UK: good London camera shops

On 03/04/2012 15:21, Chris Malcolm wrote:
Joe wrote:

I'd love to have GPS in-camera, but could work around that with a
separate GPS logger.

My smartphone has GPS. When I want a photographic GPS fix I simply
photograph the GPS display. The advantage of a separately controllable
GPS display is that I can adjust it to precisely what I want,
including when inside a building when GPS fails to work, or when the
ref I want is what I'm pointing the camera at, rather than where the
camera is.

Err... I shot 287 photos this morning, I seriously do not want to edit
the EXIF data for each of them manually.

So no, photographing my phone is not a viable option.


--
Illegitimi non carborundum

On 2012-04-04 09:45:32 -0700, Joe Kotroczo said:

On 03/04/2012 15:21, Chris Malcolm wrote:
Joe wrote:

I'd love to have GPS in-camera, but could work around that with a
separate GPS logger.

My smartphone has GPS. When I want a photographic GPS fix I simply
photograph the GPS display. The advantage of a separately controllable
GPS display is that I can adjust it to precisely what I want,
including when inside a building when GPS fails to work, or when the
ref I want is what I'm pointing the camera at, rather than where the
camera is.

Err... I shot 287 photos this morning, I seriously do not want to edit
the EXIF data for each of them manually.

So no, photographing my phone is not a viable option.

I use my D300s together with the GP-1. I leave it turned on all the
time I am using my camera and been quite satisfied with the results.
Inside buildings I am able to get an occasional fix, so to ensure that
I have a location fix on any particular building I might be shooting
inside, I take a reference shot, either before entering, or on exiting
the building. Adding that GPS information to the EXIF is a simple
matter using LR or Bridge as a batch action for the set of interior
shots without a fix.

I see you are a Mac user, so if you open these samples in Preview and
use the "Inspector" you will be able to access the GPS data, and have
the location shown on a map.

So here is a D300S shot with GPS data included in the EXIF:
http://db.tt/t6KU9Z4V

....and one where the GP-1 was still able to get a fix even though it
was taken under cover;
http://db.tt/ThPnQ7UD

--
Regards,

Savageduck

On 2012-04-04 11:44:53 -0700, Savageduck said:

On 2012-04-04 09:45:32 -0700, Joe Kotroczo said:

On 03/04/2012 15:21, Chris Malcolm wrote:
Joe wrote:

I'd love to have GPS in-camera, but could work around that with a
separate GPS logger.

My smartphone has GPS. When I want a photographic GPS fix I simply
photograph the GPS display. The advantage of a separately controllable
GPS display is that I can adjust it to precisely what I want,
including when inside a building when GPS fails to work, or when the
ref I want is what I'm pointing the camera at, rather than where the
camera is.

Err... I shot 287 photos this morning, I seriously do not want to edit
the EXIF data for each of them manually.

So no, photographing my phone is not a viable option.

I use my D300s together with the GP-1. I leave it turned on all the
time I am using my camera and been quite satisfied with the results.
Inside buildings I am able to get an occasional fix, so to ensure that
I have a location fix on any particular building I might be shooting
inside, I take a reference shot, either before entering, or on exiting
the building. Adding that GPS information to the EXIF is a simple
matter using LR or Bridge as a batch action for the set of interior
shots without a fix.

I see you are a Mac user, so if you open these samples in Preview and
use the "Inspector" you will be able to access the GPS data, and have
the location shown on a map.

So here is a D300S shot with GPS data included in the EXIF:
http://db.tt/t6KU9Z4V

...and one where the GP-1 was still able to get a fix even though it
was taken under cover;
http://db.tt/ThPnQ7UD

BTW: for some strange reason viewing the GPS data in Safari has Google
Maps place the location in the middle of the Yellow Sea for all shots???
This seems to be an issue with Safari & Google Maps. However, if you
save the image via "right click" and then open in Preview or any other
viewer or editor capable of reading EXIF+GPS data, all will be
revealed. LR & Bridge also do a good job.

--
Regards,

Savageduck

Err... I shot 287 photos this morning, I seriously do not want to edit
the EXIF data for each of them manually.

