Promote Systems GPS Receiver GPS-N-90 for D-90 and D-5000 Nikon Cameras

August 1, 2010

Promote Systems GPS Receiver GPS-N-90 for D-90 and D-5000 Nikon Cameras

Filed under: Nikon Cameras for Sale — Aom @ 3:49 am

Go where photography is headed with the Promote GPS! Now photographers can harness GPS technology to pinpoint the precise location from which a photograph is taken. Called “geotagging”, this new technology embeds geographic information into a photograph along with the time and date stamp. The Promote GPS Receiver features the SiRF Star III chip, which excels at acquiring and maintaining a GPS signal lock. The GPS unit consumes less than 55mA from the camera, making it one of the most power-efficient GPS receivers available for Nikon D90 and D5000 (only) DSLR cameras. It will automatically power up and down along with camera exposure meter, allowing for further saving of the camera batterypower.
Customer Review: Does what it’s supposed to do
One of the reasons that I upgraded to the Nikon D90 was its support for GPS input for tagging photos in real time. However, like many, I was disappointed with Nikon’s effort, the GP-1. I had read about a number of third party units, but the reviews of the other version of the Promote GPS unit caught my attention. This unit is essentially the same at the one for the D300 and other Nikons with its cable interface:Promote GPS Receiver for Nikon D300, D700, D3, D2X, D2Xs, D2Hs, D200 and Fuji S5 Pro cameras so you should check the reviews for that unit as well. Since it uses the SiRF STAR III chipset, it does as expected and gets a pretty quick fix on the satelites and has proven quite accurate in my testing. Initial lock takes a few minutes (the GPS icon flashes on the top LCS panet). After the initial position has been found, “hot fix” only takes a second or two when you press the shutter half way to turn the meter on. The unit is powered only when the meter on the camera is active and there is no option to have it draw power contantly and maintain the lock. While I’d like the option, it’s not a deal killer. If you want to get automatic GPS tagging while indoors, you will need to change the function in your menu for the time before the camera meter turns off to something long, like 30 minutes. Then, you will need to get your position fix while outside. Once you are inside, the GPS will remember your last position and use to tag while you are inside. The unit is fairly large. If you use it as designed – attached to the hot shoe, there is no using the built in flash on the D90. The flash cannot fully open to fire properly. So, if you want to use the on board or an external flash, you will need to remove the GPS unit from the hot shoe and clip it to your strap some how. Promote does not include any kind of additional clip to mount the unit on a strap. But, it’s considerably cheaper than the Nikon unit, gives fast and accurate GPS data, and the angled connector plugs securely into the side of the camera and sticks out of the side a minimum distance. Overall, I’m happy with the unit.