Importing images from second camera

[Gene_mtl]

I have up to now, shot with a Canon EOS 5D (Gen 1) I have recently added a Canon EOS 7D. Both cameras use teh standard Canon nfiole name convention IMG_XXX where XXX is a 4 digit numeric value. When I imported my first batch of images, Lightroom changed the IMG_XXXX to _MG_XXXX.

I assume this is to avoid duplicate numbering in the catalog.

Is there any way to have Lightroom to indicate the camera model in the file name, i.e 5D_IMG_XXXX and 7D_IMG_XXXX

TIA

 

[clee01l]

Are you certain that it is LR that changed the file names? File names that begin with a leading underscore are usually defined by the camera as using the AdobeRGB colorspace while those that begin as IMG are using the sRGB colorspace. Check the colorspace setting in your camera settings. If you are shooting RAW, colorspace is irrelevant, so set the camera to sRGB for the thumbnails to eliminate the leading underscore in the file name.

LR does not rename files unless you use a naming template on import. If there is a name collision when two files are attempted to be stored in the same folder, it is the filesystem that does an automatic file rename for the second instance. It does this by appending a "-2" to the original file name.

Nikon cameras allow the user to set the first 3 or 4 characters of the file name. Presumably this is possible with Canon too. This can be used to prevent name collisions when two cameras are being used in the same event (like a wedding). Check you camera user manual.

If your Canon camera does not permit the user to control the file naming in the camera, you can use a LR file naming template on import to create just about any naming convention that you like.

 

[Tony Jay]

Gene, to follow on from what Cletus has said:

Lightroom can distinguish images shot between two bodies of the same model never mind different models.
If you go to the metadata panel and look at the EXIF data you will note that not only will the camera model be listed but also the actual unique serial number.
(This is definitely the case for Canon models - however I have noticed that images shot with a Sony A7R do not show a serial number.)

Once you have imported your images use the filter bar to group images shot that day according to camera body and then use a renaming preset to rename image according the camera body used.

Tony Jay

 

[Johan Elzenga]

Is there any way to have Lightroom to indicate the camera model in the file name, i.e 5D_IMG_XXXX and 7D_IMG_XXXX

Yes, there is. In the filename template editor, look under the second popup of 'Additional'. You'll find that you can use 'Make' and 'Model' in a filename preset. Just use 'Model' followed by '_' and 'Filename'. Your filename will now become 'Canon EOS-5D_IMG_XXXX'.

 

[Gene_mtl]

It's called 'RTFM' Sheesh. On the Canon 7D you have the ability to choose to record in sRGB or Adobe RGB. If you choose Adobe RGB, the camera uses the _MG_ prefix, in sRGB,it uses the IMG_ prefix. I had inadvertently selected Adobe RGB in the setup.

Thanks to Cletus, Tony and Johan for supplying info about how to set up a file name preset. I will need to think a bit more on whether I want to shoot in sRGB or Adobe RGB and if I want to set up a naming preset that will incorporate the camera model. Who knew have two cameras could cause so much extra work. (Big Grin).

 

[Tony Jay]

Gene, your profile says you shoot in raw - setting colourspaces in-camera will not change a thing.
Colorspaces are for JPEG shooting.
FWIW just choose one or the other but then forget about it.

Tony Jay

 

[Jim Wilde]

Gene, the 7D allows you to change the first 4 characters of the filename (not sure about the 5D, but my 5D3 also allows that), so I have used that option on both my cameras. My filenames are now JW7D1234 and JW5D5678 (but not sure what I'll change them to should I upgrade to the 7D2 or the 5D4 when it's produced!), so no need to start messing around inside Lightroom's filename editor.

 

[Johan Elzenga]

It's called 'RTFM' Sheesh. On the Canon 7D you have the ability to choose to record in sRGB or Adobe RGB. If you choose Adobe RGB, the camera uses the _MG_ prefix, in sRGB,it uses the IMG_ prefix. I had inadvertently selected Adobe RGB in the setup.

Thanks to Cletus, Tony and Johan for supplying info about how to set up a file name preset. I will need to think a bit more on whether I want to shoot in sRGB or Adobe RGB and if I want to set up a naming preset that will incorporate the camera model. Who knew have two cameras could cause so much extra work. (Big Grin).

Instead of the full filename, you can also use 'filename number prefix' (I'm typing this on my iPad, so excuse me if it's called slightly differently). That is only the four digit numer of the filename. So if you always wany to get <camera><IMG_><number>, no matter if you set it to AdobeRGB or sRGB, you can use this in the template instead of the filename, and add 'IMG_` as fixed text.

 

[Gene_mtl]

Tony Jay: After researching discussions on sRGB vs aRGB setting in camera, I discovered as you said, itf shooting RAW, it doesn't matter. Thanks for confirming that.

Jim Wilde: Thanks for pointing that out. Apparently this is a feature added by a firmware upgrade which explains why I didn't find anything in the PDF manual I have. Thanks for pointing that out to me. I have since found that option in my camera menu.

