EXIF Analyzer?

[Bruce in Philly]

<span style="color: #003300;"]I hope this is the proper forum for this question but it relates to software processing so....


Can any one recommend a EXIF analyzer that works on Canon RAW files (I rarely shoot JPGs anymore)?


I asked The Google, and found a few tools out there but the forum
threads were years old and the tools appeared to only work on JPGs.


I am looking for an analysis of how I take pictures. Yeah, I know I am
getting deep into my neurosis, but hey, aren't most of us here a little
off? I would like to know what focal lengths I use the most. My friend
is prepared to buy a very expensive, long lens and he wanted to know
how I use my Canon 70-200 2.8 IS II? After thinking about it, I
probably use it most at 200mm. Therefore, why buy a zoom and not get a
prime thus either saving some money or maybe getting a better lens?
Hmmmm.... Well that got the geek-ball rolling and now I want to know
what f-stop, etc etc etc.


Any help with this request? Even a software tool to dump EXIF data
would be great as I am a wiz at Excel and therefore can generate the
analysis if I can just get my hands o

n the data. My camera is a 5D MK
II.

[Carlos Lindado]

I think you could batch-convert your RAW files to Adobe's DNG. Since DNG is an open format, you should be able to find some kind of parser to extract the EXIF data and then export it to a file the format you consider useful (CSV, XML, TXT, etc).


I'm not very knowledgeable about Visual Basic, but I think you could code a script to run DPP, launch the File Properties dialog, extract the necessary EXIF data and paste it in the app/file you want.


BTW, statistical analysis of EXIF data might be really useful to photographers

[Colin500]

You could bugger Canon until they release a full specification of their RAW file format...


...since for some reason they believe that it is in their best commercial interest to withhold the information from the customers and the world, thereby preventing 3rd party tools, that could otherwise be easily written, from performing just such tasks!


End of rant.

[Andy Stringer]

Lightroom 3 will allow you to filter your library of raw images using EXIF data such as lens and focal length. You would be able to select all images taken with your 70-200mm lens, then see a breakdown of how many were taken at various focal lengths. You could also analyse your aperture settings, shutter speeds, ISO etc.

[HDNitehawk]

If you have Adobe Bridge it gives you all that filter information with every file. You just have to click on it. Simple to sort and see what pics were at each setting you are researching in each file.

[Colin500]

Lightroom 3 will allow you to filter your library of raw images using EXIF data such as lens and focal length. You would be able to select all images taken with your 70-200mm lens, then see a breakdown of how many were taken at various focal lengths. You could also analyse your aperture settings, shutter speeds, ISO etc.

In case somebody is wondering: Aperture does the same thing.


(It still wouldn't be bad to have a command-line tool to extract the information &mdash; a simple Unix-shell-script could then generate a CSV-file for further processing in Excel or even Gnuplot).


Ciao, Colin

[Rocco]

heh, I get the feeling he was wanting to go oldschool programming/data entry. You