Rename Files In Camera?

Does anyone know of a point and shoot camera that will let the user rename the files in-camera. I have to send a bunch of staff out to shoot various locations which each have an ID number and I would like them to use the Site ID# for the file name to make it easier to identify images when they all get loaded onto the computer.

Thanks

FocusClick said:

Does anyone know of a point and shoot camera that will let the user
rename the files in-camera. I have to send a bunch of staff out to
shoot various locations which each have an ID number and I would
like them to use the Site ID# for the file name to make it easier
to identify images when they all get loaded onto the computer.

Thanks

Click to expand...

I don't know whether or not any camera has such a feature.
But even if such a feature existed, I can't imagine it being
very easy to use. To enter file-names (even your simple
"Site ID numbers") easily and conveniently, you need
some kind of keyboard. Have you ever seen any camera that is
equipped with a keyboard? Well, sure, there are camera-phones
(and e.g. the Nokia 6822 has a full QWERTY keyboard), but ...
I don't think you plan to use camera-phones for your project.

In any case, it would be cumbersome to have to rename
every individual file in-camera.

I wonder if there may be a camera that can at least create
multiple folders on the storage card, and store each photo
into a selected folder???

Alternatively:

If the number of sites isn't too large, obviously you could
give each photographer multiple storage cards, each one labeled
(or stored in a small container labeled) with a site name.
(The photographers would need to power-off the camera and
swap cards before shooting each site.) When you get the
cards back, you'd need to spend a few minutes putting each
card into your PC's card-reader and dragging the files into prepared
folders (named for each site).

-- omr

The Nikon D50 (and probably others) can save files in differently-named folders, but the feature is kind of a pain to use, because entering text on the camera is cumbersome. If I had to solve the same problem myself, I'd just tell each photographer to take a picture of an index card with the site # written on it at the beginning of the series of photos.

So, rule out the D50. I think some P&S cameras have the same folder-renaming feature, but you'd still be better off having them just shoot a picture of the site #, I think.

I know the larger Panasonic/Leica cameras let you set a folder number and keep several folders running on the SD cards; so that you can have (say) a private one and work sets (one for each client) of pictures saved.

But I can't say if this extends to all the range of their P&S cameras. It might be worth your time to check with Panasonic.

Hope this helps.

Regards, David

Another option is to use the EXIF time-stamps:

Before dispatching your photographers, check to make sure that
each camera's clock is set to the correct time. Ask each photographer
to log the time-of-day upon arriving at each site.

On your computer, make a separate folder for each photographer's
photos. You'll want to view each photographer's photos in a list,
sorted in the order of their EXIF time-stamps, so that you can use
the times-of-day to determine which photos were taken at each site.

The question is: How can you view the list of photos with the
EXIF time-stamps displayed and sorted?

If you have some third-party image-viewing software installed,
check to see if it can display and sort your photo files in the
order of their EXIF time-stamps.

But instead of using a third-party viewer program, you might be able
to use your operating system's built-in folder viewer for this purpose.

If you are using Windows XP, you can follow my instructions below.
(If you are using some other version of Windows, or if you are
using a Mac or Linux, I'm sorry I can't offer instructions.)

Windows XP can display and sort a list of .jpg photo files by their
EXIF date-and-time stamps. (This will work for .jpg files from the
camera, but not for RAW or other kinds of image files.)
Here's how:

Open a folder containing one photographer's photos and,
in the "View" menu, select "Details".

Then, again in the "View" menu, select "Choose Details".
The "Choose Details" window appears; here you can
"Select the dtails you wish to display for the files in this folder."
You see a long list of items with check-boxes, and one of them
is named: "Date Picture Taken". (You may need to scroll down
through the lengthy list to find that item.)

Click on the "Date Picture Taken" item in the list, so that a
check-mark appears in its box. (If the check-mark doesn't appear,
try double-clicking, or you can press the "Show" button instead.)
Make sure the "Date Picture Taken" item is now check-marked.

Then (while that item is still selected in the list), take a look at the
"Width of selected column" field near the bottom of the window --
it should show a value of at least 150. If the value in that box is
less than 150, click in the box and change the value to 150.

Finally, click the "OK" button to dismiss the "Choose Details" window.

Now, open the folder window wide enough (or scroll to the right)
so that you can see the "Date Picture Taken" column in the folder view.
Does that column show a date-and-time for each .jpg file?

If the "Date Picture Taken" column appears blank, you just need to
make a quick fix to enable Windows to read the EXIF data:
In the Windows "Start" menu, choose "Run".
The "Run" window appears, with a one-line box for you to enter
a command. Enter (or copy-and-paste) this command into the box:
REGSVR32 SHIMGVW.DLL
Then click "OK". You should then see a message saying:
"DllRegisterServer in SHIMGVW.DLL succeeded."
Click "OK" to dismiss that message. Then, in the "View" menu,
choose "Refresh". Now the dates and times should be visible
in the "Date Picture Taken" column of the folder window.

(What fun. Don't you love Windows?)

Now you're good to go. Click on the "Date Picture Taken"
column header, and the list will be sorted in date-time order.
(Click the column-header again if you wish to reverse the order.)

Gather each photographer's notes, indicating the time-of-day
when the photographer arrived at each site, and you can
reference the time-of-day in the "Date Picture Taken" column,
to see which photos were taken at each site.

-- omr

It might be easier to use the voice tag function of most P&S cameras then rename the files after downloading them.

Just re-read the first post.

Why not just open a folder with a lot of sub folders for each photographer? Then down load into the sub-folders as they return and then rename? Then put the re-named files into a major file and sort by date...

Renaming need not be much: DSCF007 etc could easily be renamed DSCF007-A, DSCF008-A etc and the next to arrive could have their shots labelled DSCF001-B, DSCF001-B etc and the next DSCF0001-C etc. That way the final letter would identify the shooter.

BTW, when sorting from several cameras by date it is very important to get all the cameras internal clocks synchronised, otherwise sorting by dates causes chaos.

Regards, David

I can recommend you to use the small but powerful utility named RoboImport ( http://www.roboimport.com ). It can helps you to forgot about any file or folder naming problems. Plus it can automate a numerous of digital importworkflow tasks.