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About Ricoh’s GPS Camera
James and Dan are enthusiastic about Ricoh’s release of the 500SE GPS-ready digital camera, but I’m not sure how groundbreaking this is. (By which I mean that I’m confused and seek enlightenment; I’m not speaking rhetorically.)
For one thing, it’s labelled as GPS-ready, which usually does not mean that it’s built-in; Dan notes that the GPS unit is a $130 add-on to the $899 camera (which, for the record, is a ruggedized, 8-megapixel point-and-shoot model aimed at outdoor professionals). And it’s not like GPS modules for digital cameras haven’t existed before: Nikon’s high-end digital SLRs, for example, have had GPS interfaces for at least a couple of years. Is this a big deal — i.e., is this something truly different — or is it nothing really groundbreaking?
Ah, I’ll try to explain from my point of view.
As you say the “outdoor professional” have had these kind of things for a while and the Nikons exist. But the 500SE looks as though it’s been designed so that when the GPS is added the whole form factor doesn’t look like a total mess. Which is a step closer to integration.
But, more than that, it’s the way the release has been pitched and picked up, to and by people (such as myself for example, although it wasn’t pitched directly to me).
It’s not so much the camera that’s exciting, it’s that, to me it feels as though it’s the indication of the gates being opened between the professional and consumer world. There’s a cross over point that’s just been reached, and that the cheaper, better GPS enabled cameras we hope to see will start to trickle and then flood through that opening.
(hopefully)
Dan Catt | 01/19/2007 at 2:08 AM | #
Let me tell you that the way RICOH has designed this solution is indeed really ground breaking.
Where the Nikon cameras connect to GPS only via cable (and the cost of this special connection cable is almost as high as the one of a GPS device) Ricoh uses Bluetooth technology. So basically you’re free to connect to any bluetooth gps mouse or Ricoh’s clip on GPS which you’ve seen on the image Ricoh has included in the press release.
The 500 SE can be ordered right now where for Ricoh’s GPS you need to be patient for another couple of weeks until it is available. Meanwhile you may just use a GPS mouse you already have.
By the way, the camera is also available in Europe through alta4 Geoinformatik AG which ship the 500 SE together with a free Google Earth photo viewer called Fodysseus RE.
Ole
Ole Seidel | 01/25/2007 at 1:21 AM | #