Software for geotagging NEFs from a D850?

Well, ViewNX 2 is out, was sorta "OK" for my D800 but I can't use it no more, with my new D850.

 

I found an old installation file of Nikon ViewNX-i laying around in a folder "DO NOT INSTALL!". Can't remember what's that about but it can't be good.

 

So, I guess I'll be needing something else for geotagging (geo-synching) the NEFs with the coordinates I get in a file that comes from my GPS unit. What 'sane' software can I do it with? *In ViewNX it was called "Log Matching" and I've managed to use the function successfully despite it being crippled for well over a year now.

 

Also, I used to insert special keywords (in the keyword field) that I call "service codes" into the actual NEF files, so, I need something for that too.

 

*I'm not looking for anything to do my post work in, just those 2 things.

 

There's a bunch of software from Nikon alone, new and old. It is such a mess.

 

Any ideas? Thanks!

Current Nikon software listed Here https://www.nikonimgsupport.com/ni/NI_article?lang=en_US&articleNo=000001049

And don't you think that it's a mess? I can't make make any sense of it. That's why I came here.

Compatible with - D850 Full Frame Digital SLR Camera | Nikon

Another option is using the SnapBridge app on a compatible smartphone and add geotags as you shoot.

 

However, I am not a fan of Nikon’s wireless capabilities so I understand if you would prefer finding another solution.

I've never used it, but log matching is supported in ViewNX-i:

 

Using Location Logs | ViewNX-i Help | Nikon

 

Get the current version from Sandy's link, or here:

 

Nikon Imaging | Global Site | ViewNX-i

Huh... Still don't know was wrong with ViewNX-i the first time I had it installed.

So, yeah, I'm trying it out and so far it seems to be doing what I need it to.

That link where they demonstrate the procedure really helped.

So, I think that I'm a happy camper at this point.

 

Thank you all.

Are you a Mac user by any chance?

 

If so, as long as you are running a reasonably current version of MacOS, Apple Camera RAW will be able to read D850 files(you need version 9.12.1 or later-not sure what the minimum OS is for this) and it's reasonably easy to manually add data to photos using the Photos app built into MacOS. Right click on the photo(control+click, or two finger click from a trackpad) and select more info, and you can either enter an address or coordinates.

Thanks, man but no. No Macs around my house. Plus, I was talking about automatic geo-synching for a whole bunch of files at once, not going around photo by photo and putting in addresses or whatever.

 

I think I might be good with ViewNX-i, at least for now, if I don't stumble into the issue which made me reject it a year ago, whatever that may be.

Right off the bat, though, I'm seeing something I don't like. There's a new sub-folder inside the one with the photos. It's called "NKSC_PARAM" and there are a bunch of new files in it. I think those are sidecars for the actual photos. If I can't disable this kind of behavior in the settings it is going to be a big problem for me.

*I hate learning new software.

If you have a hand held GPS (e.g., Garmin) which produces a log file, you can use Adobe Lightroom to insert coordinates into the metadata of your image files. The time of day set into the camera determines the accuracy. If you need a reference, GPS time is correct to the microsecond. GPS data is always Greenwich time, so you need to know the offset for the time zone in your camera.

If you have a hand held GPS (e.g., Garmin) which produces a log file, you can use Adobe Lightroom to insert coordinates into the metadata of your image files. The time of day set into the camera determines the accuracy. If you need a reference, GPS time is correct to the microsecond. GPS data is always Greenwich time, so you need to know the offset for the time zone in your camera.

 

LR won't do anything to the original RAW files.

LR won't do anything to the original RAW files.

Lightroom appears to modify the metadata of RAW files. If not, the data is locked in so that the location RAW images can be displayed on a map in Lightroom even if they are moved to another directory.

 

Sony PlayMemories can read GPS data from a smart phone, connected to a camera via BlueTooth, and record it to RAW files in the camera. Nikon software probably has similar capabilities. I have other software which can record metadata to audio/video files, in the file itself, not in an auxiliary file.

Edited December 30, 2018 by Ed_Ingold

Last time I checked, which was right around 6 years ago, LR did not embed any sort of location data into the NEFs. Perhaps things have changed since then. Anyway, it's worth checking out. I'll do it when I get around to it. Thanks!

...Sony PlayMemories can read GPS data from a smart phone, connected to a camera via BlueTooth, and record it to RAW files in the camera. Nikon software probably has similar capabilities...

Yes, that is why I mentioned Nikon’s SnapBridge app in my previous post. It uses the GPS data from the smartphone and records it to the NEF file as you shoot. However, it is a bit of hit and miss. A friend uses it all the time and is happy with it whereas I have connectivity problems (we both use D850 with the same fw and the same version of the app for the same mobile plattform.)

Last time I checked, which was right around 6 years ago, LR did not embed any sort of location data into the NEFs. Perhaps things have changed since then. Anyway, it's worth checking out. I'll do it when I get around to it. Thanks!

 

Admittedly I use LR6 and not LR CC, and this may be a matter of how I have it set, but LR does NOT work with my .NEFs directly. Rather, when I import photos they get converted to .dngs which LR then manipulates(I should mention that this was true when I used Canons and imported .CR2s, as well as when I have .dcs and .raf files).