Pentax announces GPS Unit to Track the Stars

Earlier today Pentax has announced the new Pentax O-GPS1 unit designed for PENTAX digital SLR cameras. The unit does not only track Global positioning satellites but Pentax also claims it tracks  celestial body location data for both earthbound and astrophotography purposes.

The Pentax O-GPS1 is mounted on the hot shoe of either the K-5, K-r or 645D (after the appropriate firmware update), recording latitude, longitude, altitude, and universal time coordinated (UTC) of shooting locations with captured images. Image files with this GPS data may be used to track shooting locations and review location data on a computer.

The Pentax K5 with the new O-GPS1 unit

Unlike other GPS solutions the new Pentax O-GPS1 also works with PENTAX Shake Reduction system to offer unique, advanced applications, including Astrotracer, Simple Navigation and Electronic Compass. Pentax O-GPS1 can thus do the following (with the appropriate software) according to the company:

• Geotag images for location information on popular photo sharing websites.

• Charts progress of a hike, bike, boat or other adventure trip with interval position tracking.

• Use a separate, efficient power source that will not drain the camera’s battery during GPS operation.

• Supports terrestrial-based Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS) for highly accurate positioning.

• An Electronic Compass function assists navigation.

The  Pentax O-GPS1 unit will ship in July 2011 and is available for pre-order now on pentaxwebstore for $249.95 USD.