D700 + GPS via Bluetooth (Review)

[DrRoebuck]

I got my D700 last week and decided I wanted GPS for it. After doing a lot (A LOT) of research, I finally decided on using the Red Hen Blue2CAN device, which is the size of your thumbnail, attaches to the 10-pin connection on the Nikon, then connects via bluetooth to a separate GPS logger.

I went with the Holux M-241, mainly because 1) the outside is brightly colored, which should make it harder to lose, and 2) it has a small LCD, as opposed to remembering what some series of colored blinking LEDs means.

I guess I made either the right call, or the typical call, because B+H has a bundle deal with those two items.

Anyway, the sad part is the Blue2CAN doesn't really fit the D700. I guess the design of the body is just different enough that the housing around the lens-release button is a fraction of a millimeter too close to the 10-pin connection. I couldn't get it to work at all.

I called Red Hen and they connected me to the guy who actually developed the Blue2CAN (!). He wasn't even aware the D700 was available and I was the first person he knew of to try the combination. He asked me to send pictures so he could see the fit issues, which I did. Hopefully they'll tweak the design to make the pins and the connection conduit just a hair longer, or round out the bottom right corner.

After we got off the phone, i tried one more time to get the Blue2CAN to work. I finally got it pushed in hard enough that it made the connection to the camera (I'm not recommending anyone do the same). Once the red LED started blinking, I turned on the GPS logger. In 10-15 seconds the Blue2CAN and the GPS made the connection and everything has been golden since. I took some test shots, imported them into Lightroom, then clicked the GPS button on the EXIF panel and it took me right to the picture location in Google Maps. Amazing.

Now that it's working, I can't imagine using anything else, except possibly a smaller GPS logger. (FYI, the Blue2CAN only works with bluetooth loggers that don't require a PIN.) Maybe one of these days Nikon will integrate GPS into the camera itself.

Pros (primarily compared to hotshoe GPS units):

• Much smaller power drain from camera battery
• MUCH smaller footprint on camera body
• No delay when shooting
• Red Hen is a great company to deal with
• Holux uses a standard AA battery.
• Holux has an LCD for more detailed info
• Holux is brightly colored (and is designed to look like a film cannister)

Cons:

• Holux is slightly bigger than some other GPS loggers
• Does not fit the D700 (without the risk of causing surface damage to the camera or the Blue2CAN)

Relevant links:

Red Hen Blue2CAN

Holux M-241

B+H bundle

Here's a bad picture of the setup: