Imatch not capturing new Nikon Lens - Blame Nikon!

[Aubrey]

I was testing a friend's new Nikon 16-80mm f/2.8-4 G VR lens the other day.
I loaded the images into IMatch, but find that the File viewer layout I have setup does not capture the lens using the template:
{File.MD.photools.com::IMatch\2900\lens\0}, it  captures "Unknown (AD 48 28 60 24 30 C8 0E)"

I then checked in the IMatch Sample Categories | Lens and see
IMatch Sample Categories|Image Files|Lens|Unknown (AD 48 28 60 24 30 C8 0E)

This also means that the file viewer dashboard is also unable to capture the lens name in the bottom left corner

The image is attached as a zip file so the metadata does not get stripped.

Sigh, don't we love the vendors from whom we buy or products !!!   

Aubrey.



[attachment deleted by admin]

[Mario]

Unless ExifTool supports your lens, IMatch will be unable as well.

Please post a message in the ExifTool forum, with details (exact name of the lens etc.) and a sample image.
Phil will then add recognition for your lens type to a future ExifTool-Version, and then IMatch will also be able to identify it.

http://u88.n24.queensu.ca/exiftool/forum/

Lens identification is a mess. I still wonder why vendors not just write the precise name of the lens in some EXIF or XMP tag - as text.

[Aubrey]

Thanks for the url.
Message submitted. I'll update here when there is news.

Aubrey.

[sinus]

I was testing a friend's new Nikon 16-80mm f/2.8-4 G VR lens the other day.
I loaded the images into IMatch, but find that the File viewer layout I have setup does not capture the lens using the template:
{File.MD.photools.com::IMatch\2900\lens\0}, it  captures "Unknown (AD 48 28 60 24 30 C8 0E)"

I then checked in the IMatch Sample Categories | Lens and see
IMatch Sample Categories|Image Files|Lens|Unknown (AD 48 28 60 24 30 C8 0E)

This also means that the file viewer dashboard is also unable to capture the lens name in the bottom left corner

The image is attached as a zip file so the metadata does not get stripped.

Sigh, don't we love the vendors from whom we buy or products !!!   

Aubrey.

Attached a screenshot.

[attachment deleted by admin]

[Mario]

That information (composite!) is made up by ExifTool from various other items in the EXIF record.

[Aubrey]

Markus,
This is a screenshot with an older 17-55 f/2.8

All my other lenses have a similar result.

Aubrey.

[attachment deleted by admin]

[sinus]

Markus,
This is a screenshot with an older 17-55 f/2.8

All my other lenses have a similar result.

Aubrey.

Hm. Sorry, I do not understand then fully.
I downloaded your image (coffee) and my attachement above showed simply the values of my Browser with the lens "16-80mm..."

Sorry, then, forget it.

[Mario]

The lens is identified by ExifTool as

Lens   16-80mm f/2.8-4 G VR

but the Lens ID is reported as

Lens ID   Unknown (AD 48 28 60 24 30 C8 0E)

So this seems to be a partial identification, with a derivation in the lens id unknown to IMatch. Nikon shuffles their lens ids all the time, there is unfortunately no proper standard. Vendors sometimes reuse ids for different lenses etc.

[sinus]

The lens is identified by ExifTool as

Lens   16-80mm f/2.8-4 G VR

but the Lens ID is reported as

Lens ID   Unknown (AD 48 28 60 24 30 C8 0E)

So this seems to be a partial identification, with a derivation in the lens id unknown to IMatch. Nikon shuffles their lens ids all the time, there is unfortunately no proper standard. Vendors sometimes reuse ids for different lenses etc.

Ahhh! One should think, for ONE vendor it is easy to store such information always in the same field.  But as you pointed out several times, different vendors does is different, and the same vendor does it sometimes also different. They change it maybe, dependent, what man is sitting at the desk in this moment, when they does invent a new lens or camera. 

[Aubrey]

Markus,
This also means that Mario's data driven algorithm for lenes (see Categories, IMatch Sample Categories, Lens) does not pick up the new lens.

Attached jpg.

Aubrey.

[attachment deleted by admin]

[Mario]

The lens is picked up all-right, using the name given to the lens by ExifTool.

If Phil updates the lens identification tables in ExifTool, a new name will be assigned as well. And when you then rescan the metadata of the affected files, the new lens name will be used throughout IMatch.

If camera vendors would care for more than the money of their customers, they would do something intelligent and useful like sending Phil an email when they invent new lens ids or maker notes. And maybe a sample image. Phil could then implement the changes straight away, without loosing precious life time figuring it out by himself or with the help of users.

This should take Nikon/Canon etc. maybe 10 minutes per year. And maybe 10 dollars to pay the employee who composes and sends the email to Phil and other interested parties. Or they could just publish it on their web site so we can follow the latest developments ourselves.

Naturally doing such a pragmatic thing is impossible to do for the multi-billion $ Japanese vendors.

[Aubrey]

The lens pick comment was no reflection on IMatch, Mario.  IMatch reads the parameter correctly, simply Nikon have modified metadata parameters.

"Naturally doing such a pragmatic thing is impossible to do for the multi-billion $ Japanese vendors."      

[Aubrey]

Phil advises that this lens will appear in the next release of exiftool (version 10.12).
http://u88.n24.queensu.ca/exiftool/forum/index.php/topic,7084.msg35740.html#msg35740

Thanks,
Aubrey.

[Aubrey]

I've just downloaded Phil's latest edition of exiftool (10.12) and added it to the C:\Program Files (x86)\photools.com\IMatch5 folder.

After F5 CRTL SHIFT the lens is now correctly identified.

Aubrey.