[Newmoon]

When I use the 645D and 35mm A lens and import the DNG's to Lightroom there isn't any lens information, and no way of editing that part of the EXIF in LR.
A different forum suggested Freeware called Exiftool but I had a look and just couldn't work out how to use it!
Does anyone have any other suggestions please, or know how to use Exiftool?
Thanks.

[tuco]

Windows or Mac?

I use exiftool to put basic EXIF metadata in my scanned film files. I use the command line version in a bash shell where I've written scripts to clean out Lightroom edits from the file and put in basic exposure info.

There are GUI front ends to exiftool on its website (choice depends on platform) you may want to try if the command line is too much; otherwise, when I'm around my computer I could give you just what it takes add that info via a shell version.

I'd note too, depending on how you've configured LR, that you can cut 10-50% off the output file size from LR by deleting all but EXIF metadata from your resulting JPG file. It seems LR can add a lot of your editing info in there as well as the file having imbedded thumbnail images, etc.

[Newmoon]

Thanks for the reply.
I use Windows 7 and when I looked at Exiftool it looked like programming language to me, which is outside my knowledge. You refer to bash shell and having Googled this does it mean that Exiftool is written in a Unix programming language?
Thanks again for your help.

[tuco]

...
You refer to bash shell and having Googled this does it mean that Exiftool is written in a Unix programming language?

Yes and Mac OSX is UNIX certified. But there is a Windows port of it too. It is a classical command line tool that people can write graphical interfaces to it or use it in other programs. Try one of the GUI versions. It looks like there are many for Windows.

[Newmoon]

Tuco
If necessary I can post fuller details of where I'm at in the morning, but have just spent ages doing a post with screen shots, only to to realise the forum post doesn't recognise the screenshots so I ended up with a message of 350,000 characters, against a maximum 100K characters!
Briefly I'm at the stage where I can choose a photo file and get a screen that says:
ExifTool Direct
Execute Command on selected file(s)
Examples:
-Exif:Artist="Your Name"
-Exif:ISO=200
-Exif:Copyright<Exif=Artist
and a box to type in.
So I typed -Exif:Lens=35mm F/3.5 A
I then opened Lightroom, removed the .DNG file, resyncronised the file into LR, but the lens details are still not showing on the Exif, so I must be doing something wrong.
Have you any idea what I should be doing please?
Thanks.

[tuco]

I can't help with details of the software on your platform. You should verify the change by having it list the tag's new value out before firing up LR. So you're using the command line version then? if so I'd think the format would be program name, space, -tag name=, value or "text in quotes", space and finally the file name including the path to it if it's not in the same directory folder. But I'm assuming exiftool also runs like that on Windows too.

What are the tags you should be using I can't say. That is a confusing area that I've never had to dig in to. Maybe someone else can add to that. But I believe LR will need information about the camera, make, model, lens model and lens identification. The Pentax DNG files I've seen have a LensID tag. And that tag is populated with matching text from a Pentax LensType Values list of Pentax Tags. And in this list of available EXIF Tags, there is LensInfo, LensMake, LensModel and Lens tags. I think you could add them all just to make sure but I'd use standard text for any lens descriptions you manually add.

[Newmoon]

I can't help with details of the software on your platform. You should verify the change by having it list the tag's new value out before firing up LR. So you're using the command line version then? if so I'd think the format would be program name, space, -tag name=, value or "text in quotes", space and finally the file name including the path to it if it's not in the same directory folder. But I'm assuming exiftool also runs like that on Windows too.

What are the tags you should be using I can't say. That is a confusing area that I've never had to dig in to. Maybe someone else can add to that. But I believe LR will need information about the camera, make, model, lens model and lens identification. The Pentax DNG files I've seen have a LensID tag. And that tag is populated with matching text from a Pentax LensType Values list of Pentax Tags. And in this list of available EXIF Tags, there is LensInfo, LensMake, LensModel and Lens tags. I think you could add them all just to make sure but I'd use standard text for any lens descriptions you manually add.

Tuco - thanks.
Can I double check when you say 'so you are using the command line version then' whether this means I'm not using one of the the GUI versions you suggested?
The files I have downloaded from ExifTool are:
ExifTool.exe (application)
ExiftoolGUI (application)
ExifToolGUI (Configuration settings)
ExifToolGUI (Text Document).

If I doubleclick on the ExifToolGUI file (which is the only file with an ExifTool icon) I get the message with a red cross saying GUI Message: ExifTool by Phil Harvey not found. GUI does not work without it - see instructions.Pressing OK to that brings up what I now realise is the Command Line version.
I've read the instructions in the Text Document carefully, and as far as I can tell I've followed them.
I feel like a real numpty with this! I realise I'm taking up quite a bit of yourt time on this and really appreciate it. I will post the problem on the other forum (DP Review) where the ExifTool was suggested in the first place, and see if anyone has any ideas on what i'm doing wrong.
Thanks again.
David

[alunfoto]

Newmoon,
Here's how I do it. Hope it can be of help:

1. Put the exiftool.exe in a folder on your desktop
2. make a text file in the same folder and call it something like "645A35mm.txt". You may call it what you like, of course... -Personally I need self-explanatory filenames to help my memory. Copy the below lines into the text file. It will cover your most basic needs for the lens in question:

