TAG-E is a purpose-built controller and EXIF geotagger for the Sony ILX-LR1. One USB-C cable. No WiFi, no extra modules. Full MAVLink camera control, with precise position & attitude written into every photo — no initiation, no manual log-matching.
Designed from scratch for the ILX-LR1. The firmware inside TAG-E is written specifically for this camera, which is what lets it reach the full spectrum of what the ILX-LR1 can do — the complete set of exposure and focus controls, every menu and button, and the richest geotagging the camera will accept. Nothing is generalised away, so nothing is left on the table.
Latitude, longitude, altitude and camera angles are written into the files on the camera's SD card — JPG, ARW raw, or both, whichever way you shoot. No initiation, no manual log-matching.
Trigger at the camera's maximum rate — geotagging never throttles your shot interval, so overlap stays tight on long mapping missions.
A single USB-C link handles control and geotagging (plus an optional trigger-detect wire). No WiFi, no expander boxes — less weight, fewer failure points.
Trigger, exposure and every camera button over USB — ISO, iris, shutter, exp. comp, exposure mode, AF, even MENU navigation and image playback, all from QGC or the Mission Planner plugin.
Geotag precise GPS/RTK position taken from MAVLink, EMLID ERB or NMEA input. A separate PPS input tightens time synchronisation, so each capture carries a highly precise timestamp.
TAG-E automatically sets the camera's internal clock and time zone from the GPS time received from the drone, so every photo the camera writes carries the correct date and time — no manual clock setting, even after long storage.
TAG-E pulls the full drone-ecosystem context from the flight controller and embeds it into every image automatically — so images arrive photogrammetry-ready, straight off the card.
Standard tags are written to every photo. Optional tags can be switched on per project or workflow. Attitude includes gimbal orientation when a gimbal is used.
Before you take off, type a name for the job — site, line, tower, whatever suits — straight into the control interface TAG-E generates in QGroundControl. No config files, no SD card, no laptop. That label is written into every image from the flight, so your photos come back already sorted by mission.
TAG-E was built from scratch for the Sony ILX-LR1 — dropping cleanly into your rig between the flight controller, HereLink and the camera. One purpose-built module replaces a tangle of adapters, so the ILX-LR1 behaves like a native part of the drone.
However you fly the ILX-LR1 — bolted to the frame or riding a gimbal — every photo knows exactly where it was taken and which way it was looking.
Point the camera straight down for mapping, or tilt it for oblique capture. Tell TAG-E the angle once and it stamps the right direction onto every shot. Set it and forget it.
Let the gimbal do its thing. TAG-E follows its every move — Gremsy, BaseCam or any MAVLink gimbal — so your shots always report the real camera angle, however the drone dances around it.
Your GPS sits in one place and your camera in another. Behind the scenes it’s proper 3D geometry — TAG-E tracks your camera’s exact point in space and recalculates it for every single frame — so your map pins land precisely where the camera really was, down to the centimetre, even mid-banked-turn. All that number-crunching, and you set it up just once.
TAG-E doesn’t just tag your shots — it drives the ILX-LR1 over that same single USB-C link. Exposure, focus, triggering, even the menu: all of it, from your ground station.
Switch from fully automatic to fully manual in a tap — or anywhere in between. Set ISO, aperture and shutter individually, or let the camera decide.
Where it helps: lock manual exposure so every frame across a survey block matches for seamless, even orthomosaics — then flip to auto for run-and-gun inspection in changing light.
Fire stills or video straight from your flight plan or GCS. TAG-E accepts the standard MAVLink camera commands and executes them on the camera over USB-C — distance and interval triggers, plus photo and video start/stop.
DO_SET_CAM_TRIGG_DIST
DO_SET_CAM_TRIGG_INTERVAL
IMAGE_START_CAPTURE
IMAGE_STOP_CAPTURE
VIDEO_START_CAPTURE
VIDEO_STOP_CAPTURE
Reach the whole camera without touching it: open the MENU, navigate with the arrows, hit Fn, and play back captured images and clips — all from the ground. Change a buried setting mid-flight, no landing required.
Format the SD card remotely, keep each flight in its own folder automatically, and fix HDMI output resolution — the housekeeping handled, so your operators don’t have to.
TAG-E’s camera control isn’t tied to a single body. Triggering and full exposure control work across the latest Sony cameras, over the same USB link and the same MAVLink workflow. Drive more of your fleet with one familiar tool.
Full EXIF & XMP geotagging stays exclusive to the Sony ILX-LR1 — the camera TAG-E was purpose-built around.
Choose the autofocus behaviour that suits the job — continuous AF-C, single AF-S, or full manual focus — and put the focus exactly where you want it.
Tap-to-focus isn’t part of QGroundControl, Mission Planner or MavCam today — TAG-E exposes it as a capability for the integrator to build into their own application.
