The Canon GP-E2 Now Shipping

[Canon Rumors]

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From B&H
A couple people have written in to inform me that their Canon GP-E2 have been listed as “shipped” from B&H. The GP-E2 is the hot-shoe and/or GPS accessory for the 1D X, 5D Mark III and 7D (USB only).

The GP-E2 is $269 at B&H

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[Jason Beiko]

I currently use the Amod GPS receiver which works quite well.  However, if this project works well then it would also be a good purchase and would cut out an extra software step.  The price also seems reasonable.  I suppose one of the drawbacks is that it can't be used with a hotshoe flash?

Addendum---- looks like it can also work with USB

[samkatz]

I find the price for a GPS chip to be obscene. Really, $269.00 for this one trick pony. There's no reason why it can't be built in to the camera.

[stoneysnapper]

Samkataz, I agree, there's little reason why the technology cant be built in, its in most compacts these days. However if you think $269 is expensive, try living in the UK. This Unit is costing £299 ($464) at Warehouse Express, one of the largest photographic online retailers in the UK, at $269 that works out at £175 at $1.55/£. Thanks fully I am making a trip to NY in October and a visit to B&H beckons....

[JoeDavid]

I currently use the Amod GPS receiver which works quite well.  However, if this project works well then it would also be a good purchase and would cut out an extra software step.  The price also seems reasonable.  I suppose one of the drawbacks is that it can't be used with a hotshoe flash?

Addendum---- looks like it can also work with USB

I received one today.  It can be used with a hotshoe flash but you have to connect it with one of the two (short and long) USB cables.  BTW it only works in the hotshoe with the 5DM3 and 1DX.  You get partial functionality with the 7D but it has to be connected via USB since it can't communicate through the hotshoe on that camera...

[donsullivan]

I currently use the Amod GPS receiver which works quite well.  However, if this project works well then it would also be a good purchase and would cut out an extra software step.  The price also seems reasonable.  I suppose one of the drawbacks is that it can't be used with a hotshoe flash?

Addendum---- looks like it can also work with USB

I also have an Amod that I've been using the last year or so and was always frustrated by the workflow necessary to synch the data together in Aperture. I received my GP-E2 last week and had a chance to use it quite a bit over the weekend on my 5D3. I really like the fact that I just import my shots into Aperture and all my location data is just there without any extra steps at all. That reduction in workflow alone is worth the investment for me. It's not for everyone but I don't regret the decision at all.

[Ew]

I too used the AMOD for about 6 months. Though it worked well the biggest issue for me ended up being having yet another device which needs to be charged. The track sync workflow is a bit cumbersome but workable.

But! Last year I found an app (iPhone) called geoTagr which simplified the task.  I seem to have good if not ore precise data from this app than the AMOD. It definey starts recording quicker (AMOD always took a while too track and connect to satellites - and it always had a tough time keeping connections in big cities - Tokyo, NYC, Hong Kong).

With geotagr its quick, and it has simple track management - and easy exports. Allowing you to set gps tags from the app via folder share, or just email it to yourself and import into aperture / LR.   Simple. No wires, no Bluetooth glitches.

There are a few different ones out there for Android/iPhones/winMobile, so take a look. And for 2-10$ it's usually a good deal.

Wonder how good the response/sensitivity of the Canon unit is.

Regardless, this really should be part of the standard body kit (as long as we can turn it off - as it's easy to forget to strip excess metadata when needed).  I'll stick w geoTagr for now.

[UrbanVoyeur]

Regardless, this really should be part of the standard body kit (as long as we can turn it off - as it's easy to forget to strip excess metadata when needed).  I'll stick w geoTagr for now.

+1
Or at the very least, Canon should build it into accessory battery grips. GPS technology is dirt cheap. $269 is obscene.

[71sbeetle]

My b&h order still shows back ordered

[donsullivan]

I tried the iPhone approach at the very beginning of my quest for a solution but was not a fan of how fast it killed the battery. That's what drove me to the Amod so I could ensure my phone would work all day when I was shooting. 

Given that experience I was really glad that the GP-E2 doesn't use the camera battery so my shooting isn't impacted by the GPS. If the battery in the GP-E2 dies I only loose recording the GPS data on the photos but the camera is not impacted at all otherwise. If I'm shooting at home or other private location I don't have to remember to turn the feature off, I just don't mount it on the camera and I don't have any privacy issues.

[faif]

I received the GP-E2 on 30th April from Amazon in Germany. It works great on my 5D3. It is only a little bit too large and would like to have a smaller Version like the GP-E1 on my 5D3.

[BillyBean]

However if you think $269 is expensive, try living in the UK. This Unit is costing £299 ($464) at Warehouse Express, one of the largest photographic online retailers in the UK, at $269 that works out at £175 at $1.55/£.

This really is an outrageous markup, even allowing for the VAT and everything.

I really want this thing, but it's a scandalous price in the UK. May give importing a whirl - even with the VAT and duty and shipping, it cannot be that much...

So please, my American friends: I love you dearly, but please stop bitching about $3500 and $269. It's starting to get annoying ! 

[marvinhello]

Will this GPS device benefit video recording?

[Caps18]

Why can't Canon learn from Apple and just make something that "Just Works".  If my iPhone can have a GPS receiver built in, and there are pocket cameras with GPS built in, why isn't it built in to all of their DSLRs?  If the photographer is worried about battery life, they could switch it off.

It is ridiculous what you have to do in order to get real time GPS values into the metadata on the 5Dm2...

[donsullivan]

Why can't Canon learn from Apple and just make something that "Just Works".  If my iPhone can have a GPS receiver built in, and there are pocket cameras with GPS built in, why isn't it built in to all of their DSLRs?  If the photographer is worried about battery life, they could switch it off.

It is ridiculous what you have to do in order to get real time GPS values into the metadata on the 5Dm2...

I'm guessing they don't build it in because the vast majority of people could not care less about this feature. Most of the photographers I've spoken with who use similar equipment don't understand why I care about this feature and have no use for it.

For the very, very small subset of the community that does want it, there are solutions available that are improving with each generation. When I had my 5D2 I had to use the data-logger approach and it drove me crazy but now with the 5D3 it's a cleaner solution that works a lot better for me.

Every single product any company makes is about a selection of features that they emphasize and features that they de-emphasize. You cannot put every feature that every potential customer might want in every product; you'll end up with something nobody likes and nobody can afford. It's not unreasonable to conclude that Canon's market data suggested that while there is a portion of the market that desires this feature it's not one large enough to warrant building it and it's associated costs into every device. They chose a balanced approach where the feature is available for those who want it but most who do not are not required to pay for it.

It's also not clear to me whether there would be problems with the GPS signaling if the antenna were put inside of the magnesium body as opposed to the external plastic case. I'm not a radio engineer by any stretch but radio signals don't typically go through metal all that reliably.

I won't debate the cost topic because that is a subjective for most and it's either worthwhile for you or it isn't. Of Course I would like it to be less expensive (like everything else I purchase) but the workflow benefit it's providing are worth the investment for me.