, thanks for the heads up! I haven't experienced that on mine. Were you running it pretty hard? As in, shooting 10FPS bursts for an extended amount of time?
James Brandon actually no, i was only going through menu set up but within one hour of operation and another time in a shoot in a museum where random casual shots were taken. The camera did not give me any indication of any sort of over heating except that is getting warmer in my hand. I am used to Leica Q where no such thing I would feel and Nikon needless to say
Weird! I'll ask around but I haven't noticed that at all on mine!
You waste half the video time telling us what you NO LONGER DO. Why would we care about that???
You then bring up both screens (camera and iPhone) and refer to "now go here" without bothering to say which device you are referring to?? You also skip important steps. Like where the heck is that "location settings" you refer to??? I wandered over both devices, trying this and trying that.
I finally found it was easier to just use the Help on the camera, which told me what to set and in what order. MUCH clearer that this video... :(