R5 Geotagging

[HenWin]

I have an R5 that is about 3 weeks old. I have been testing the geo-tagging the last couple of days and I am seeing that it is wildly off. One or 2 images may be correctly tagged, but the large majority are not. Most are more than 1/4 of a mile away from where they were actually taken. Is that because of an issue w/ my phone or something else? How does one determine what's at fault here? (And yes the GPS info from the phone shows up on the camera (Wireless--purple--tab 1, GPS Device Settings, GPS Information Display) when the Canon Connect App is enabled and the cam & phone are "talking" to one another. Thanks for any help you can provide....

[Peter]

If you take pictures with your phone, are the GPS tags in the pictures correct?

[HenWin]

I don't take pictures w/ my phone. I've got a camera for that! 😀

[shadowsports]

Greeetings,

See this KB article for information about GPS support on the R5 using GP-E2 or smartphone.

Canon Knowledge Base - Canon : Product Manual : EOS R5 : GPS Device Settings

@Atticuslake brought up some good points.  

GPS (tagging) reliability is only as good as the signal and connection to / from the smartphone.  

-GPS aquisition can take time and accuracy isn't always stellar.  Geo-Tagging is most reliable when used consistently, from a stationary location.  If you are moving, accuracy can diminish.  When you use a smartphone, the camera must mantain a constant connection for GPS accuracy.  If either device goes to "sleep" or you move, location accuracy can once again diminish.  The aqusition process starts again each time the connection between the the devices is re-established.

We aren't saying this is what's happening in your situation, but that the possibility exists and might explain why you are experiencing inconsistent results.  

The GP-E2 is likely to work better than your smartphone.  I really appreciate this feature which is supported natively on my body.  Canon appears to recognize this as built in support is again present on the R3.  I am hopeful it will be present on the R5c (when released) as well.  Some peope don't care about geo-tagging.  I use it for every shot.          

[HenWin]

Thanks, Rick. I agree. I want it on every shot, too. Having had it on my 5d4, I'm spoiled. I'm gonna see if I can get an GP-E2 eval unit from CPS and see if it'll work better than my phone. If it does--and I expect it will, I'll buy one. GPS doesn't really work inside and I don't need it inside, so I see no issues when I want to use my flash.

[HenWin]

Good question, but I don't even know how to tell (I never use my phone for a photography device).

[AtticusLake]

Your phone is providing the latitude and longitude.  As far as the camera is concerned, this is just a string of bits that gets stored in the picture file.  It's highly unlikely that the camera is changing the data.  So I see two possibilities:

1. The camera's connection to the phone is flaky, and it's using stored, out-of-date information sometimes.
2. The phone is providing bad data.

Both are possible, but 2 is certainly worth looking into.  GPS signals are extremely weak, and if the phone can't update itself, it will continue to use the last location it got -- or even fall back on cell tower location, which is very poor.  (Of course I assume your phone's GPS is actually running, and that the Canon app on the phone has permission for it).

So if your phone has poor GPS signal, that could explain things.  For example, if it's in your pocket, or you're among trees or buildings.  Again, GPS is extremely weak.  I've certainly run into exactly this issue just because of trees -- in my case, it was my smartwatch that was getting an out-of-date and wildly inaccurate location from the phone.

Run a mapping app of some kind (e.g. Google maps) on your phone, and see where it tells you you are.

[HenWin]

1. The camera's connection to the phone is flaky, and it's using stored, out-of-date information sometimes. I don't keep my phone in my pocket. It's in a belt case that is literally within 12 (sometimes 6) inches of the camera. 2. The phone is providing bad data. Both are possible, but 2 is certainly worth looking into. GPS signals are extremely weak, and if the phone can't update itself, it will continue to use the last location it got -- or even fall back on cell tower location, which is very poor. (Of course I assume your phone's GPS is actually running, and that the Canon app on the phone has permission for it). The phone app is correctly set up and running. I have checked on the camera and it shows me location data that is gleaned from the phone--there's no where else it can come from. What I don't know is whether the data is anywhere near correct. The map locations--as supplied by LrC on the Map tab--show the locations as wildly different from where I know I was standing when the images were actually taken. We're not talking off by feet, we're talking off by hundreds if not thousands of feet. It's radically wrong data. I wonder if the Canon GP-E2 will just be "easier" and more accurate? So if your phone has poor GPS signal, that could explain things. For example, if it's in your pocket, or you're among trees or buildings. Again, GPS is extremely weak. I've certainly run into exactly this issue just because of trees -- in my case, it was my smartwatch that was getting an out-of-date and wildly inaccurate location from the phone. Run a mapping app of some kind (e.g. Google maps) on your phone, and see where it tells you you are.