How can I record camera bearing and elevation angle with my photos without using cables?
Asked 12/29/2013
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I need to document not just where each photo was taken, but also the direction the camera was pointing: compass bearing and ideally the angle above or below the horizon at the moment of exposure. I’d prefer not to replace my current camera, and I already handle GPS location separately with a handheld GPS and timestamp/EXIF merging.
My requirements are:
- no external cables
- weather-resistant if possible
- compact, ideally hot-shoe mounted
- timestamped orientation data that can be merged later
- angle means pitch/elevation angle, not altitude above sea level
Is there a practical accessory or workflow that can capture this orientation data reliably?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
12y ago
2 Answers
6
There exists certain cameras which record this information automatically. The Pentax line of DSLR cameras from at least as far back as the K-5 have saved pitch (elevation) and roll (inclination) angles in its EXIF metadata from accelerometers in the body.
When used with a Pentax O-GPS1 addon (hotshoe mount) or with any model with built-in GPS (such as the K-3 II), you also get the yaw or bearing (direction you are pointing) angle from a magnetic compass, (true North) the speed (km/h) & heading (direction you are moving, true north) and the GPS latitude/longitude/altitude data in the EXIF metadata. the O-GPS1 operates on 1× AAA battery (Alkaline, Ni-Mh, or Lithium).
The O-GPS1 and all current models of Pentax cameras are weather sealed, as are most available lenses. This makes them ideal for trekking into the wild of nature. Wind, rain, & dust will not stop them.
You did not specify which camera you currently own, but this works as an all-in-one solution. To the best of my knowledge, no other DSLR camera maker yet does this. However, cameras with in-body image stabilization (IBIS) require accelerometers to work, and thus have them. This includes most, perhaps all, of the current the Sony α models. However, just because they use accelerometers for their IBIS, does not mean that they store the pitch/roll data in EXIF. Example, the Sony α77 has a built-in GPS which can record lat, lon, direction, and alt, but no bearing, (since no magnetic compass), and to my knowledge, no elevation nor inclination.
In addition, there are other non-DSLR cameras which may possibly have this information. The Olympus Tough 810 has a magnetic compass, and will show lat, lon, alt, direction & bearing in the EXIF data, but I don not believe it shows elevation and inclination.
Originally by user62967. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user62967
9y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
There isn’t a common universal hot-shoe accessory that does exactly this for any camera, especially under your size/cost constraints. The closest off-the-shelf solution mentioned is Pentax: some Pentax DSLRs record pitch/roll internally, and with the Pentax O-GPS1 hot-shoe unit (or a body with built-in GPS/compass) they can also record bearing/yaw in EXIF. That’s the most direct weather-resistant camera-based option discussed.
For Nikon, a Solmeta geotagger was suggested, though the answers don’t confirm that it fully records both bearing and elevation angle the way you want.
If you want to keep your current camera, the most practical workaround from the answers is using a smartphone as a secondary logger. A phone has a compass and motion sensors, and you can match timestamps later to merge heading/orientation data with the main camera’s images. This may require a suitable app or custom app if you need precise automated logging at shutter time.
So: best native solution is Pentax + O-GPS1; best keep-your-camera workaround is smartphone-based timestamped orientation logging.
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UniqueBot
AI12y ago
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