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Picture numbering in same M8


hammam

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I didn't think I would need help so rapidly, but here is a trivial, albeit quite annoying, problem: even though the picture numbering is set to «Continuous», the thirty or so photos I took today were numbered using numbers already used, like going back in the sequence and starting over. Not from the beginning, but somewhere in the middle (my M8 is brand new.) How can this happen, but mostly is there a way to set an entirely new sequence in the camera so that I can download my filesd in the same folder without «replacing» anything?

 

Thanks a lot,

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Some clever person wrote the following in a previous post - I can't give credit as I don't recall who it was, but it was good enough to keep a clipping of it on my mac:

 

Here is a procedure that will allow you change to anything you want:

 

1. Set the Picture Number in the menu to "Standard".

2. Format the SD card in camera.

3. Reset the File Number in the menu. It actually says “Reset fold. No”, that is the one you want.

4. Set Picture Number back to "Continuous"

5. Take one image

6. Shut off camera, remove SD card and place in card reader attached to a computer.

7. Access the image in your Finder or Explorer (Mac or PC); rename the image number to whatever file number/image number you want. I would suggest Lyyyxxxx, with "y" being your preferred folder number (See Note Below) and "x" being the frame number you want to start with. (You are making these changes to the file name on the card in the card reader.)

 

NOTE

 

If you want to change the first or second digit of the L100 (Lyyy above) in the file name, like to L200 or 120 or 220, then you have to change the folder name also.

The directory/folder structure on the card when in a card reader is [Drive Letter]:\DCIM\100LEICA\. You need to change the 100LEICA to whatever you want the file number to start with. Like if you want it to be L200xxxx then you need to rename that folder to 200LEICA. If you want L120 then you need to change that folder name to 120LEICA. It would look like this [Drive Letter]:\DCIM\120 or 200LEICA.

 

8. Properly remove card from card reader and return to camera.

9. Turn the camera on and press "Play". The file will now display with newly renamed folder and file number. (Use "Info" to see this data.)

10. Expose another image to confirm and check file numbers.

11. Format SD card, and you are good to go from that point on.

 

Chris

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Wow! That did it. Thanks a lot. But... now my file numbering looks like: L100-0101. I have only changed the last 4 digits. I don't think I have quite grasped the concept of folders. Is the hyphen normal? It isn't there in my first pictures, which show a continuous number, in the form of L1010084. What will happen after the 1000th photo is taken? Will it open a new folder (L200, I would guess) and start the sequence over at 0001? Thanks again.

 

(Sorry, this is the first time ever I've had to deal with this kind of problem.)

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Do it over again, but do nothing with the folder name if it is "100LEICA" (I think it must currently be "100-LEICA"), but if there is still a hyphen, remove the hyphen. When you edit the name of the DNG on your computer, just change the last digits and don't insert a hyphen. Then put the card back in the M8 and press play. Format the card again, and format all your other SD cards in the M8 without taking any pictures. They should all work at this point.

 

Chris

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Wow! That did it. Thanks a lot. But... now my file numbering looks like: L100-0101. I have only changed the last 4 digits. I don't think I have quite grasped the concept of folders. Is the hyphen normal? It isn't there in my first pictures, which show a continuous number, in the form of L1010084. What will happen after the 1000th photo is taken? Will it open a new folder (L200, I would guess) and start the sequence over at 0001? Thanks again.

 

(Sorry, this is the first time ever I've had to deal with this kind of problem.)

 

Hi and welcome back to the M8.

I am not the original writer of the steps to rename/renumber the images but I did make changes and updated it to something that is more understandable and that is what you have read in the other post.

 

As to your problem with the hyphen. No it should not be there and I think you should start over being very careful in naming the folder and changing the number of a image on the card. the hyphen could cause a problem.

 

I suggest you go through the steps again making sure you follow them to the letter. this will get rid of the hyphen.

 

To detail how the camera numbers images.

When the camera is new it numbers the images L1000001 and places those images in a folder called 100LEICA under the main, top level folder, call DCIM so it looks like this (Drive letter):\DCIM\100LEICA.

 

As you take pictures they get numbered consecutively up to 9999 ( That's Nine Thousand, Nine Humdred Ninety Nine) One under Ten Thousand. Once you take the next shot after the 9999th, the Ten Thousandth image, the folder rolls over to the next number, L1010001. It does NOT roll over to L2000001.

 

So the M8 can take Eight Million, Nine Hundred Ninety Nine Thousand, Nine Hundred Ninety Nine Images, because you are already at the One Millionth number when you take the first shots (1000001), before you have to ReSet the camera to start over with the numbering. Once you reach L9999999 the camera will give you some type of message about not being able to record the image because it is out of numbers or some such thing.

