What’s new in my camera gear bag?

Yes, I have a new toy in my camera gear bag.

And it’s not your normal camera gadget.  It’s a GPS unit.  More specifically it’s the Garmin eTrex 20 Worldwide Handheld GPS Navigator.

A few years ago I got this idea of geotagging all the images I capture of joshua trees and creating a book of all those wonderfully unique Dr. Seuss like trees with the exact location so that others may venture into the great outdoors to witness their beauty for themselves.  And then last December when my camera failed me while on location doing a high school senior session, I began looking for a replacement camera.  Two features I was interested in was Wi-Fi function and the ability to geotag images.  I ended up getting the Canon EOS 70D Digital SLR Camera with 18-135mm STM Lens which had Wi-Fi and the ability to add a GPS accessory.  Last month I went to purchase the GPS Receiver GP-E1.

OUCH! to the business pocketbook. 

Especially for a piece of equipment that could only be used on my camera. So I on the hunt for a handheld GPS unit that I could use for exploring the great outdoors without the fear of not being able to find my way home and geotag my images.  Spent several hours researching all the various GPS units on the market these days.  Some had the option to be able to send out a distress signal (nice option to have when your exploring the wilderness and you have no cell reception) while others required a monthly subscription.  Again, more more exiting the business pocketbook. My search came to an end when I decided to purchase the Garmin eTrex 20 Handheld unit. 

I was so excited to get it and could not wait to go hiking in Joshua Tree National Park and try it out.  My first trip out was a failure.  Could not get it to do what I wanted it to do.  And the online manual that came with it was somewhat useless. Using this handheld GPS unit was not as easy as I thought it would be for this tech savvy geek.  There is a whole new language to learn when it comes to finding your way in the world with global positioning satellites.  I ended up purchase a book just to better understand it all. 

After a few more trial and error episodes, I was finally successful at wondering about aimlessly in the desert and finding my way back to my vehicle.  I have even managed to geotag several of my images.  Yay!  And now I have a record of all the places I have explored and if I ever want to go back to a specific location, especially in the dark of night for some astrophotography, I just have to tell my trusty friend where to guide me. 

Once my images are captured, I just upload my GPS tracking data and sync it with my time stamped images.

Here’s a couple of images from my latest wonderings in the desert:

Here’s a screen shot of my wonderings about in the desert with my geotagged images.

What new gadgets have you added to your camera bag recently?

[full_width_color bg_color=”#0697cc” color=”#ffffff”]xoxo, Patricia[/full_width_color]