I took
a ride last Sunday with my new HDR-AS30V last Sunday to test the camera and
mount itelf out. The shakiness from the
mount and also from the camera rattling around inside the case itself aside, the
GPS’s accuracy doesn’t seem to be all that great. It appears to lose it’s position sometimes,
makes assumptions and then draws the wrong track. This video clearly shows that the GPS isn’t
following where I am riding. By looking at the track, you would think I was looping back, doing tight 180 turns and crossing back on the path I had
already ridden where that isn’t the case at all.
What’s
the point of having a GPS enabled action camera and recording the track if the
track it generates isn’t accurate at all?
My suspicion is that the GPS receiver and antenna are low cost to keep the
cost of the camera down, and probably low accuracy as well making it kind of
pointless. I’d recommend not paying the
extra $100 for the GPS enabled HDR-AS30 and stick with the lower cost HDR-AS15
if you are looking to pick up a Sony Action Cam.
Um, no, this isn't anything close to accurate, we didn't cross the road at any point.
I have had the same experience with my camera purchased 5 days ago. I have also noticed dark blue artefacts in black regions of photos where it transitions to lighter colours. Not happy.
ReplyDeleteJust to add an update to my comment about the GPS, I recorded video on a boat with the GPS enabled and the logged GPS data was accurate. The data was verified against data from another GPS device.
DeleteMy only conclusion is that a clear view of the sky is required for accuracy. Any shadowing from trees or buildings causes problems with accuracy.
I should compare with my handheld Garmin 62S GPS as well. I wonder if I can somehow extract a .gpx track from the camera to compare easier - I might look into that.
DeleteI wrote a couple of posts on mypovcam.blogspot.com on how to extract and convert the GPS data.
DeleteGPS is never 100% accurate. First it is degraded by the government to foil would-be terrorists. GLONASS or a GPS with built-in INS (Intertial Navigation) can maintain a course heading more accurately. Neither of these are widely available. Even my expensive TomTom for my car can show me 30 meters off the road or ahead of an intersection. If your smart phone is more accurate, as when you are using MyTracks, remember that it has cell tower triangulation correction for better accuracy.
ReplyDeleteThere is no perfect world in the US when it comes to GPS. Japan on the other hand has a base station correct GPS system that is quite accurate - of course they are not hyper-sensitive to "terrorists" by fear mongering leaders. LOL
A few corrections there..
ReplyDeleteThe GPS signals we receive are the full-detail versions -- the USA stopped the degradation of the signals for the general public years ago now. They only degrade the non-military signal in places where they're actively at war now.
Secondly, GLONASS GPSs are widely available -- most mobile phones and my budget Garmin etrex all support that system.
GPS antennas do require a clear view of the sky, so I'm thinking that it is possible that the sky was blocked out by your body if the device was mounted on your handlebars and even more so if it was on a chest strap. Is either of these true? If so it would be interesting if you were to do the ride again with it mounted on your helmet.
ReplyDeleteWhat do you think of the HDR-30 otherwise; I'm thinking about buying one. Thanks.
Maybe I am a bit spoiled by my real backcountry GPS which has a much better antenna. This area I was riding in has some hills and trees but nothing too obstructive. When it's on my handlebars it is pretty exposed as well so I can't see that being much of a problem. However, there was a firmware update since I took this video, maybe it has improved the GPS - I haven't used it with the GPS since I updated the firmware.
DeleteOther than that, I do like it, despite it's flaws. I like the form factor, and the low light performance is decent, the Wifi remote with my phone is handy.. if the GPS works better now that would be great. Sony is kicking out quite a bit of accessories lately as well - different mounts, wristband remote, etc., which I like too.
I took a ride last Sunday with my new HDR-AS30V last Sunday to test the camera and mount itelf out. The shakiness from the mount and also ... asonycam.blogspot.com
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