dannirr Posted February 24, 2007 Share #1 Posted February 24, 2007 Advertisement (gone after registration) Is there a way to change the default file name the M8 assigns to the file? I use 2 M8 bodies and am attempting to avoid duplicate file names when copying to my hard drive. So, I need them to be completely different.... Danni Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted February 24, 2007 Posted February 24, 2007 Hi dannirr, Take a look here M8 default file name change?. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
Guest roey Posted February 24, 2007 Share #2 Posted February 24, 2007 Don't know whether its possible to do this in-camera. But if you use e.g. Lightroom to ingest the images you can let it rename the files according to your custom rules. One of the building blocks for a custom naming rule is the serial number of the camera. Hope this helps Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dannirr Posted February 24, 2007 Author Share #3 Posted February 24, 2007 I really want to do it in-camera if possible. Danni Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
stunsworth Posted February 25, 2007 Share #4 Posted February 25, 2007 Dan, I seem to remember someone saying that if you change the direcroty name on the card that the files would pick up the name form the new folder - so if you changed 100LEICA to 400LEICA it would start naming the files 400XXXXX Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shootist Posted February 25, 2007 Share #5 Posted February 25, 2007 Your idea works like a charm. I changed the folder name from 100LEICA to 400LEICA and the file names are now L400xxxx. The good part is even after you format the card the file names stay L400xxxx. Now the test is to get it back to the original file name WITH the image count as it was before I try this. I only own one M8. Dan, I seem to remember someone saying that if you change the direcroty name on the card that the files would pick up the name form the new folder - so if you changed 100LEICA to 400LEICA it would start naming the files 400XXXXX Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dannirr Posted February 25, 2007 Author Share #6 Posted February 25, 2007 Great - but how do you change the folder name? I can see a menu item to reset it, but not how to actually choose it. Thanks Danni Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
stunsworth Posted February 25, 2007 Share #7 Posted February 25, 2007 Advertisement (gone after registration) Danni, you can't do it in camera. You need to put the card in a card reader and rename the folder on your PC or Mac. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
robsteve Posted February 25, 2007 Share #8 Posted February 25, 2007 Great - but how do you change the folder name? I can see a menu item to reset it, but not how to actually choose it. Thanks Danni Put the SD card in a card reader and use the utilities of your computer to rename the file. I have not shot enough with the M8 yet, but on the DMR, the file names were card related,so as along as you used the same set of cards amongst your M8, you should not have repeat file names. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shootist Posted February 25, 2007 Share #9 Posted February 25, 2007 Well my M8 is now stuck on L400 and I can't change it back. I've taken out the batteryand turned it on and will leave it overnight like that. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dannirr Posted February 25, 2007 Author Share #10 Posted February 25, 2007 So, the folder and thus file names are card related? Does that mean if I move a card from one camera to another, the normal sequence of file names for that card continues? I dont think that's right - putting a brand new card into a camera does not reset everything to "1" again if the camera is set to sequential, does it? If that were true, when you filled one card and inserted a new card, the new card would reset and the file names would be the same again as previously used. Surely the camera memory retains file numbering and file name information? Danni Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shootist Posted February 25, 2007 Share #11 Posted February 25, 2007 I think the camera remembers what folder name has been used and once it changes from one to another it can't go back to that first/original folder name or to ANY folder name you have used before. There is a section in the manual that says that you can only have 9999 images in a folder and once that number is reached, 9999, the camera will automatically increase the number used in the folder. The folder structure on the card is drive letter:\DCIM\100LEICA (original/default folder name) and then the images are L100xxxx when you get to 9999 it will change to DCIM/101LEICA and then start the image count back at 0001 (L1010001). So it seems that if you manually change the folder name on the card, from 100LEICA to whatever, you can NOT go back to the previous folder names used. The camera thinks you have reached the 9999 number mark. I've even inserted another card that had the same default folder name, DCIM\100LEICA, and took a few shots. The camera created another folder, 400LEICA, and continued the image count from the zero mark + whatever shots I have taken tonight. I have now lost my shutter activation count by file name. Oh well. So, the folder and thus file names are card related? Does that mean if I move a card from one camera to another, the normal sequence of file names for that card continues? I dont think that's right - putting a brand new card into a camera does not reset everything to "1" again if the camera is set to sequential, does it? If that were true, when you filled one card and inserted a new card, the new card would reset and the file names would be the same again as previously used. Surely the camera memory retains file numbering and file name information? Danni Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cbretteville Posted February 25, 2007 Share #12 Posted February 25, 2007 Looks to me like the default name of Lxxx is created form a string in the data portion of the camera's firmware and the counters for folder and image number. All strings in 1.09 are open, meaning they're not encoded but in human readable form. I don't have an M8 to test my theory on and there may very well be a checksum protecting the firmware against errors. But changing 'L' to something else should theoretically be possible. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
nic Posted February 25, 2007 Share #13 Posted February 25, 2007 You can make any file name, beginning with "L..." First: Set exposure number to "standard"! Second: Format the card in the camera! Third: Reset file-number in the menu numbers! Finally set exposure back to continious. Take the card in your card-reader and rename one jpg-file to the "L...." number you want and put it back into the camera. Camera on. First press "Play" and you will see a jpg-file with the renamed file-number. Expose one picture and it will show you the following number of the renamed file. My M8 has done it fine. Good luck and greatings. Klaus. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shootist Posted February 25, 2007 Share #14 Posted February 25, 2007 Thank you Klaus. I have now reset mu M8 back to the L100 and to the proper image number. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dannirr Posted February 25, 2007 Author Share #15 Posted February 25, 2007 I'm still not getting this - or perhap not explaining myself well. It is not simply an issue of file number - I need to move the files to a storage device - thus I cannot rename them at the time of transfer. I am trying to avoid moving files from 4 or 5 cards a night (shot in two different M8's) to a stand alone storage drive and having a file name conflict. If I rename the folder on each card to a unique name, will that folder retain the name after the card is formatted? And, if I change cards, will the sequential numbering resume for that particular card, or for the camera? Danni Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
nic Posted February 25, 2007 Share #16 Posted February 25, 2007 Hallo Danni! Name your cameras in body 1 and body 2 and name your cards for body 1 and for body 2! If the file-number is higher, your camera will take the higher number and also transfer to other cards and from each card to your second cam. This will also happen, if you take a card from an other M8-collegue. Greatings Klaus Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shootist Posted February 25, 2007 Share #17 Posted February 25, 2007 I'm still not getting this - or perhap not explaining myself well. It is not simply an issue of file number - I need to move the files to a storage device - thus I cannot rename them at the time of transfer. I am trying to avoid moving files from 4 or 5 cards a night (shot in two different M8's) to a stand alone storage drive and having a file name conflict. If I rename the folder on each card to a unique name, will that folder retain the name after the card is formatted? And, if I change cards, will the sequential numbering resume for that particular card, or for the camera? Danni Folow "nic's Klaus's" advice and you can name the the output file anything you like but they have to start with Lxxx. Or just follow the advice in a previous post to rename the folder ON THE CARD to L200/L300/L400/whatever starting with L and the camera will pick up on this and start the image file numbering with L(whatever you choose after the L in 3 places). Although I do not know if you can then swap cards between the 2 bodies. You may need to have specific cards for each body. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woody Campbell Posted February 25, 2007 Share #18 Posted February 25, 2007 I think that I'm the source of the original thread on this. I have 2 M8s. Using the procedure that Klaus outines I set one camera to use L300 filenames and one to use L400. I always format a card when I put it in the camera, so the camera sets the correct folder name on the card. I use continuous numbering. When a camera rolls over 9999 I plan on establishing a new folder name, like L401. This avoids any possibility of overwriting files when using multiple M8s. It would have been nice had Leica documented this. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
nic Posted February 25, 2007 Share #19 Posted February 25, 2007 ... I always format a card when I put it in the camera, so the camera sets the correct folder name on the card ... Good idea! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
james_h Posted February 25, 2007 Share #20 Posted February 25, 2007 You can change the file numbering sequence on the camera but only to the next sequential folder number. So if you're on L400xxxx you can change the next file name to become L4010001. In the picture numbering section of the menu press set and 3 choices come up. Continuously Standard Set Back Now Move down to set back now & press set and the file number advances to the next folder number. The card would then hold folders named 400LEICA & 401LEICA ( to use the example above). Regards Jim Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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