Customer Reviews

Promote Systems GPS Receiver GPS-N-1 for Nikon D300, D700, D3, D2X, D2Xs, D2Hs, D200 and Fuji S5 Pro, IS Pro, DSLR Digital SLR Cameras

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Edited to add:
On 04/06/09 Promote launched their GPS-D90 for the D90 and D5000. See the article here: [...]

What is "Geo-tagging?
Professional and semi-professional* Nikon cameras with a 10-pin remote terminal are capable of automatically writing geo-referential meta-data in image headers (Exif), popularly known as "geo-tagging". When a device records geo-referential meta-data in real-time, as is the case here, we refer to it as "instantaneous geo-tagging".
The meta-tag data consists in latitude, longitude, altitude, and Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), which a GPS (Global Positioning System) device connected to the camera stores automatically in the header of every shot - once connected, activated and after acquiring lock-on with the GPS satellites in its range.

Geo-tagging is a useful reminder of where & when a picture was taken, and can help you to find a wide variety of online information on its geographical location.
You can also use these data in specialized sites such as Google Earth and Flickr, to locate the image automatically on a map, such as on Google Maps and Wikimapia, or on sites capable of extracting Exif from published images.

Cameras compatible with instantaneous geo-tagging:
Nikon D3X, D3, D2X(s), D2H(s), D1X, D700, D300, D200 (with MC-35+portable device, Nikon GP1+GP1-CA10 or dedicated GPS), *D90 (with Nikon GP1+GP1-CA90), Fuji S5 Pro, S1 Pro.
Note: Canon cameras are not compatible with automatic geo-tagging.
Note 2: Promote Systems have just launched a version of their GPS N-1 for the Nikon D90 and D5000 called GPS-D90: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002BV2F90

GPS: portable or dedicated?
There are two alternatives for recording GPS data in a Nikon camera. The first is to connect a portable GPS device via the MC-35 adapter cable to the remote terminal of the camera.
The MC-35 has one (male) 10-pin plug on one end of the connection cable, and an additional 10-pin terminal (female, for the connection of other 10-pin devices) plus a serial D-sub (RS232-female) on the box, allowing you to connect the serial cable from the GPS manufacturer - which, in turn - plugs into your portable device.

Nikon certifies portable devices from Garmin and Magellan for suitable cameras, all of which meet the NMEA 2.1 standard.
It is important to point out that certified cameras are only compatible with portable GPS devices with a serial interface but not USB - even with an adapter - because these have a different signal path.
I have experience with the Garmin eTrex Vista, which worked with no problem whatsoever on my D1X and D200.

The advantages of this configuration are that a portable GPS comes with its own batteries, doubles for mapping, navigation, and does not usurp the flash shoe, unlike the majority of dedicated GPS devices.
The disadvantage, apart from price (a hand held GPS plus MC-35 cost from about $ 300 up) is that it is a little awkward, as both a portable GPS and a (long) serial cable are heavy. The only alternative - if you dare - is to shorten the serial cable considerably.

Dedicated GPS.
The second alternative, more economical and much more manageable, are dedicated GPS devices. These are simple GPS receivers, usually in the form of a small, black box that mounts on the flash shoe and connects directly to the remote terminal.
The advantage of these is, that they are very light and do not require an additional adapter cable. Their main disadvantage is that they cannot double for mapping and navigation, block the built-in flash (if available), occupy the external flash hot-shoe, and - usually - get their power from the camera.

Market.
The category of dedicated GPS is currently quite competitive, starting with Nikon, who launched their GP-1 a little over a year ago.
However, with a price of $ 270 it is a good example of what Nikon can - or pretend - to charge their fans, since any other dedicated GPS costs almost half that.
In addition, Nikon does not reveal details about the GPS chip used in their device, generating at least doubts about whether or not it is last generation.