So no, photographing my phone is not a viable option.

I carry a Garmin GPSmap 60CSx, and use GeoSetter to add the GPS info
later. Integrated in the camera would mostly be better.

http://www.geosetter.de/en/

Cheers,
David

David J Taylor wrote:
I just bought a lens from Jessops because I couldn't find it cheaper
on-line (from a UK seller). I noticed too that the Jacobs shop next
door was selling it at the same price.

--
Chris Malcolm

So what's your new lens, Chris?

Sony 35mm f1.8 because my 50mm is a bit annoyingly long for a general
purpose wide aperture snapper. Reviews suggest an optical quality
bargain.

I find the service in both shops similar, although Jacobs has a more
up-market stock range.

And they seem more likely to have useful accessories like pouches,
straps, hoods, etc.. Jessops is annoyingly likely to have run out of
stock or have stopped stocking whatever small accessory item I
wandered in looking for. I get the impression whoever does their stock
control doesn't know any photographers.

They let me try a £1000+ pair of Leitz binoculars,
and while they were definitely better, I ended up with the £30 half price
manager's special from Jessops!

I think Jessops have always been good for cheap small and handy
binoculars and monoculars.

I got my 18-200mm Nikon from John Lewis,
mail order, and the 35mm f/1.8 from Jessops, mail order. Most recently I
was in Jacobs looking at the Panasonic micro-4/3 with 14-140mm, and
finding it not /that/ much smaller or lighter than my present Nikon 5000 +
18-200mm DSLR kit.

You're looking for something smaller and lighter with similar image
quality? I'm waiting for something not much bigger with much better
image quality :-)

--
Chris Malcolm

Bruce wrote:
"David J Taylor" wrote:
"Bruce" wrote in message
. ..
"David J Taylor" wrote:
Most recently I
was in Jacobs looking at the Panasonic micro-4/3 with 14-140mm, and
finding it not /that/ much smaller or lighter than my present Nikon 5000
+
18-200mm DSLR kit.


You must have had your eyes shut:
http://camerasize.com/compare/#185,214

Add the lenses.

The Panasonic lens is a whopping 100g lighter than the Nikkor (19%),
is 7mm smaller in diameter (10%) and 13mm shorter (13%). All of these
are substantial differences. Frankly, I doubt that you even made the
comparison.

Then consider that I would have to spend over £1000, and
likely gain nothing in high-ISO capability. The relatively small total
size and weight reduction doesn't currently justify the financial and
other losses.

Perhaps you should just tell the truth and say you couldn't afford to
make the change. There is no shame in that. However, you should be
ashamed that you lied about the size and weight difference between the
cameras and lenses.

Calm down. He made a qualitative subjective claim. I might agree with
your claim of "substantial difference" if you were talking about one
thing being 10% to 20% *of* the size and weight of another, but in
terms of carrying convenience I think 10-20% *less* rather than *of*
to be a trivial difference. Stuffed in a backpack along with other day
out gear I'd probably not even notice it.

--
Chris Malcolm

Joe Kotroczo wrote:
On 03/04/2012 15:21, Chris Malcolm wrote:
Joe wrote:

I'd love to have GPS in-camera, but could work around that with a
separate GPS logger.

My smartphone has GPS. When I want a photographic GPS fix I simply
photograph the GPS display. The advantage of a separately controllable
GPS display is that I can adjust it to precisely what I want,
including when inside a building when GPS fails to work, or when the
ref I want is what I'm pointing the camera at, rather than where the
camera is.

Err... I shot 287 photos this morning, I seriously do not want to edit
the EXIF data for each of them manually.

Every one from a different GPS location? I often shoot 100 shots from
(or of) effectively the same GPS location. So locating them is a batch
job. What's more, I rarely want to locate all of my shots, and my
keeper rate is a small percentage of my shot rate.

So no, photographing my phone is not a viable option.

For the above reasons I find it a trivial extra. And I much prefer the
extra precision of a manually adjusted location rather than whatever
vague reading a GPS system might cough up on the spot. In city
"canyons" or wooded valleys for example GPS can be seriously
misleadingly far off.

