I recently purchased a Nikon 1 GP-N100 GPS unit for my Nikon 1 V2 cameras and had the opportunity to test it out during our recent trip to South Carolina.

NOTE: click on images to enlarge.

The GP-N100 is specifically designed to be used with V-series Nikon 1 cameras. As you can see in the photographs above it is appropriately sized for Nikon 1 cameras. It is quite small and light measuring (W x H x D): approximately 1.7 x 1.1 x 1.2 inches (42.0 x 26.8 x 30.5 mm). It weighs a miniscule 0.7 oz or 21 grams.

The GPS unit does not have its own power source so it draws current from the camera battery to operate. It clips onto a V-series body on the accessory shoe. It certainly is much quicker to install and disconnect to my Nikon 1 V2 than the GP-1 unit I used with my D800.

The Nikon 1 GP-N100 will continue to acquire satellite signals for up to 3 hours after you turn off your camera. I did a test one evening and after allowing the unit to boot up and acquire a signal I then turned off my camera and left the GPS on all night. No doubt some battery drain had occurred, but in the morning I found that the battery was still showing three bars. There was still sufficient charge left for me to keep the camera on continuously for almost 3 hours and capture about 200 images.

I timed the satellite acquisition time from a cold start and it took my unit about 35 seconds which is just under the 40 second time cited in the specifications for the unit. Based on performance statistics quoted on the Nikon web site a hot boot is supposed to take about 3 seconds, and I can confirm that my unit operates within the quoted time.

It should be noted that the very first time you turn on the GP-N100 it may take several minutes to initially acquire a satellite signal. This is clearly stated in the manual for this GPS.

The GP-N100 is activated when the camera is turned on. A red light flashes as the GPS unit is trying to acquire a satellite signal. Once acquired the light on the top of the unit turns green.

The Nikon 1 GP-N100 captures latitude, longitude, altitude, and time information. It does not provide directional data. I did some testing at Murrells Inlet and found that the unit performed well and was able to differentiate small differences in altitude of a foot or two when I was on the board-walk and on the pier.

Latitude and longitude also appear quite accurate. I did a test inside the house we rented in South Carolina and the GPS pretty much nailed the location. The street view on Google Maps was directly in front of the lane way of the small complex of beach homes at which we stayed.

The only issue that I noticed was when I was shooting birds in flight with the GPS attached to my Nikon 1 V2. There was a very noticeable time lag for the image to appear in the EVF. This was likely caused by the GPS drawing power from the camera battery. An easy solution was simply to put my thumb in-front of the sensor on the EVF. The lag time would not be a problem when shooting landscapes and other types of images that are not time critical. It did cause me to miss a few images of birds-in-flight until I figured out what was happening.

Overall I really like the Nikon 1 GP-N100. It is simple to attach and remove from a V-series camera, seems to acquire satellite signals pretty quickly and provides accurate location data. I use Windows Explorer to store all of my photography files and I had no issues with the data being displayed on my files. Other Nikon 1 owners who have this particular GPS would need to comment on its use with programs such as LightRoom as I don’t use that particular software.

Any photographers who own a Nikon 1 V-series camera and use it for travel or nature photography will find the GP-N100 to be a great addition to their kit. In Canada the GP-N100 sells for about $160.

If you enjoyed this article and would like to learn more about the Nikon 1 system, you may want to have a look at our eBook, The Little Camera That Could. It illustrates the capability of the Nikon 1 system through hundreds of original photographs. There is also commentary and tips about the Nikon 1 system.

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