14 DAY TRIAL // The number of photographers who, for some reason, want to be able to recall the exact geographic position of every photo they've ever taken seems to be on the rise, as several manufacturers have begun to roll out GPS trackers designed especially to work with digital cameras. And the latest such product we've come across is the GPS-CS1KA, announced by Sony way back in February 2007, but which has managed to find its way to Sony's stores only in mid-December (no word on the reason behind this huge delay, though).
Thus, the device calculates and records the time, date and location of each picture taken by the user, and when used with the supplied Picture Motion Browser software, it matches the time and location data in the camera with each photo. In addition, when the Picture Motion Browser software is used in conjunction with Google Maps, one can view a map on a webpage and the photos will pop up next to push pins by the actual location where the picture has been taken.
Sony's not very "generous" with the technical details regarding the GPS-CS1KA, meaning that they're not mentioning anything about the chipset manufacturer. However, they do inform us that the device works on the 1575.42 MHz frequency band, has a sensitivity level of -150dBm or less (average, while tracking) and provides around 31 MB of user memory.
Nevertheless, the company does provide more details regarding the specific range of batteries this thing works with. Thus, it seems that the GPS-CS1KA can function for around 10 hours using Sony's LR6 AA alkaline batteries, or for around 14 hours with the company's HR6 AA versions. Furthermore, the device's compatibility list is absolutely huge, as the image tracker works with anything from a low-end Cyber-shot to Sony's alpha DSLR, going through a few of the company's handycams in the process.
Furthermore, it's important to note that the device is quite easy to carry around (87 x 36 x 36 mm, 55 grams), and that it works only in the 0 to +40 degrees Celsius interval, which means that there's little chance of using it in very cold winters (or when going on a trip to the North Pole, for that matter).
Sony's GPS-CS1KA image tracker retails for around 150 US dollars, which means that it will probably be purchased mostly by the people who actually need it for some specific reason and not by just about any photographer out there.
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