--
Chris Malcolm

On 04/04/2012 23:53, Chris Malcolm wrote:
Joe wrote:
On 03/04/2012 15:21, Chris Malcolm wrote:
Joe wrote:

I'd love to have GPS in-camera, but could work around that with a
separate GPS logger.

My smartphone has GPS. When I want a photographic GPS fix I simply
photograph the GPS display. The advantage of a separately controllable
GPS display is that I can adjust it to precisely what I want,
including when inside a building when GPS fails to work, or when the
ref I want is what I'm pointing the camera at, rather than where the
camera is.

Err... I shot 287 photos this morning, I seriously do not want to edit
the EXIF data for each of them manually.

Every one from a different GPS location? I often shoot 100 shots from
(or of) effectively the same GPS location. So locating them is a batch
job. What's more, I rarely want to locate all of my shots, and my
keeper rate is a small percentage of my shot rate.

No, groups of 4-6 on each location. Did I mention that I am a location
scout?


--
Illegitimi non carborundum

[]
Sony 35mm f1.8 because my 50mm is a bit annoyingly long for a general
purpose wide aperture snapper. Reviews suggest an optical quality
bargain.

I have the Nikon DX (APS-C) format 35mm f/1.8, and it worked well for the
task in hand (photographing aurora).

And they seem more likely to have useful accessories like pouches,
straps, hoods, etc.. Jessops is annoyingly likely to have run out of
stock or have stopped stocking whatever small accessory item I
wandered in looking for. I get the impression whoever does their stock
control doesn't know any photographers.

I guess both Jessops and Jacobs have to stock whatever head office wants
to push.

I got my 18-200mm Nikon from John Lewis,
mail order, and the 35mm f/1.8 from Jessops, mail order. Most recently
I
was in Jacobs looking at the Panasonic micro-4/3 with 14-140mm, and
finding it not /that/ much smaller or lighter than my present Nikon
5000 +
18-200mm DSLR kit.

You're looking for something smaller and lighter with similar image
quality? I'm waiting for something not much bigger with much better
image quality :-)

--
Chris Malcolm

Most of my images are presented on 2-3 Mpix displays, not printed 20 x 16
inch. A4-size prints (when I use them) are adequate with a relatively low
number of pixels, so our needs in image quality differ. Many of the lens
imperfections can either be corrected in camera, in the software or are
too small to affect image quality on such displays, so my main requirement
is good performance at higher ISOs, given that I don't take a tripod
round, and tend to be taking photos where either the event is not
repeatable, or I'm with a group and photos are not a priority, so time for
photos is very limited.

Having to carry the kit all day means that size and weight do matter, at
least to me. Having looked at the micro-4/3, I'm appreciating all the
more what a good compromise, for me, the low-end APS-C DSLR and 18-200 mm
zoom are.

Cheers,
David

Joe Kotroczo wrote:
On 03/04/2012 15:21, Chris Malcolm wrote:
Joe wrote:

I'd love to have GPS in-camera, but could work around that with a
separate GPS logger.

My smartphone has GPS. When I want a photographic GPS fix I simply
photograph the GPS display. The advantage of a separately controllable
GPS display is that I can adjust it to precisely what I want,
including when inside a building when GPS fails to work, or when the
ref I want is what I'm pointing the camera at, rather than where the
camera is.

Err... I shot 287 photos this morning, I seriously do not want to edit
the EXIF data for each of them manually.

So no, photographing my phone is not a viable option.

Record a GPS track with a GPS logger. If your camera has a
working and sort-of accurate clock, external programs can merge
the data automatically.

Alternatively, there are on-flashshoe GPS units that record a
snipped of the raw GPS signal. They're good for 1000 or 2000
shots (internal memory); however they need proprietary software and
proprietary internet databases to decode the recorded (not decoded)
GPS data and match it to the shots. However, AFAIK, it takes 10
minutes for the first match and 5 minutes for additional matches.
(but that's from what I read). On the other hand the units don't
need any time to aquire a GPS signal and work instantly from cold
power-off state.

-Wolfgang