Output of metadata from OM rawfiles

[konzaguy]

I use XNView MP to help me filter and understand my settings on my OM-1.2 with 100-400 II lens to help me get better pictures. I like it better than Lightroom. However, I cannot get the program to output Focus Distance (distance from the camera to the subject, in my case wildlife). I can visually see the value in the metadata file on the screen, but when I generate a list, the field is empty. I know it is in the Maker Notes of the OM raw files, and I shoot 90% of the time in raw format. I am curious if anyone uses XNView MP can help me out on this. I am fairly new to XNView MP. Thanks in advance.

[jkm]

Welcome to the forums...

I'll try and help you, konzaguy. It's a bit difficult to understand what your problem actually is... I have the OM1, so first I want to let you know a few things:

1. The camera has a bug in reporting focus distance, so that tag on this camera can be wildly, uselessly inaccurate. As in reporting 5 meters when the accurately focused subject is over 100 meters away. That's on top of the occasional inaccuracy of actual focusing itself. Just so you'll know. You'll get a number, but it is sometimes not related to reality.

2. XnViewMP supports and outputs this tag just fine; there are no issues in my testing. Make sure you're running a recent version, like 1.10.3.

3. The field can be used and appears correctly in both the details view and the "File listing" function, when that function is used correctly.

So I'm guessing this is miscommunication or user error. In your post, you say "generate a list"... What exactly do you mean by that? If you're talking about "Create->File listing", then the field DOES work for that, if the File Listing dialog is used correctly.

The field you want is in the MakerNotes section, and it's called FocusDistance. An easy way to add it to a listing is to add this as an exiftool column to your details view, and then when you select Create->File Listing, it will either automatically list it there, or you can select "Current columns" from the Columns preset menu. You'll see a column configured as {exiftool:makernotes:focusdistance}

You can read the documentation post about using Exiftool columns here: viewtopic.php?t=50370

If you're unclear about how to do these things, or are trying to do something other than Create->File listing, then please be more specific about what you're trying to do, and provide a screenshot.

Hopefully this helps...

[konzaguy]

thanks. You were a great help! I was not using the correct listing function. Once I corrected my column to {exiftool:makernotes:focusdistance}, it worked great. I added the makernotes reference.

On the accuracy, I know it is not perfect or even consistent but I have compared the readings from the camera with a digital range finder. I live on the coast in Maine and close to my house, there is tree limb sticking out where Eagles, Osprey and other birds of prey frequently use and if I get a good focus, numbers from the camera and range finder are very close. But many times, with lots of vegetations values between the two were not as close to each other.

Again thanks and in the future, I will try to describe what I was doing in more detail with screen shots as needed.

[jkm]

You’re very welcome. I'm glad you're all sorted out.

It’s nice to see people coming from Lightroom and recognizing the great capabilities of XnViewMP. Although obviously not a “raw developer” it provides a lot of excellent functionality as an organizer and is getting better all the time.