Lens information in DNG file

[gudbjargarson]

Hello.

I have been experimenting with converting my Canon 20D .CR2 raw files to DNG and there seems to be some Canon specific EXIF information missing in the DNG which the CR2 contains.  Example of this is Lens Information (Max Aperture) which I think is very helpfull.  This makes me hesitate with converting my CR2 because I would like ALL information in the CR2 to go into the DNG.  Does anybody here have solution/thoughts about this?

Regards,
Johann
http://joephotos.net

[peterkrogh]

Johann,
The information is being saved, even if it is not in a format that Adobe can understand at the moment. The SDK from Adobe will be forthcoming that will enable other software developers to have easy access to these undocumented maker notes.

Do you see any lens information at all in Adobe software?  IS MAx Aperture the only one that is missing? Which version of Camera Raw or the DNG converter are you using?
Peter

[gudbjargarson]

Hello Peter and thanks for the reply.

I have the same problem with RSP (RawShooter Premium) and Bridge/Photoshop.  When I view the CR2 file in these programs I get the lens info (mm and max aperture) but when I view the DNG both programs have no info about max aperture.  Photoshop has a exif field "Max aperture" and other with lens mm.  RSP has similar fields but when the dng is viewed this info is missing in both programs.
I downloaded the newest versions of the dng converter and camera raw 2 days ago so that is not the problem.

I am designing my workflow based on your guidelines in your book around IMatch and RSP (and maby Bridge) and I have one problem which I haven't found solution for (I think there is no solution to this).  RSP skips all IPTC info when creating TIFFS/JPG from the raw files - so my ideal workflow would be to write basic IPTC info into the CR2/DNG file and then all files created from it would contain that info but that is not possible with the current version of RSP.

Regards,
Johann

[peterkrogh]

I believe that RSP also does not create a large embedded preview in the DNG.  IMO, RSP is is not quite ready yet.

Out of curiosity, why do you use it rather than Bridge/ACR?

As to the original question, are you saying that you can see the lens max aperture in a RAW file in Bridge, but not in the DNG Bridge makes?

Peter

[gudbjargarson]

Hello.

Yes it is true that RSP does not embedd the preview in the DNG.
I created the DNG from the Adobe DNG converter standalone program.  Max aperture is visible in bridge for the CR2 file but not the DNG file created from that same CR2 file.

The reason I use RSP instead of Bridge/ACR raw is basicly that I like the workflow MUCH better - I am mutch quicker going through large number of pictures, selecting which I want to throw away and keep and making adjustments.  Also I like RSP controls for adjusting the picture much better than ACR and it gives me much better results IMHO.  I must admit that I'm having second thoughts about the issue but RSP is still ahead and I think I will keep on using it.  I also have gone many times back and forth with using IMatch and tried other programs but IView and others have not been up to the robust standards of IMatch.  Version 3.5 of IMatch is due in the next few days with better DNG and XMP support along with other improvements which are going to be interesting I think.

Regards,
Johann
http://joephotos.net

[peterkrogh]

Johann,
I'll see what I can find out about that Aperture information, that should not be happening.

Have you tried the public beta of DNG converter 3.3, available on the Adobe site?

Nag those guys at RSP to get that embedded preview wired up - last time I tried, they did not seem to see the value.  But, then, I'm not a customer.

BTW, I took a stroll through your website and saw a lot of nice pictures.
Peter

[gudbjargarson]

Hello Peter.

When you mention the public beta then I remembered that I was using an older DNG converter (version 3.0 or 3.1) and I downloaded the public beta 3.3 two days ago and the problem was in the public beta.  I am not sure if the problem was also in the older version of the converter because I only checked this in the beta version.

Yes I have asked for this and they told me that they could not comment on future releases or planned features but the told me that they know about this DNG issue and are interested in implementing it.  So they don't mention any dates or confirm that this will be in the next version 

I'm glad that you checked out my website and thanks for kind words 

Thank you.
Johann
Iceland
http://joephotos.net

[Paul Wood]

Version 3.5 of IMatch is due in the next few days with better DNG and XMP support along with other improvements which are going to be interesting I think.

I don't think this is quite accurate. First, I think that it is a service release (minor update) that will be coming out (not 3.5), and secondly, it has been delayed yet again.  I've used IMatch for years, but I'm moving to another program because I don't think Mario can keep up with the changing technologies anymore. (Keep in mind that this is my personal opinion.)

[gudbjargarson]

Yes, you are correct Paul about it not being version 3.5 - my mistake.
I think Mario (the maker of IMatch) has said that this service update will have XMP and better DNG support so it might be a litle bit more than a minor update.  First he said that it would be available before christmas and that has obviously been delayed but I'm hoping it will be available in the next few days.

[rfreschner]

I think Mario (the maker of IMatch) has said that this service update will have XMP and better DNG support so it might be a litle bit more than a minor update.  First he said that it would be available before christmas and that has obviously been delayed but I'm hoping it will be available in the next few days.

I looked at IMatch before iView, but figured out quickly that Mario hasn't been able to keep up with the promised updates to the software.  He also mentioned in a number of posts on his forum concerning DNG that it really wasn't as documented as Adobe claimed and he wasn't in a hurry to implement more functionality for DNG until 3rd party vendors built access routines for it.  Since I was planning on building a workflow around DNG and hadn't invested in a catalouging product yet, I figured I'd check out other software even though there were many things to like about IMatch.

Rick

[peterkrogh]

Rick,
Have you looked at idImager?
Peter

[rfreschner]

Rick,
Have you looked at idImager?
Peter

Peter  -  I can't remember if this was one of the ones that I looked at, but I've thrown all my efforts (and money  ) into IVMP at this point and have not been disappointed so far.  Of course, the initial release of version 3 could have gone a bit smoother!

Rick

[peterkrogh]

I think you'll be very happy with iView.  They seem to be the most on the ball: a good combination of a small and nimble software company, yet not dependent on a single programmer to get it all done.
Peter

[rfreschner]

Yes, they've been great so far - very responsive to issues I found in V3.  Now, if I could only convince them to change the order of messages in their forum back to what it was before!! 

Rick

[Joe Reifer]

iView doesn't show the lens Maximum Aperture information in DNGs that have been converted from CR2s, but if you open the DNG in Photoshop CS2 and look in the File Info, the Maximum Aperture is still there.