   -ExifIFD:LensMake = Pentax
   -ExifIFD:LensModel = smc Pentax 645-A 35mm f/3.5
   -XMP-aux:Lens = smc Pentax 645-A 35mm f/3.5
   -XMP-aux:LensInfo = 35mm f/3.5
   -overwrite_original

   Be sure you keep the leading dashes.
   .
3. rename the ExifTool program file like this:

   exiftool(-@ 645A35mm.txt -n -k).exe

   This tells ExifTool to take the text file you just created as input parameters.
   .
4. I prefer to update the lens info after importing to Lightroom:
   • In Lightroom, right-click the image you want to update and select "show in explorer"
   • Click and drag your image file onto the renamed ExifTool.exe file.
     A command-line window opens as ExifTool performs its magic.
     You can select multiple files at once. On my system, ExifTool can handle 30-40 files at a time before throwing a cryptic error message.
   • Back in Lightroom, go to the Library module. Select all the files you have modified, right-click and select metadata -> update metadata from file.
     
   .
5. That's all.

If you have other manual focus lenses, you can make copies of the ExifTool.exe and rename them to take different text files for input. If you follow the outline above, you can just replace one lens name with another.

[Newmoon]

Thanks Alunfoto
That looks like a comprehensive reply and I can't wait to see whether it works for me. I won't get a chance to try it until tomorrow evening or the weekend, but will post back on how I get on.
Thanks again.
David

[Newmoon]

Alunfoto - I got up early and had a chance to have a very quick go with your instructions. I didn't manage to get the lens metadata to show on the shot in Lightroom, though am pretty sure that something happened when I pasted the shot into the ExifTool folder. I did remember to update the metadata in Lightoom.
Can I ask a bit more about your Step 4, where you say 'Click and drag your image file onto the renamed ExifTool.exe file' - do you mean drop it into the folder or open the .exe file and drop it into there? When I open the .exe file the initial message I get is with a red cross saying GUI Message: ExifTool by Phil Harvey not found. GUI does not work without it - see instructions.Pressing OK to that brings up what I now realise is the Command Line version.
Maybe this is where things aren't working. I'll have another go over the weekend.
Thanks

[alunfoto]

I realise that point was not well written. I meant that yo drag-and-drop the image file onto the exiftool icon. This prompts exiftool to open and work on the files you dropped onto it. Do not paste a copy of your image file into the Exiftool folder. If you succed at updating the metadata, it will apply to that copy only; instead of the original that Lightroom is aware of.

Fingers crossed you make it work, Newmoon. Please keep asking if you still wrestle after the weekend.

[tuco]

The exiftool does not sound like it is in your "path". If you open a Window's power shell under system tools and type:

exiftool -ver

You should get a version number returned. If you get some kind of path or file not found error, that would most likely be the problem. Try reinstalling it. Renaming the exiftool.exe to the form for drag and drop

exiftool(-k *).exe

prevents it from being used as a command line tool, I believe. It's best to copy it then rename the copy so the original is still around for other, possible GUI front end, applications to use it.

Here are some common commands I use that you can type in a Windows power shell and I'm guessing it's the same on your platform if its any help at all.

• For web display JPGs, trim them down a little by deleting any embedded thumbnail images and all but EXIF

  exiftool -overwrite_original_in_place -fast -P -all= --exif:all -ThumbnailImage= -PreviewImage= -Software= myimage.jpg

• To see what tags a file has by the actual tag names instead of the translated human version under the default mode

  exiftool -s myimage.jpg

• To change the date and time of myimage.jpg

  exiftool -DateTimeOriginal="2012:05:26 10:30:00" myimage.jpg

• To manually change your lens setting that you're trying to do:
  • exiftool -LensMake=Pentax myimage.jpg
  • exiftool -LensModel="smc Pentax 645-A 35mm f/3.5" myimage.jpg
  • exiftool -Lens="smc Pentax 645-A 35mm f/3.5" myimage.jpg
  • exiftool -LensInfo="35mm f/3.5" myimage.jpg
• To view the changes:
  exiftool -LensMake -LensModel -Lens -LensInfo myimage.jpg

[Newmoon]

Hi Tuco

Thanks again. I've tried the Powershell (wasn't sure whether or not I had to be at the command drive so tried both) and this is what I get:

Powershell screenshot 1
Powershell screenshot 2

Now I've found the wonderful Windows Snipping Tool I can take screenshots easily, so this is what I have in the ExifTool Unzipped folder I created on my Desktop:

Exiftool folder screenshot

I thought I could add the URL of images and embed them in the post but it doesn't work for some reason, so here are the links.

I've got time to look at this more over the weekend, so I'll have a go at both your and alunfoto's suggestions.

Thanks

[Newmoon]

Hu Tuco and Alunfoto
An update.
I do believe I now have Exiftool loaded correctly, and have a plugin called Lenstagger loaded also.
There are no error messages etc.
However the metadata still isn't showing the lens details, and I'm suspecting the problem may be that .DNG files aren't supported maybe.
Later I'm going to take a shot on Pentax Raw instead and see if they work with that.
I'll update on progress.
Thanks.

[tuco]

Your screen shots show that exiftool was not installed with the "path" environment variable set to locate it. It's a list of folders the operating system will search for a matching program when you type it.

Yes, exiftool will edit DNG files. At least the DNG files I've tested.