EXIF/Metadata

[Gibbo]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

How do you record, or can you record the lens type if it is not coded or if it isn’t a match for a lens in the list in the menu of an M240?

[Advertisement]

The Leica Q3 is available for pre-order at B&H Photo Video and Adorama

[adan]

Only after the fact, with an EXIF editing app. (Along with some external manual note-taking technique at the moment of exposure, from paper-and-pen to a smartphone "notes" app).

But it depends on exactly why you need to know the lens type later.

For example, I was just yesterday comparing my 28mm Elmarit-M v.3 (available in the M menu) with a 28mm Elmarit v.2 (not supported by the coding system at all).

I simply used the camera menu to tag the v.2 pictures as made with a 28mm v.4 (which I don't own). Thus I can tell which is which, straight from the camera, for my comparisons.

And later use an EXIF editor to correct the EXIF to "Elmarit 28mm/Leitz type II" or something similar - if I wanted to bother.

Back in the day, Ansel Adams and Edward Weston kept diaries of which lens they used for each picture. Weston's "Daybooks" record things like "I placed it in the funnel, focused with the Zeiss [210mm at f/36], and knowing just the viewpoint, recognizing a perfect light, made an exposure of six minutes, with but a few moments' preliminary work, the real preliminary was on in hours passed. I have a great negative...."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pepper_No._30

Edited November 15, 2020 by adan

[Gibbo]

Thanks Adan! I only have one coded lens, Summarit 2.4/75. But I also have a Summaron 2.8/35 for which I have just selected the nearest on the menu. I have an Elmar 2.8/50 and an Elmar-M 2.8/50 (not coded but on the menu) an Elmar 4/90 and have also decided to make use of my Dad's Soligor 4/105. The camera can only record the correct data for two of my lenses.

I wasn't really aware of being able to edit the exif. Can you recommend an editor?

[adan]

I don't bother with editing EXIF myself - but I know others here have worked with them and will chime in with suggestions.

[evikne]

I use a Lightroom plug-in called LensTagger. I also have a program called Exif Editor.

I got them because I have two uncoded lenses, and I always forget to set the correct lens in camera before I shoot. 😉

[epand56]

On 11/15/2020 at 8:45 PM, adan said:

Back in the day, Ansel Adams and Edward Weston kept diaries of which lens they used for each picture

Is it possible that in their entire lives Adams and Weston took less pictures than an average member of this forum takes in one year.
I think the OP would prefer an Exif app rather than pen and paper 🙂

[jdlaing]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

Exif Editor is good.

[Gibbo]

8 hours ago, jdlaing said:

Exif Editor is good.

Thank you. Does it work retrospectively? I watched a YouTube video recently by Ted Forbes (The Art Of Photography) in which he reviewed the app and seemed to imply it only really worked on initial import of files. I'd like to be able to go back through my entire database and edit, for example, all the images that have Plustek 7400 in their exif to the more factual Leica M2.

[jdlaing]

I just opened a photo from the past and used it to double check so it works after imported, processed and exported or retroactively.  I like it. It has worked well for me in the past.

[Gibbo]

Excellent, thanks everso much!! Time to go for it, methinks!

[evikne]

8 hours ago, Gibbo said:

Thank you. Does it work retrospectively?

It works fine on processed photos too. But to me, all edits are reset, I don't know exactly why. The same happens with the LensTagger plugin. Anyway, it's no disaster, because I just have to go one step back in the History palette and everything is OK again (the EXIF changes are not a part of the history, so they will remain).

If one have to do this one by one with a bunch of images, it's frustrating, though.

[Luke_Miller]

7 hours ago, evikne said:

It works fine on processed photos too. But to me, all edits are reset, I don't know exactly why. The same happens with the LensTagger plugin. 

If I "Save Metada to File" on processed images before doing the lens EXIF edit my edits are retained in Lightroom.

[evikne]

30 minutes ago, Luke_Miller said:

If I "Save Metada to File" on processed images before doing the lens EXIF edit my edits are retained in Lightroom.

Thank you! I had a suspicion that was the problem. I'll try it the next time. 

[Gibbo]

Thanks for all the replies, guys. I have downloaded the Exif Editor app today and am now having fun updating my files. I may be some time 😉