Competition comes from Garmin and Magellan portable GPS' (from ± $ 180 plus the MC-35), and dedicated GPS' from brands like Wolverine, Geometr and Promote, amongst others (from ± $ 125-150).
I will not go into details on how I arrived at the device more suitable for me; it suffices to say that the people at Promote Systems have a concept of customer service I have rarely witnessed before.
They promptly answered all my questions (by Email), warned that Amazon probably would not dispatch to Chile, assisted in the buying and choice of the most appropriate delivery method, and dispatched just in time for the product to arrive in a very narrow time window between two specific dates.

Promote Systems GPS N-1
Price paid: U.S. $ 147, plus dispatch via U.S. Parcel Post (U.S. $ 25)
Purchase Date: January 2009.
Similar Products Used: Garmin eTrex Vista
Store: Promote Systems online shop.

Description and use of the product.
The Promote GPS Receiver features the last generation SiRF Star III chip, which excels at acquiring and maintaining GPS signal lock, even with poor visibility of the sky (trees, clouds), or even zero visibility.
It includes latitude, longitude, altitude and UTC (dd-mm-yyyy, hh:mm:ss AM/PM) in the image header (Exif), meta-data which can be displayed in processing software from Nikon and Adobe, amongst others.
It consumes less than 55 mA directly from the camera, and turns off in parallel with the exposure meter - depending on its configuration - in models posterior to the D2X, D200. However, with the latter you should turn off the camera or GPS manually to save power, since it does not power down with the meters.

Other features:
20-channel GPS receiver with support for WAAS / EGNOS / MSAS.
Instantaneous geo-tagging. You do not need a computer to import the data in Exif.
Saves its satellite registry in memory for a quick hot start.
Made in the USA.
Compatible with: Nikon D3X, D3, D2X(s), D2H(s), D700, D300, D200, Fuji S5 Pro, IS Pro.

Promote Systems offers as an additional benefit a free software called "Geo tagging Suite", which can "fill-in" GPS data in pictures without.
If at least the first and last of a series taken at a specific location contain GPS meta-data, you can geo-reference the whole series, even those without GPS Exif.

Cold & hot start.
Cold start refers to the time that it takes a GPS device to capture signals from satellites in a new location, or after having been turned off for a long time.
The GPS icon on the top panel of the camera blinks until the so-called "lock-on" is acquired, which means the device has established and locked communication with the satellites needed to fix its position (at least 3). After lock-on, the camera icon goes steady.
The GPS N-1 may take between 30 seconds and 2 minutes, depending on the location and visibility of the sky.
With an unobstructed view and a clear sky, this delay is rarely more than 45 seconds, in my experience.
On certain cameras it may be necessary to keep a button pressed in order to keep the meters activated (Shutter, AE-L/AF-L), which avoids the GPS to power down before acquiring lock-on (e.g.: D3, D300, D700).

Hot start refers to the time it takes a device to re-establish its position in a location previously acquired and/or after a short shutdown period.
With a clear, unobstructed sky, the GPS N-1 rarely takes more than 5 to 10 seconds.
Moreover, even entering a space with zero visibility of the sky and without turning the camera off, it generally manages to maintain lock-on. In case of signal loss, it suffices to go near an unobstructed window to re-lock position quickly, in most cases.

Comments and conclusion:
The Promote GPS N-1 is small and lightweight: measuring 4,5x4,5x2,5 cm. and weighing only 68 g..
In my experience, it is generally faster than the eTrex Vista to acquire lock-on, in both cold and hot start, and is definitely superior in maintaining signal, even with zero visibility of the sky.
It has a shoe with a tightening ring to fit it securely on the flash shoe, and does not extend over the back of the camera, thus avoiding hitting your head when looking through the viewfinder.

