Camera Serial Number Metadata Issue Canon 1dsMkiii

[rCobb]

Hello,

After importing about 500k images I noticed that many, but not all, images taken with the Canon 1dsMkiii do not have serial numbers visible in metadata viewer.

Background...
Due to large quantity of images and wanting to preserve absolutely unchanged original image files (court/evidence reasons) they are read only, and set writeback turned off, sidecar creation enabled.

Images are a combination of .cr2 raw files, camera output .jpg, and Lightroom/PS/misc converted from one of the above to .jpg

Examining the images with exiftools DOES show the serial number in all cases.

up until today, all imatch setting were default (except as above)
Today I messed around with Tag Manager and added several Canon specific fields.

I rescanned the image folders, then re-wrote metadata (updated sidecar) and can see serial numbers for many more images now.
But I must have added some unnecessary fields suck as SerialNumberFormat etc, and would now like to delete them.
I'm also not sure how to get the serial number to display on the metadata panel. Browse setting does not show camera serial number for all.

Example:
.cr2 files dont show camera serial number under Browser>Imatch Metadata, however it appears under Canon>Serial Number.

.jpg file shows camera serial number under Browser>Imatch Metadata>Camera Serial Number Comp & XMP aux

How can I get the serial number in the same field every time for all camera and file configurations? And get rid of the extra fields I unintentionally added?

Many thanks for any help.

R

[Mario]

Serial Number is not a standard EXIF tag (field).
Different Canon camera models store serial numbers in different formats and ExifTool emits them under different names.

The Metadata Panel with the "Browser" layout shows only metadata IMatch has imported from your files.
Which by default includes most of the camera-specific maker notes, because they are rarely needed and would only increase the database size unnecessarily.

If you want to import specific maker notes like serial number, you need to figure out the name of the corresponding tag first. If you have multiple camera bodies or different bodies with different firmware, it is possible that different tags need to be enabled in the Tag Manager.

The way I would do it is to look at the files in the IMatch ExifTool Command Processor to see which tags contain the data I'm looking for. Then enable the tag in the Tag Manager and re-import the metadata for the files by selecting them in a File Window and pressing Shift+Ctrl+F5: Reload Metadata.

.cr2 files dont show camera serial number under Browser>Imatch Metadata, however it appears under Canon>Serial Number.
 .jpg file shows camera serial number under Browser>Imatch Metadata>Camera Serial Number Comp

IMatch tries to find a serial number, looking at a range of tags. When one is found, it makes the job easier for the user and copies the serial number to the IMatch serial number tag.

Since there is no standard for all this, each camera vendor makes things up as they go and they also don't documents anything, it is very likely that your cameras the serial number in a tag that is yet unknown to IMatch.

Please provide sample image downloads (cloud space) so we can have a look at what Canon stores in your files and then I can maybe add yet a another set of serial number tags IMatch checks when ingesting files to provide the unified IMatch serial number tag.
If you have no cloud space, you can send them to support email address.
Please include a link to this topic in the email.

But I must have added some unnecessary fields suck as SerialNumberFormat etc, and would now like to delete them.

See Tag Manager help topic, which explains this here: Database Diagnosis

I'm also not sure how to get the serial number to display on the metadata panel.

When IMatch has imported them, you can add them to a Metadata Panel layout like any other tag.
See Metadata Panel Layouts.

[rCobb]

Many thanks Mario,

I've figured out the canon specific fields, and added them to the Camera Data panel.
I've got:

  Composite SN
  xmpAux SN
  Canon SN

images are displaying one or two of the three, so I think I've got the data I need.

How can I get them all into one field?  It doesn't really matter which one, I just need them merged.

It would be awesome to have this work automagically into the composite serial number field. I understand the frustration with 18k exif fields :-)

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1Jo9NAMIpIVCI3nzLbZDwZItAB590ywJS?usp=drive_link


Thanks again.
Ross

[Mario]

images are displaying one or two of the three, so I think I've got the data I need.

See what I mean?

It would be awesome to have this work automagically into the composite serial number field.

Composite tags are made up by ExifTool on-the-fly. They are somewhat fluctuating and I try not to base any IMatch features on them.

How can I get them all into one field?  It doesn't really matter which one, I just need them merged.

IMatch has no feature to "merge" metadata.
You could use a Metadata Template or the Metadata Mechanic to copy metadata between tag values.

That's why IMatch tries to figure out a serial number from the raw metadata and put it into the unified IMatch serial number tag.

Unfortunately, the download link you have provided is not public and requires a Google account to log in and download.
Please convert the link into a public link and let us know.