GeoLogTag Review

We’ve already taken a quick look at the GPS data logging GeoLogTag app here, and I said we would be taking a more in-depth look with a field test , in this particular instance in metropolitan London. In case you’re not familiar with the app, or haven’t read the first look, all you need is a digital camera and an iPhone or iPod touch with the app. Synchronize the two, time-wise, open the app and you’re good to go. It’s worth noting that if you intend to take a lot of pictures in a short time-frame you should set the app set to continuous logging.

With the pictures taken, you need only to upload them to a shared folder (so the app can tag the files using the iPhone’s WiFi connection). I named the folder Geotag and selected Sharing from the System Preferences pane. Geotagging is quick and painless (we reviewed version 3.0), taking a minute or two to tag around 100 photos from a folder of 160 pictures in total.

Importing the whole folder into iPhoto produced a duplication of the Jpegs – a safety feature of the app; saving the originals in a separate folder and duplicating the images for tagging. Using simultaneous Raw and Jpeg capture on a Olympus E-P2 the app embedded tagging data in the Jpegs (Exif data) and produced a number of xmp sidecar files to accompany the Raw images.

I took a couple of photos to see if GeoLogTag would log the positional data when on a speeding train (about 70mph max), which it did successfully, courtesy of the Map view in Places, iPhoto.

I took this photo just before going inside The Photographers’ Gallery, London, for the relaunch of the British Journal of Photography magazine, but the pin shows me inside the Gallery. In fairness, this is a pretty good result considering the built-up area I was working in.

As The Photographers’ Gallery is just a stone’s throw from Oxford Circus, and the Apple Store (Apple’s UK Head office is above the shop), I thought I would wander around and take a few shots with the E-P2 (it’s no Nikon D3s but the results at ISO 3200 are fine for web use). Some of the positions, especially in front of the London Palladium (center) are spot-on in terms of location accuracy, though in the narrow alleyways behind, where the stage doors are, understandably positioning is not so precise. Of course, that’s easy to remedy (iPhoto and other utilities allow you to manually move the pins), but it’s an excellent result all the same.

At just $4.99 (£2.99) GeoLogTag is an excellent app and comes highly recommended. Not only may it save it you buying an expensive dedicated device, it’s simple to use and unobtrusive (it’ll save you having a cumbersome contraption connected to your camera). You can even try it for free if you like: the only difference being the free version stores logged locations for 2 hours (as opposed to 90 days for the paid for app). Neat

Website:

http://www.galarina.eu/GeoLogTag

GeoLogTag for the iPhone or iPod touch is sold exclusively in the iTunes App Store and is priced at $4.99. To purchase a copy of GeoLogTag, or download the free version, visit iTunes App Store at:

http://itunes.com/apps/galarina/geologtag