Johan Elzenga: Thanks for the additional info on file naming preset options.


To All: This has certainly been a learning experience, both about my camera and about Lightroom's file naming capabilities. And I appreciate all the help I received. Now that I know why my files were being renamed '_MG' and understand that I don't need the setup that created that renaming convention, I will probably let Lightroom handle duplicate file names in the manner first explained by Cletus at the top of this thread.

I like Jim's prefix method using the camera model as the prefix. But as my old 5D does not have that renaming ability in camera like the 7D, I'd have to go the route suggested by Johan.

So this brings another question: Can one create a conditional preset, i.e. If Canon 5D: do this, else if Canon 7D: do that, else do nothing.?

 

[clee01l]

So this brings another question: Can one create a conditional preset, i.e. If Canon 5D: do this, else if Canon 7D: do that, else do nothing.?

Jeffrey Freidl includes such a conditional file naming scheme in his publish service plugins. AFAIK, this is not available as a standalone plugin. I'll ask him to see if it is something that I've missed or if he would make it available as a separate plugin

 

[Gene_mtl]

Thanks, Cletus. You answered my question - LR does not have native conditional preset capability. I am not sure yet as to how I want to proceed. Though the procrastinator in me may decide teh issue by simply doing nothing. :grin:

 

[clee01l]

I don't rename original files except in the camera. Nikon gives me access to the first three characters of the file name. I have my in camera file name set to D8E_xxxx for the D800E and 810_xxxx for the D810. This is all I need. Since I use one of the LR default data named folder schemes, I do not have naming collisions when my camera rolls over to 10,001 images.

 

[Johan Elzenga]

Tony Jay: After researching discussions on sRGB vs aRGB setting in camera, I discovered as you said, itf shooting RAW, it doesn't matter. Thanks for confirming that.

Jim Wilde: Thanks for pointing that out. Apparently this is a feature added by a firmware upgrade which explains why I didn't find anything in the PDF manual I have. Thanks for pointing that out to me. I have since found that option in my camera menu.

Johan Elzenga: Thanks for the additional info on file naming preset options.


To All: This has certainly been a learning experience, both about my camera and about Lightroom's file naming capabilities. And I appreciate all the help I received. Now that I know why my files were being renamed '_MG' and understand that I don't need the setup that created that renaming convention, I will probably let Lightroom handle duplicate file names in the manner first explained by Cletus at the top of this thread.

I like Jim's prefix method using the camera model as the prefix. But as my old 5D does not have that renaming ability in camera like the 7D, I'd have to go the route suggested by Johan.

So this brings another question: Can one create a conditional preset, i.e. If Canon 5D: do this, else if Canon 7D: do that, else do nothing.?

Apart from the name (which can be solved with the rename template), what condition would the preset have? Unless you have a habit of swapping memory cards between cameras, a certain memory card will always contain images of only one camera at the time. That should give you ample opportunity to make import presets per camera, that also include things like destination folders.

 

[Gene_mtl]

Cletus: the more I think on it, the more I'll probably do nothing. If I actually load images from both cameras to the same folder, I'll let LR handle it with the -2 suffix.

Johan: Just my being lazy. I'd simply place such a preset as a default metadata preset in the import screen. But it is nothing I'd go to any extra lengths to achieve.

 

[clee01l]

...Unless you have a habit of swapping memory cards between cameras, a certain memory card will always contain images of only one camera at the time...

This is not necessarily true. Although I would not recommend it, you can use the came camera card in different cameras without deleting any existing images. Nikon uses the same folder structure and the same indexing system for all Nikons. I have interchanged the camera card between my D800, D800E & D810 and each camera will write its files in the file and folder structure defined in each camera's settings. This bit of knowledge might come in handy if you get caught with a full card in one camera but not the other and no spares.

 

[clee01l]

Cletus: the more I think on it, the more I'll probably do nothing. If I actually load images from both cameras to the same folder, I'll let LR handle it with the -2 suffix...

Since you are shooting RAW, I would change the Adobe RGB setting to sRGB just to get rid of that silly leading underscore in the file name.

 

[Gene_mtl]

Cletus: I have already done so one I came across enough discussions from my Google search stating it didn't matter, and as i didn't want the leading underscore.

 

[Johan Elzenga]

This is not necessarily true. Although I would not recommend it, you can use the came camera card in different cameras without deleting any existing images. Nikon uses the same folder structure and the same indexing system for all Nikons. I have interchanged the camera card between my D800, D800E & D810 and each camera will write its files in the file and folder structure defined in each camera's settings. This bit of knowledge might come in handy if you get caught with a full card in one camera but not the other and no spares.

When I said 'Unless you have a habit of swapping memory cards between cameras', I meant exactly that. That you could have photos of two different cameras on the same card in that case...

 

[clee01l]

When I said 'Unless you have a habit of swapping memory cards between cameras', I meant exactly that. That you could have photos of two different cameras on the same card in that case...

Sorry, I mis read your original statement.