 

 

Edit:

I have 2 M8 and I have used the steps outlined to change my second/black M8 to start numbering images from L2000001 and have used it to reset my numbers scheme after cameras come back from Leica service because Leica always RESET the camera.

The chrome M8 uses the standard numbering, L1000001+.

I will need to take ONE MILLIOM images, actually 999999 images, before the chrome M8 rolls over to L200xxxx. I think it's safe to say I wouldn't have to deal with images that have the same number.

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Once you reach L9999999 the camera will give you some type of message about not being able to record the image because it is out of numbers or some such thing.

 

How could Leica release a product with such a flaw!!!!... I assume the D3 will go right past 10 million... ;)

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I am assuming you got the numbering to work correctly using the strategy mentioned above.

Please note that with firmware 2.0 after you have transferred files to your computer (e.g. via a card-reader) you should FORMAT the card in the camera. If you only delete the files on the SD card the numbering will start from 0001 (even if the camera is set to continuous).

So whatever method you use for file transfer, make sure to format the card to prepare it for next use.

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I still have this hyphen automatically added when the card is put back in the camera. I followed the instructions very carefully, I didn't add the hyphen myself. The first time, I didn't change the folder's name, and I just changed the file number in my computer, which gave: L1000101. Hyphen added. Then, I did it a second time, and this time I changed the folder's number. I typed 200LEICA, then, L2000101, Hyphen added again. I got L200-0101. Any explanation? Thanks again.

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I still have this hyphen automatically added when the card is put back in the camera. I followed the instructions very carefully, I didn't add the hyphen myself. The first time, I didn't change the folder's name, and I just changed the file number in my computer, which gave: L1000101. Hyphen added. Then, I did it a second time, and this time I changed the folder's number. I typed 200LEICA, then, L2000101, Hyphen added again. I got L200-0101. Any explanation? Thanks again.

 

Take a NEW, or very NEWISH, card and format it in the camera. Take ONE shot. Review that shot on the camera LCD. Turn off the camera and take the card out of the camera. Put it in a card reader and LOOK at the one file on the card with your file management program (By the way what type of computer are you using, PC or Mac, and what OS is it running) Win Explorer for Windows or ?Finder? for a Mac (Sorry I'm not fimilar with Mac or what they include as a file management program).

 

Now if there is a hyphen in that image file name Re-Name it without the hyphen.

Properly remove the card from the card reader, that may mean you have to STOP the card reader (If you have to stop the card reader you may have to unplug it from the USB cable it is connected to and then re-plug in the USB cable to get the OS to see it again).

Now put the card back in the CARD READER and LOOK at that one file you just renamed with a real FILE MANAGEMENT program. Does it have a hyphen in it? If it does then it is something your computer is doing when renaming image files (That brings up a good question. You are using a FILE MANAGEMENT Program to rename the file and NOT a image editing program to do it?)

and you should seek out some other computer to do the steps again.

 

If the hyphen is NOT in the file name when RE-reviewing the file on the card in a card reader then put the card in the camera and turn the camera on. Hit the PLAY button and then the INFO button to bring up the info screen. The file should have the name you gave it in the last step without any hyphen. Hit the info button again then the play button again to close out those screens and take "ONE" more shot. Hit the Play button again and then the Info button. In the info screen you should see the name of the last image file name you just took that is stored on the card and it should be L200xxxx (NO hyphen).

If it is then turn off the camera, take the card out and put it in the card reader and LOOK at it with a FILE MANAGEMENT program (NOT a IMAGE editing program) the file name should be the same, L200xxxx.

Now download those 2 images to your computer using your normal method and look at what the file names are in your preferred image browser. If NOW there is a hyphen in the file name it is being caused by whatever image downloading software you are using.

 

My guess is you are either missing one of the steps someplace, like adding 2+10+5+2+3 and always coming up with 20 instead of 22 (Mind fart), or your computer or what you are using or what you are doing to rename the file on the card is making this change.

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Thanks, Shootist, but I'm following the steps to the letter. I even printed them to make sure. I'm using a Mac. I changed the number of the picture in the image reader plugged in my computer (very straightforward with a Mac, you just open the successive folders and then type the new digits) by typing L1000101. I closed all the folders, I opened them again, to make sure. The number was still L1000101, no hyphen. I properly removed the card from the computer, and even put it back again, just to make double-sure. The number was still L1000101, no hyphen. I properly removed the card from the computer, and then I put it back in the camera. This is step 8 of the procedure. At step 9, as soon as I check for the file number, there it is, the dreaded hyphen, L100-0101. So it happens in-camera, not in computer. What gives? Thanks.