However, because of its forward extension, it does obstruct the built-in flash, while also taking over the optional flash shoe.
When in need of flash, the only solution is coming up with a DIY trick to fix it to the camera strap, or just leave it dangling from the remote terminal, which - although it does not seem to affect operation - is not exactly elegant.
Plugging it into the remote terminal can be a bit scary the first time, because there is no alignment mark on the plug.
Moreover, its fit is pretty tight, and one must feel comfortable that it is properly aligned before daring to exert the necessary pressure to assure it is properly seated.
Unlike later cameras, on the D200 it will not turn off with the meters, and while its power consumption may be considered minimal, it will contribute to the depletion of the camera battery in about 3 to 5 hours of continuous use.

Verdict:
This dedicated GPS does what it promises, is lightweight and - compared to a portable GPS set-up - cheap. Akin its direct competitors, it blocks the pop-up flash and takes over the external flash shoe.
To users who consider this a critical flaw and are not prepared to invent an alternative fixation, I suggest reviewing the Wolverine, which comes with a Velcro attachment between the shoe and "box", allowing to take it off and fixing it directly on the camera strap.
The disadvantage of this system is - according to some users - that it tends to come of off the shoe too easily.

Promote Systems GPS N-1, notes:
Operation: 5. (Fast cold & hot start, accurate measurement).
Build Quality: 5.
Design: 4. (No alignment indication on the plug, blocks the pop-up flash).
Value for money: 4. (Slightly more expensive than its direct competition, considerably cheaper than a portable GPS + MC-35).
1 = poor, 5 = excellent.

Highly Recommended.

[...]

Prior to this I owned a Geomet'r GNC-35 which died in less then 3 months. Also the GNC-35 did not provide elevation information.

The Promote GPS does give elevation info and it captures the satellites VERY promptly.

I use it with my Nikon D300, and I recommend it very highly!

I had been looking for an affordable GPS unit that can directly interface with a D300...and am pleased to report that this unit fits the bill.

Although this item takes its power from the camera's battery, it has an elegant power mgmt. capability which automatically powers down the unit whenever the camera's exposure mechanism is not active. It takes about a minute for the unit to lock onto a GPS signal. After that, it operates operates unobtrusively & accurately.

For those with a Nikon GPS-capable DSLR, using a directly linked GPS unit is way more convenient & reliable than geocoding in post production. Now, with the Promote GPS receiver, there is a cost-effective way to realize this. Moreover, being able to have this purchase fulfilled by Amazon means that one can do so without having to order from overseas and pay for international shipping.

now if you want to geo-tag your pictures then this little device is it. Average cold start takes 40 seconds and warm start less than 5 and a hot restart is finished by the time you look through the viewfinder, if you change your habit to leaving the camera in ON and touch the trigger before you lift it to your eyes.
GPS appears to be accurate within 5 meters - often I doubt if Google Maps are actually that accurate.

If you leave your camera ON and the exposure meter powered, even indoor shots get often tagged - if not, simply shoot a properly tagged picture outside before and after and use a tool from Promote to tag all shots inbetween with the same tag. This is obviously also the preferred method if you have to use the connector for a remote control or similar as the device does (currently) not feature a loop through (who knows, maybe at some time - the guys seem crafty enough).

While the device can be a bit annoying for cameras with built-in flash, even this got solved now with a small plastic piece that allows to mount the GPS puck to your camera strap.

But there is more: as with many technical products, support can be important. The guys have a very good online library of tips and tricks and their support response is second to none. Very quick and knowledgeable. You might ask "why did he need support if the device is supposedly so great?" - The answer is I live in the UK and needed the device within a few days before going on a trip, plus accidentally the brand new D90/D5000 version got shipped to me first (I needed the GPS-N-1 version for my D700), which caused some frantic emails going back and forth and I haven't so far met any company who handled something like that so quickly, effectlively and friendly - and some great info was shared along the way. So my warmest regards to Arty from here!

I was about to get Nikon's GP-1 GPS unit, but then saw this listed on Amazon in addition to reading the bad reviews on GP-1, and decided to go with it. I am glad I chose Promote.

The initial location fix when I first connected everything was about a minute. Since then, it takes about 3-4 seconds when I turn on the camera.

