Customer Reviews

Pharos Trips and Pics Photo Linked Portable GPS Unit

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I bought Pharos Trips and Pics and downloaded new software from Pharos' web site. The Trips & Pics is a great travel gadget and digital camera add-on. It recorded my trips and geotagged my photos offline by using the time stamp of the photos. Its GPS was surprisingly sensitive; it even recorded my positions while I was eating and taking family pictures in a restaurant. The software is easy to use. I chose Microsoft Virtual Earth to view my photos, and replay my trip. It ran smoothly. The new Trips & Pics software also supports EXIF, Flickr and GPX. I will carry it with me when I go to Olympic in Beijing. Oh, it will be nice if the company can offer extra battery even though the device can last the whole day after fully charged.

I was looking/hoping for a GPS that would look like a drive and that my photo down load software (Downloader Pro) would see and integrate the GPS data. This unit does not work that way.

Other than that it works great! I keep the battery charged and when I take off to photograph, turn the GPS unit on. When I get back I plug in the Trips and Pics and use the software to save the data in the Trips and Pics format and then again in GPX format. I then copy the GPX format file to the CF card from my camera.

My camera is a Canon 40D and I shoot in RAW. I use Downloader Pro to rename the RAW files and integrate the GPS data as well as convert a copy to DNG. That process works great and I now have GPS data included in both the CR2 sidecar file and the converted DNG file. When I use Lightroom 2 to export to JPEG the GPS data in in the JPEG file also.

I'll get a different GPS dohicky someday (or a camera that includes GPS) that saves the above steps but for now I am very pleased with the Trips and Pics and would recommend it to anyone in the same situation.

I have not used the included software to add GPS data to JPEG files or much else other than converting the Trips and Pics format data to GPX. It works great for that.

I purchased this unit in Feb 2008. The hardware works great (the GPS), uses a sensitive GPS chip, and the battery should last over a day trip. However, I was disappointed that the included software does not directly Geotag the photos (ie insert the GPS coordinates into the EXIF data contained in the the JPG file.) Also, although the software claims that it will output GPX files, I could not get the resulting GPX file to work in other Geotagging software. Pharos responded to my query about Geotagging - that this capability should appear in the next release of their Trips & Pics software in a few months.

The software WILL show your route on Google Earth and reference where your pictures were taken. However, without actual Geotagging of the EXIF frame in the JPG, the system is of no use for actual Geotagging until Pharos updates their software. Pharos Trips and Pics

Pros:
* Very accurate GPS receiver.
* "Trips and Pics" software is very flexible when used in "Classic mode".
* Data can be exported into GPX format, which can then be used to set in combination with open-source GeoSetter to geotag both RAW, DNG, and JPEG photos according to metadata.
* Easy export to Google Earth is very cool.
* Very simple operation (only an on / off switch on device).
* Easy to use for novices and flexible enough for power users.

Cons
* Small amount of memory, probably no more than 8 MB, which limits the devices recording potential when away from PC to dump data. Memory is cheap nowadays. It feels like could have included 32x more memory (256 MB) for $1 more.
* Battery docks are expensive when bought directly from Pharos, so don't plan on being away from a charger if you plan to use it for 24+ hours unless you want to pony up the cash.
* Built-in JPEG geotagging support is lame. It ignores any timestamp metadata and instead just syncs up with the file create date. Took me a while to figure that out. Might work fine for novice users, but annoyed me. Use GeoSetter instead.
* Doesn't come with drivers for Vista x64. Annoying. Took me 30 minutes to find drivers.
* GPS receiver / memory unit keeps coming off, preventing you from just throwing it in a pack without wrapping a rubber band around the entire thing

I feel like this little device got overlooked in the market. I got one for Christmas this year, and it's been really nice to have. It's so much fun to take it with me when I travel or go out to take pics. My gripes with it are definitely not little things though, and so 3 stars it is.

The unit and software are really great. They work as advertised, integrate with Google maps VERY easily. My only negative about the unit is this: The GPS unit will move in the battery cradle when bumped, causing the unit not to work. (In daylight you will not notice that the glowing around the unit is not there) causing you to NOT record because the unit is off. A "click type" fastener or something other than friction would be very helpful. Next negative is the company, not the unit. I have tried to register the unit on the company website, and tried to contact them using the "contact us" on their webpage. I have yet to receive any contact since the purchase, completely unresponsive.

Well it's a very, very sensitive receiver. Size is good function is good. On/off switch is a bit cheesy and easy to accidentally turn on and off.
Documentation is marginal and weak but can be worked out. Software (you can update it although mine came with a new disk taped to the back of the package).
Definitely better functionality obtained by using the classic format. It does everything the other reviewer said it won't.
At about $60 it's a good bargin at a $100 not so good..

I'd reccmd it for geotagging photos.

I purchased this knowing it did not support RAW, but I still wish it did support RAW. It works OK with jpg. But I find that if I want to take it on an extended trip, I must also take the charger as the batteries last only about one day. I'm finding more use for it just as a pocket gps for keeping track of my walks and hikes.

Update 3/2009:

I discovered a free work around for RAW tagging that is fast.

Take your pictures and carry the Pharos T&P GPS unit.

When you get home, plug the Pharos GPS into the computer, open Trips and Pics and download the data only. Then rename and save as a GPX file in a specific new directory such as c:\GPS.

Download GPicSync (free!) http://www.brothersoft.com/gpicsync-162895.html. On the opening page, tell it where the image directory and the data (GPX) file is. Set the time zone offset and then click the Synchronise button. The Canon RAW files are then geotagged. I've not tested with Nikon or other RAW formats, but it works on the Canon and is supposed to work with other cameras.

I now would give it 4 stars but the redit will not allow me to change it!

Based on a review from someone who bought this item, who said that the software did NOT add the GPS coordinates to the EXIF file for a .jpg image, I decided to remove this from my wish list and continue to use my Garmin GPS, which works just fine for recording the GPS coordinates and I can add the data to the EXIF file later.

I'm fairly savvy regarding computers and programs. This one has me stumped. I used on a trip to Greece and Italy.
Admittedly, I didn't use the software manual (there is no printed one)
before using. While the GPS receiver did log MOST of my travels, some it
did not, perhaps my fault, but all you're supposed to do is just turn
it on. So far, I have had limited results geotagging photos to the GPS
trail. As the song said: "It's gotta be me". I'll keep fooling with
it until I get it, but be aware, it's not just a "plug and play" device.

This is for Windows machines only. It doesn't work on a mac. Their downloadable "mac os x driver" is an .exe file that might run on some version of windows but it's jibberish to a mac with OS 10.5. I would be happy to just download raw data, but that's not possible. And Google Earth no longer supports gps unless you get Google Earth Pro, which means you need to pay more $$ to subscribe to that. If you search for "macintosh" or "mac" or "os x" on their website, you'll find zero entries. Mac users don't exist to these people.

What's the solution? The GiSTEQ website describes how to get their GPS unit to work with your mac: find a windows machine and go through about 15 steps, then get a virtual vista machine going on your mac, and go through about 15 more steps, then go back to the regular mac os and in 15 more steps you're finished. maybe. Are they kidding? That's like saying you can read Chinese, just find a guy who speaks it, get him to translate, and read what he wrote for you. It looks like the iphone might be the only real gps option for mac users, thanks to lack of interest by other manufacturers, who frankly don't deserve our business if they can't be bothered to make their gadgets work for us.