richard Loc: Mamaroneck, NY

Hi everyone, I'm an individual that likes to know camera setting people use. If possible when pictures are displayed, could the camera settings and lens used be indicated?

jerm

You mean, like, follow the rules? :lol:

richard Loc: Mamaroneck, NY

I didn't realize that was in the rules, I never read them but I wish people would post this information. I think I could learn from it myself.
Thanks for the attachment on the rules.

sinatraman Loc: Vero Beach Florida, Earth,alpha quaudrant

seeing how many of my photos are scanned in from film and the information iwas never recorded, and the ones that are digital the megadata is only available when i open photoshop album, that is going to be next to impossible. I don't understand how knowing that information is in any way helpfull. exposure situations are different. there are too many varibles at each oportunity. If you have an understanding of selective focus, how to utilize depth of field, how various focal lengths affect depth of field etc you dont need to know the metadata to be abile to analyze a shot and figure out how the photographer did it. May I suggest the book "understanding exposure" by Btyan Peterson,

jerm

You have to be kidding, right?

Yes, each situation is different. So is the way different photographers might approach the situation, and I've learned quite a lot by watching how others choose to expose a scene.

This info can also be very helpful when someone is asking a question or trying to troubleshoot an issue. Without knowing what they had going on, we really have no way of helping.

(By the way, I used to shoot film, too. The only difference between then and now is that digital technology makes it a little bit easier to keep track of.)

drjuice

Addressing the original question,

It sounds like some people aren't familiar with the fact that most digital cameras, especially those with RAW capabilities, include some information, often referred to as the EXIF information actually in the metadata recorded with the actual images. With Photoshop and basically any other image processing/handling system (Tiffin Dfx is one I use a lot), you should see something referring either to EXIF information or to image properties, perhaps in the application's VIEW menu item. An example extracted from the EXIF information of an image I took Tuesday evening is below. Since I reduced the size of the image to fit it reasonably on the "small screen", I've also included the EXIF information that is different between the original TIFF created from RAW and the reduced size image that's a resampled TIFF saved as a PNG to allow display on the web.

Example of EXIF information

Property: original/reduced
size: 2856x4288/606x533 (pixels)
time: 20110906 19:10:50 PDT
body: Sony alpha700
lens: Minolta AF 50mm Macro
F-stop: 6.3
speed: 1/125th
flash: Yes, built-in

For those who don't know, Sony bought out the Minolta lens business and Minolta Maxxam lenses work just fine on Sony Alpha cameras.

HTH.

drjuice

jerm

This information can also be stored in the final JPG images you post on the web, and is easy to access. I use the Firefox browser with an extension called FxIF, I can right-click and view EXIF (provided this is preserved in the JPG image).

drjuice

COOL! Thanks for the pointer, Jerm. drj

sinatraman Loc: Vero Beach Florida, Earth,alpha quaudrant

actualy no iam not kidding. only if someone has a problem is the meta data relevant. It is sort of liking emril creme brule and asking him what kind of pot did he use. People need to take the time and effort to learn about exposures. If you really understand f stops shutter speeds and depth of field you dont need to know meta data you can look at the photo and preety much figure out. if you dont understand the relationship no amount of "f2.8 at 1/1000 of a sec with a 70-200 zoom while wearing levi jeans and after eating a colorado omlet at the ihop is going to help. m Buy a copy of bryan petersons "understanding exposure" and reasd it. it will explauin in simple language everything a new photographer needs to know. I have a theory. there are two types of photographers. photography as a science and photography as an art. The science guys are into numbers and technical stuff and all the complexities of photoshop. the art guys focus on the subject and how to express their vision. we know tecqniques but they are only a means to the end which is a photo that reflects our vision. I am definetly an art guy. 8-)

Rjet33 Loc: Alabama

Another HUGE difference is if you take a bad pic on your digital, you can just delete it whereas on film, you better get it right the first time or you are seriously wasting film on bad shots! That can get expensive!!!!

achesley Loc: SW Louisiana

I'll never be a pro picture taker but often check EXIF Data on good photos that get my attention if it available for the shot. I've looked at good moon shots , noted the data, put my camera in manual and got a pretty good picture plus learning what works for that type of shot.

JimH Loc: Western South Jersey, USA

Normally, one could save the photo and check the EXIF data using any one of several thousand free or almost free hunks of software available from the web. Or, as Jerry has noted, some browsers offer plug-ins that do it right there online.

However, one stumbling block to this is that the Hedgehog forum software strips the EXIF data out of an image when you attach it to your message. So the only way to display or retain the specs, EXIF or not, is to either hand-enter the info, or link to an external image.

I'm seriously thinking of doing the latter for any more images that I personally post here, just to have a bit more control over the size as well. I have to admit, my panos and landscapes lose a bit of impact at only 600px wide. :) I have a 23" 16:9 monitor running at 1680x1050 pixels, and I'd wager that a few other 'hogs probably use something larger than a 15" monitor as well. It might be nice if the mod/admin could adjust the image display size in the software to allow for larger images.

Exif: f/3.51, 19mm f/l, exposure time 20 seconds, ISO 100, Canon 18-135 lens, 50D body, Rocketfish tripod, Acme cable release, Nike sneakers, Polo shirt, Lee jeans, Fruit of the Loom...well, you get the idea :)

http://www.jmhare.com/misc_images/DMB_Pano2.JPG

Chris

Not necessarily a rule it says "try". But I agree it would be nice to have

tsamori

this site is here for beginers to learn from people who are more experienced. This is one way for them to learn. if you are not in a position to force yourself to shoot in manual mode and to learn and understand the differences, then how can you expect people to learn more rapidly. Any camera SLR or DSLR can be overwhelming and intimidating.
Most people who " used to" shoot film still learned from someone else to get past the first step and find their confidence to explore more and become very successfull and talented in film. Personally I envy those who became so accomplished in film. I started classes in Jan of this year and was so lost, it was a struggle. the only thing that kept me going was I had an assignment to do and I was fiated on that so stuborness won out and I asked questions, got great advice and I am far more confident in what I am doing, although not completely accomplished as of yet.
This is a great forum to learn from. A lot of great advice, from exceptional people. I think people who know even if it is just a bit more then another can give information should because it is good for everyone all the way around.

liv2paddle Loc: Wall, NJ

agreed..most of the good photography books (Bryan Peterson)include the photograhers meta data...it helps.Not required but certainly helpful.