GPS/geo-location in Sony A7 IV

[pac]

I'm a late-comer to the A7 series, having just purchased an A7 IV (I have had A77 and A99 a-mount cameras for years, and they have both served me very well, but the time came to upgrade).

One of the features I really valued in them both was the built-in GPS function.  Using the "maps" facility in Lightroom allowed me to easily track where images had been captured, anywhere in the world. I found this particularly useful for post-trip story and blog production, especially for images captured in remote places such as the Himalayas.

I had always assumed that the new A7 series would carry this function forward, and when considering the purchase of the A7 I didn't even bother to research that.  Not so, it seems (or if they have, it's well buried).  It seems that the only way to capture GPS data is to link the cameras to one's mobile/cell phone, and use the phone's location data to embed into an image.  That's convoluted enough in itself, and I'm not even sure that I've set it up correctly.  Which prompts a series of questions:

1. am I right in saying that the camera itself does not capture GPS/location data, and that the only way to do so is via one's phone?
2. if so, does this still work when working in remote places (such as the Himalayas), where phone coverage may be non-existent?
3. does this system cause additional battery drain in either phone or camera?
4. depending on the answers to the above, is there another workaround - that is, a way of capturing this data which is recognisable by Lightroom?
5. and lastly, if there is a workaround, and it involves something other than Lightroom, what might that be?

Many thanks in advance ...

[Pieter]

1. Oddly enough, correct. Going backwards in tech here...

2. Yes: GPS is not dependent on phone coverage, it is dependent on GPS satellite coverage (which is global)

3. Yes, all wireless connections use some power. Then again, so did the use of GPS on your old cameras. I guess this is the reason Sony removed it from their mirrorless cameras: battery life of the earlier models was appalling compared to DSLRs / DSLTs.

4. Yes, see below.

5. There are some seperate GPS loggers available which will track your position. Back home, you can use the software provided with it to scan through your photos and automatically put GPS tags in the EXIF data based on the time the photo was taken. Such as:

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/604577-REG/Sony_GPS_CS3KA_GPS_CS3KA_GPS_Image_Tracker.html

[glospete]

On 1/19/2023 at 11:10 AM, pac said:

I'm a late-comer to the A7 series, having just purchased an A7 IV (I have had A77 and A99 a-mount cameras for years, and they have both served me very well, but the time came to upgrade).

One of the features I really valued in them both was the built-in GPS function.  Using the "maps" facility in Lightroom allowed me to easily track where images had been captured, anywhere in the world. I found this particularly useful for post-trip story and blog production, especially for images captured in remote places such as the Himalayas.

I had always assumed that the new A7 series would carry this function forward, and when considering the purchase of the A7 I didn't even bother to research that.  Not so, it seems (or if they have, it's well buried).  It seems that the only way to capture GPS data is to link the cameras to one's mobile/cell phone, and use the phone's location data to embed into an image.  That's convoluted enough in itself, and I'm not even sure that I've set it up correctly.  Which prompts a series of questions:

1. am I right in saying that the camera itself does not capture GPS/location data, and that the only way to do so is via one's phone?
2. if so, does this still work when working in remote places (such as the Himalayas), where phone coverage may be non-existent?
3. does this system cause additional battery drain in either phone or camera?
4. depending on the answers to the above, is there another workaround - that is, a way of capturing this data which is recognisable by Lightroom?
5. and lastly, if there is a workaround, and it involves something other than Lightroom, what might that be?

Many thanks in advance ...

I had then same concern when I moved from my Canon 7D (with separate GPS logger) to the Fujifilm X-T2. That would also claim to capture the GPS location using the phone but it never worked really well for me. Having accepted that Sony do the same I followed the instructions and I have to say that it works faultlessly with my A7 IV. The only issue I have had (and that's down to me!) is forgetting to ensure that the app is active when I begin shooting. From then on it embeds the GPS location on every photo, even those taken indoors. It has never let me down. So persevere (or drop me a line if you need more help) and you'll find it is an excellent solution. 

[thebeardedgroundsman]

The GPS tracker that Pieter suggests is no longer available (a big shame). I had to resort to buying a mobile phone, which rubs against the grain, as I am after solitude when out taking photos. (I just have to put it on silent!). I believe Imaging Edge helps reduce the hassle of getting the info transferred to your images, but I don't have that as it is not compatible with my old A7Rii.