Record with the ILX-LR1 and TAG-E writes a matching subtitle track — position, altitude, camera attitude and laser distance, frame by frame. Scrub to any moment and you know exactly where the camera was and what it was pointing at. A walkthrough clip becomes a located, reportable record.
TAG-E reads GPS time from the drone and sets the camera’s internal clock and time zone for you. Every photo the camera writes carries the right date and time — no more fixing timestamps after the battery’s been out, no drift between flights.
Each one below is unlocked by a specific TAG-E capability — from rangefinder defect-sizing to sub-cm RTK survey and geotagged video. The same coin-sized module covers them all.
TAG-E writes the laser rangefinder distance into every shot, so software can turn pixels into millimetres. Measure crack widths, spalling and corrosion on wind-turbine blades, bridges, dams, chimneys and cooling towers — no physical scale bar in frame.
Fly oblique against buildings, towers and cell masts. Gimbal-derived Roll/Pitch/Yaw plus rangefinder distance mean every frame carries its true viewing angle and range — so findings map back to an exact spot on the structure.
Stamp a custom label — tower ID, line, span, pole number — into the metadata of every image as you fly. Photos arrive pre-sorted and traceable, ready to ingest into an asset-management system without manual renaming.
With RTK/PPK positioning and lever-arm correction, TAG-E embeds centimetre-accurate position and PPK TXT output, giving your processing software a precise starting point alongside your ground control. Ideal for cadastral survey, mining and aggregate stockpile volumes, and earthworks.
Geotagging needs no initiation and no manual log-matching. A single operator lands and hands over survey-ready imagery — perfect for search & rescue, disaster assessment and time-critical BVLOS missions.
TAG-E generates SRT subtitles carrying position, attitude and laser distance alongside recorded video. Reviewers can pinpoint exactly where a defect appears in the footage — turning a walkthrough clip into a located, reportable record.
Tag each campaign with a custom label and rely on consistent, automatic metadata to compare flights over time — construction progress, coastal erosion, subsidence, tailings dams, crop cycles — with every image already positioned and dated from GPS.
Fly large corridors and blocks with the 61 MP ILX-LR1 and land with images already carrying position and attitude in EXIF & XMP. Feed straight into Pix4D / Metashape and lean on direct georeferencing to speed up stitching.
At 27×46×9 mm with a single USB-C link and no WiFi to certify, TAG-E designs cleanly into a production airframe. MavCam backward compatibility and full ENTIRE R3 command support make upgrading an existing fleet painless for you and your customers.
Building or upgrading your own drone? Wire one cable, load the plugin, and get professional geotagging and full camera control — including remote MENU navigation, so you never land just to change a setting — without a companion computer or scripting.
A predictable, small-footprint module you can design into a production payload. Standard MAVLink integration means your customers control the camera from tools they already use — and your support team fields fewer questions. Simple wiring, no WiFi to certify, consistent EXIF output across every unit you ship.
Get OEM-grade geotagging on a self-built ArduPilot or PX4 drone without a companion computer or custom code. One cable, a plugin, and you're capturing survey-ready imagery. The same device the professionals use — approachable enough for a one-off build.
TAG-E is the focused, simplest path for the ILX-LR1. ENTIRE is the universal workhorse that drives many camera brands — but that flexibility comes at a price: paired with the ILX-LR1 it can’t reach everything the camera offers. TAG-E, built for this one camera, has none of those limits.
| Feature | TAG-E | ENTIRE R3 |
|---|---|---|
| Camera support | Purpose-built for Sony ILX-LR1 | Universal — Sony, PhaseOne Industrial, Workswell Wiris & more |
| Connection | Single USB-C, no WiFi | USB for geotagging + WiFi (or wired expander) |
| Setup complexity | Minimal — a few options | More configuration (universal by design) |
| Geotagging accuracy | Same high accuracy | Same high accuracy |
| EXIF & XMP geotagging | ✓ | ✓ |
| Lever-arm offset calculation | ✓ | ✓ |
| Rangefinder geotagging | ✓ | ✓ |
| Custom flight label | ✓ | ✗ |
| Movie SRT video geotagging | ✓ | ✗ |
| PPS GPS time synchronisation | ✓ | ✗ |
| PPK TXT output | ✓ | ✗ |
| Automatic camera clock from GPS | ✓ | ✗ |
| Camera control protocol v2 | ✓ | ✗ |
| Full MAVLink parameter config | ✓ | ✗ |
| Remote SD-card format | ✓ | ✗ |
| SBUS / Jeti / PWM / Link control input | ✗ | ✓ |
| Best fit | Standardising on the ILX-LR1 | Mixed fleets & other camera brands |
Not sure which fits your airframe? The AirPixel team can advise based on your camera and flight controller.
Order TAG-E for €299, or talk to us about integrating it into your drone platform. MavCam backward compatible — an easy upgrade from the ENTIRE R3.