Review of the Sony GPS-CS1KA

RRP: £80
www.sony.co.uk
Of the latest technological introductions, Global Positioning System (GPS) has been one of the slowest to catch on. Nevertheless, it allows the user to map exactly where they have taken their photos, with the aid of a tracking device and earth-orbiting satellites to which the unit is synchronised. Though the technology has been employed in mobile phones and watches for some time, Sony is one of the first companies to offer the service specifically in conjunction with digital photography.
The GPS-CS1KA kit contains a small tracking device, a carabiner and software for both importing photos and managing the GPS side of things. Once the tracking device has been switched on and the relevant satellites have been located, your location is recoreded every 15 seconds. Once the log and photos have been imported into a computer, the software is then able to match the stored GPS information with the camera’s Exif Data to provide a map view of shooting locations.
The Picture Motion Browser software in itself is a genuinely useful tool, as it catalogues pictures into a calendar format, also sorting them by the time they were taken. Limitations do exist, though; the tracker doesn’t always find the relevant satellites and indoors this proves even more true. Also, the tracking unit itself is a little cumbersome – perhaps it would be better if it were incorporated into an actual camera.

Our Verdict
The Picture Motion software is useful but this technology is not fully realised in this form – though it’s still early days yet.

What We Like
Picture Motion Browser software

What We Don't Like
GPS Unit

What Digital Camera Score 80%