Geotagging Photos using Fenix 5X

Hi,

I am going on a backcountry trip this summer and am thinking of using my Fenix 5X watch to record my track so I can use it to geotag my photos on my camera.

Basically the idea is to record my track on the watch. Since I will be out and about all day for more than a week, I want to extend the watch battery life as much as possible. I will have portable charger with me, so ideally I would like to charge the watch only at night.

Is the UltraTrac mode good for this? How accurate or inaccurate is it compared to GPS or GPS+Glonass?

Which app should I make a copy of and then make the necessary changes to it?

Can I turn off the optical HR monitor on the watch for this specific activity app?

Does smart recording save any battery compared to 1 sec recording? Would I run out of space with 1 sec recording in 10 days? Can I switch to smart recording on a per app/activity basis?

Do smart recording and UtraTrac work well for both walking and driving?

Is there a digital time watch face that displays seconds? I need it to synchronize the clock of my cameras with the watch.

How do I get the tracklogs in gpx format?

Any other tips would be appreciated.

0 zippy8500 over 7 years ago

If you watch my video explaining data fields , it’ll explain how you can alter the requirements for each app, or build a new app/activity suited to your needs, gps requirements (gps , glonass, ultra Trac and smart) are in the app options.

Garmin Fenix 5 And 5X Tutorials - Data fields, Geocaching and Custom Apps https://youtu.be/QKVIw2KinTg

you can also set a hot key to save location which can then be used to geotag your photos , explained here
Garmin Fenix 5 and 5x Tutorials - Hotkeys And Control Menu https://youtu.be/dgx_bmzpXhQ

the standard digital watchface can be set to display seconds

And garmin basecamp can be used to export routes/tracks or locations in gpx format

hope this helps

0 ikim1967 over 7 years ago

The ultratrac will sample the hardware less often - think its something like per minute - and hence make the battery last longer but would have to decide if that was accurate enough. Lots of small quick turns might be lost. The smart mode samples the same as 1 second but chooses to store less of those sample points. Again, would the smoothing of less data points be accurate enough. However the files would be a lot smaller than those recorded at 1 second samples. Could the 5x hold a full 20 hour 1 second gps file? Not tried that myself and have no idea of size.

As long as you don't have the maps displayed normal 1 second sampling would give you around 20 hours of tracking. If the devil is in the detail you might want to go that route.

0 ikim1967 over 7 years ago

PS - I used to use ultratrac (on a different device with much less battery capacity) on some rides that were long (60 miles+) that covered some pretty straight sections with little in the way of many turns and the output was good. I wouldn't use it on other types of rides with more turn and 'detail' in the routes.

0 tmk2 over 7 years ago

Is the UltraTrac mode good for this?

UltraTrac will allow you to stretch battery life significantly, but if you are planning to charge every night, then it's not impossible to run the watch for the whole day in GPS normal mode.

How accurate or inaccurate is it compared to GPS or GPS+Glonass?

Imagine getting a GPS measurement once every minute. In reality it's more sophisticated, but this should give you a rough idea.

Which app should I make a copy of and then make the necessary changes to it?

If you plan to hike, then I'd use the "Hike" app. If you plan to move by car, then I'd use "Other".

Can I turn off the optical HR monitor on the watch for this specific activity app?

No.

Does smart recording save any battery compared to 1 sec recording?

Not significantly.

Would I run out of space with 1 sec recording in 10 days?

Unlikely.

Do smart recording and UtraTrac work well for both walking and driving?

Smart recording should be ok. UltraTrac works best for activities at relatively constant speeds and few direction changes. In theory the gyroscope in the F5 should improve things in unfavourable conditions with ultratrac, but I've never heard any feedback about how it goes.

How do I get the tracklogs in gpx format?

The simplest method is to upload your activities to Garmin Connect and then export them to GPX.