The initial fix was done on my patio, with the sky above me. Then it continued to work indoors. My portable car navigation system doesn't find any satellites when I bring it indoors, but this little unit does. Must be the new chipset in it. Yay!

As the review title suggests, one little surprise was the clip that was in the box. In many reviews people were complaining about taking up the hotshoe space etc., and needing to come up with a DYI way of clipping the unit to the strap when flash was in use. Well, I just threaded the strap through the supplied clip, and the unit attaches to it like it goes onto the hotshoe, safe and secure. So, either people missed the small flat clip at the bottom of the product box, hidden UNDER the small manual, or this is something new that Promote started including. No matter what, it shouldn't be a concern anymore.

This is now all working on my fresh new D3s. I have set my D3s to power the GPS at all times, instead of just during AF. But, the unit has its own on/off button, so I turn it off when I don't want it to draw power (like when I am at home shooting friends & family; I know what the inside of our house looks like without having the GPS data). Given the juice that is in the EN-EL4a, I am not worried.

Highly recommended...

I originally bought the Nikon GPS for $90 more. I couldn't even get it to work after standing in my backyard under a clear sky with it on for 10 minutes. It never locked on. The Promote GPS works great with my Nikon D200. It locks on very quickly and only takes a few seconds to reacquire GPS locks after powering down. I use this for motorsports shooting, where I don't have time to stage a photo and wait for a GPS lock. This worked brilliantly for that. After a recent event where I took about 3000 photos, I didn't have a single photo missing the GPS tags (latitude, longitude, and altitude). 100% reliability.

This thing is awesome and works great with my Nikon D300. It is exactly what I was looking for in a geotagging device. It gets its power from the camera (it must tread lightly as I do not see any impact to my camera battery life) and has a really small, compact size. It's a must have for any photography aficionado!

I've owned a Nikon 200 for about three years and, when I purchased the camera, wanted a GPS unit to enable me to geolocate my photos. My first inclination was to purchase Nikon's unit but budget, distractions of life, and a few early reviews caused me to postpone that decision. When the notion recurred to me to purchase a GPS unit, one of the units that came up on the radar screen was the Promote Systems GPS-N-1. After reading through many reviews for different receivers, I decided to purchase this unit. It arrived within a week of my having placed the order (via Amazon).

I live in Vienna, Virginia (about 20 miles outside of Washington, DC) and all of my tests to date have been positive. From a cold start, the unit generally acquires satellite lock within 30 seconds and will get more accurate as more time passes. The LAT/LON coordinates that it places into a photo's metadata fields are quite accurate. As it receives its power from the camera's battery, it will shortern the charge. However, my qualitative tests to date have not indicated that the load to the camera's battery is excessive. (The battery I am using in the camera is a Nikon EN-EL3e rechargeable Li-Ion.)

Physically, the unit's case is made of durable plastic, and the mounting screw that secures it to the camera's hot-shoe, which does preclude use of the D200's pop-up flash is firm. A short cable connects this unit to the D200's 10-pin connector, and this is unobtrusive and does not interfere with shooting. The unit comes with a felt-type bag with drawstrings and easily fits into my camera bag, a LowePro Slingshot 200 AW.

Operation has thus far been dependable and nearly transparent. If the unit continues to perform as it has, I will be very happy. The cost may, at first glance, appear to be a tad expensive. However, a serious photographer will likely consider the cost a worthwhile expenditure when considering what the unit provides. Overall, I would recommend this product (and have already done so) to my friends and associates.

I have found this device works as advertised. Although the receiver mounts on the camera shoe I would prefer to keep the shoe open. I have ordered a strap holder that was for the Nikon GPS which is quite a bit more expensive.

Works extremely well. Lightweight, captures Sats quickly, Meta Data includes Lat/Lon and altitude. Free Geo-Track software on the Promote website. If you want to be accurate about where you took your photo's, this unit is for you. Nikon NX-2 software shows GPS data. Had one question and the company anwered it via email the very same day. Great customer service which is, unfortunately, very rare these days.