Nikon GPS units

Nikon GP-1

A rather new and sophisticated accessory is the Nikon GP-1 global positioning system. The Global Positioning System (GPS)* is a space-based global navigation satellite system that provides reliable location and time information in all weather and at all times and anywhere on or near the Earth when and where there is an unobstructed line of sight to four or more GPS satellites. It is maintained by the United States government and is freely accessible by anyone with a GPS receiver. In cases of emergency - however - that same government can shut down the whole system!

*GPS was created and realized by the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) and was originally run with 24 satellites. It was established in 1973 to overcome the limitations of previous navigation systems.

How does it work?

The Nikon GP-1 can be attached via the accessory shoe of a Nikon digital camera, or - if that shoe is used by e.g. a flashlight - you can clip it onto your clothes or camera strap. The cable (see below which one fits which camera) has to be plugged into the relevant camera plug, enabling you to ad geotags to your images, so you can record latitude, longitude, altitude and time information. In the exif data of your Nikon View software you'll see these data.

The GP-1 can be attached via a cable GP-1-CA10 to the Nikon digital SLR cameras D2x, D2Xs, D2Hs, D3, D3X, D3S, D200, D300, D300S and D700; via cable GP-1-CA90 to the Nikon D90 and D5000. Via a USB cable it can be connected to any PC.

Beware of the fact that the Nikon GP-1 (as nearly all other GPS devices) works in the open field/water, only!! Indoor use (building, cave, tunnel, even afforested areas) will obstruct any connection with satellites. The GPS module must have free access to the satellites above us.

When starting the GP-1 the GPS module need approx. 45 seconds (cold start) to search for satellites and download data. When already in use a ‘warm start’ will take 5 sec. only. As long as the GP-1 is in operation every second it will contact the satellites. Even if you’ve shut off your camera the GPS module will remain standby up to three hours. In the menu of the camera you have to choose the GPS feature. In the upper LCD screen of the camera you will see a GPS sign.
The GP-1 has three status lights: a little blinking red light indicates that the GPS module is searching for contacts and downloading data; a blinking green light indicates that there is contact with at least 3 satellites; a permanent green light indicates that 4 or more satellites have been located. It may be clear that 4 or more satellites will increase accuracy. Each time you are taking a picture relevant data will be stored on the memory card. All data can be seen in the EXIF toolbar (see GeoTag button) of Nikon View NX. A map (borrowed from Google Maps) will show you the location. The geographical coordinate protocol is WGS84.
If the GP-1 will fail to connect a satellite it will use and/or indicate the last position kept in its memory.

The time used in the geotag data is very accurate as the Global Positioning System is using an atomic clock. The time registered by GPS devices is UTC (Coordinated Universal Time - in military circles aka 'zulu time'). UTC is almost equal (less than 1 second) to GMT (Greenwich Mean Time).

BTW: Nikon digital SLR cameras mentioned above may be connected (via cable Nikon MC-35) to other GPS systems (Garmin eTrex-series, Magellan SporTrak-series) as well, as long as these systems are using the National Marine Electronics Association (NMEA)0183 (version 2.01 and/or 3.01) protocol.

Nikon GP-N100

This little and very light (21 gram!) GPS unit has been made specially for the Nikon 1-series cameras, introduced in September 2011. It has more or less the same features as his taller brother, although it has an A-GPS switch for a very fast start-up (3 sec.)! This GPS unit may be fitted into the accessory shoe without further connectors and/or cables. All data will be shown in the EXIF-files or downloaded via USB-interface.