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When you put the card into a card reader and open it on the Mac, does the folder 100LEICA have either a space or a hyphen between the "100" and the "LEICA"?

 

My SD cards mount on my desktop as 'no name' and there is a folder at the root level called 'DCIM' and in this is the folder named '100LEICA'. This is the folder name I am referring to.

 

Chris

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When you put the card into a card reader and open it on the Mac, does the folder 100LEICA have either a space or a hyphen between the "100" and the "LEICA"?

 

My SD cards mount on my desktop as 'no name' and there is a folder at the root level called 'DCIM' and in this is the folder named '100LEICA'. This is the folder name I am referring to.

 

Chris

Thanks, but no. No space, no hyphen. Everything shows exactly like in your case:

«no name/DCIM/100LEICA/L100xxxx» Then, in-camera, I get L100-xxxx. If I return the card back to the computer, lo and behold, the number has no hyphen anymore. When I put the card back in the camera, oh Lord! the dreaded hyphen is back! Maybe that's normal, after all. What makes me say that is that, in the M8 manual, page 120, the example file name shows like L100 0001, with a space. Not a hyphen, but a space nonetheless, whereas the card reader shows no space. I don't know...

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Thanks, Shootist, but I'm following the steps to the letter. I even printed them to make sure. I'm using a Mac. I changed the number of the picture in the image reader plugged in my computer (very straightforward with a Mac, you just open the successive folders and then type the new digits) by typing L1000101. I closed all the folders, I opened them again, to make sure. The number was still L1000101, no hyphen. I properly removed the card from the computer, and even put it back again, just to make double-sure. The number was still L1000101, no hyphen. I properly removed the card from the computer, and then I put it back in the camera. This is step 8 of the procedure. At step 9, as soon as I check for the file number, there it is, the dreaded hyphen, L100-0101. So it happens in-camera, not in computer. What gives? Thanks.

Strike all that has come before and what I just typed.

You are seeing this ON THE CAMERA when viewing the image and the info, Lxxx"-"xxxx, RIGHT???????

 

That is normal. Sorry for the confusion. I was under the impression that when you downloaded the images to your PC that all the images had the hyphen.

Check that to see. The images once downloaded to the PC will have NO hyphen, Lxxxxxxx.

 

Again I am sorry for the confusion. I only noticed this when going over my M8 for the steps I was outlining below. I had never taken note of this before.

 

 

Put the card in the camera and RESET the camera, menu item, Then in Picture Numbering menu option scroll to "Set Back Now" hit the set button. Again in Picture Numbering select Standard. close out the menu and then take one shot. Hit the play button and the file name should be L1000001. Back in the menu system go to Picture Numbering and set it to Continuous. Take another shot. That image should be L1000002.

Now format that card. Remove it from the camera and insert another card. Format that other card in the camera then take one shot. Hit the play button and that shot should be L1000003. Take that card out of the camera and set it aside.

Take the first card and put it back in the camera and format it. Take one shot and then review it on the camera. That shot should be L1000004. Take that card out of the camera and put it in your card reader. Use a FILE MAGEMENT program to rename that file on the card to whatever you want, DO NOT rename the folder at this time.

Put the card back in the camera and take ONE shot.

Review the shot you just took and hit the info button. That shot should have the number one digit higher then the one you renamed without the hyphen. Hit the left arrow

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Strike all that has come before and what I just typed.

You are seeing this ON THE CAMERA when viewing the image and the info, Lxxx"-"xxxx, RIGHT???????

 

That is normal. Sorry for the confusion. I was under the impression that when you downloaded the images to your PC that all the images had the hyphen.

Check that to see. The images once downloaded to the PC will have NO hyphen, Lxxxxxxx.

 

Clever lad!

 

Chris

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Now, just to make sure we all understand each other: after carefully following chrism's post (thank you for that) what I get is no hyphen in the computer, and a hyphen in-camera. So, you say, Shootist, that this is normal? I sure hope so. Thanks.

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Now, just to make sure we all understand each other: after carefully following chrism's post (thank you for that) what I get is no hyphen in the computer, and a hyphen in-camera. So, you say, Shootist, that this is normal? I sure hope so. Thanks.

 

 

Correct. For some reason the camera separates the file name into two parts divided by the hyphen when viewing the image info on the camera.

 

Really I never took notice of this before, just never looked at it that close. I don't use the info button much except when changing file/folder names and to see if the hand coded lenses I have are still being picked up by the camera.

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I wouldn't have noticed either if, upon downloading pictures from a card to a folder using Lightroom, I hadn't been warned that «a file with the same name already exists, and do I want to replace it...»

 

Thanks again.

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