Knowledge Base - Image/Shutter actuation info

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Image/Shutter actuation info - Sony Alpha JPG+ARW

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URL: https://www.dyxum.com/dforum/forum_posts.asp?TID=97614
Printed Date: 16 April 2024 at 06:54

Topic: Image/Shutter actuation info - Sony Alpha JPG+ARW

Posted By: Micholand
Subject: Image/Shutter actuation info - Sony Alpha JPG+ARW
Date Posted: 21 April 2013 at 10:06

This thread is a short condensed summary of all the findings and informations discovered so far w.r.t. image/shutter counter tags in the maker notes of Sony Alpha cameras.

Intentionally posted as a read only reference which will be updated in case there are any new findings. Questions or further discussion, please use the referenced threads stated below!

Image/Shutter actuation information in Sony Alpha JPG and ARW files

Besides the "normal" information (such as shutter speed, focal length, aperture, etcetera...), the EXIF from the original image file (straight out of the cam) usually contains additional information in the so-called "maker notes". The number of actuations is covert and stored as three bytes of data in the maker notes. This is the case for all Sony DSLR/DSLT and NEX cameras, except the following ones: A100, A200, A300, A350 and A700.

The initial findings of the corresponding SonyTags for A900/A850 were discovered and published first on German http://www.mi-fo.de/forum/index.php?s=&showtopic=33239&view=findpost&p=295019 - mi-fo.de forum by it's member "Hans-J." . Based on this info Dyxum member "Guy" was able to further identify the corresponding http://www.dyxum.com/dforum/topic97489_post1162525.html#1162525 - SonyTags used , which hold the shutter actuation data, in all the other Alpha cameras in the maker notes and also set up a small tool site - http://tools.science.si/index.php - http://tools.science.si/index.php - to calculate and report back the shutter count via a script by simply uploading an unedited JPG or (c)RAW to this server.

Calculation of shutter counter from these three SonyTags is done as follows:

all bytes are MSB on the left:     Tag3 | Tag2 | Tag1
SUM = (Tag3 << 16) + (Tag2 << 8) + Tag1 = (2^16 * Tag3) + (2^8 * Tag2) + Tag1 = (65536 * Tag3) + (256 * Tag2) + Tag1

And here's the list of SonyTags identified so far in the maker notes of the Alphas which hold the info:

A230 / A290 / A330 / A380 / A390 / A850 / A900:
Sony_FocusInfo_0x0848 | Sony_FocusInfo_0x0847 | Sony_FocusInfo_0x0846
SUM = (65536 * Sony_FocusInfo_0x0848) + (256 * Sony_FocusInfo_0x0847) + Sony_FocusInfo_0x0846

A450 / A500 / A550:
Sony_MoreInfo0201_0x014c | Sony_MoreInfo0201_0x014b | Sony_MoreInfo0201_0x014a
SUM = (65536 * Sony_MoreInfo0201_0x014c) + (256 * Sony_MoreInfo0201_0x014b) + Sony_MoreInfo0201_0x014a

A33 / A35 / A55 / A560 / A580 / NEX-3 / NEX-C3 / NEX-5
Sony_MoreInfo0201_0x011e | Sony_MoreInfo0201_0x011c | Sony_MoreInfo0201_0x011b - image counter
SUM = (65536 * Sony_MoreInfo0201_0x011d) + (256 * Sony_MoreInfo0201_0x011c) + Sony_MoreInfo0201_0x011b

Sony_MoreInfo0201_0x0127 | Sony_MoreInfo0201_0x0126 | Sony_MoreInfo0201_0x0125 - full shutter actuation counter
SUM = (65536 * Sony_MoreInfo0201_0x0127) + (256 * Sony_MoreInfo0201_0x0126) + Sony_MoreInfo0201_0x0125

The difference here is that for each image made there is one extra shutter actuation if using live-view which is the default on SLT and NEX.

A37 / A57 / A58 / A65 / A77 / A99 / NEX-3N / NEX-3F / NEX-5N /NEX-5R / NEX-6 / NEX-7:
Sony_Tag9050_0x0034 | Sony_Tag9050_0x0033 | Sony_Tag9050_0x0032
SUM = (65536 * Sony_Tag9050_0x0034) + (256 * Sony_Tag9050_0x0033) + Sony_Tag9050_0x0032

A100 / A200 / A300 / A350 / A700:
no such "counter" tags in maker notes directly; most likely data is encrypted and accessible via service tools only, like KM5D

These special SonyTags and their respective data can be extracted via http://www.sno.phy.queensu.ca/~phil/exiftool/index.html#top - exiftool - for details http://www.dyxum.com/dforum/a900-a850-with-65k-shutter-actuations-anyone_topic97410_post1161086.html#1161086 - see here .
Mind that the file, to give you the shutter actuation data, has to be unedited as most image editing software will strip out the info required from the maker notes!

Furthermore these counters do not correspond 1:1 to the file image number given on the memory card, but rather are higher due to the fact that shutter was actuated during tethered shooting or intelligent preview (A900/A850); some shooting functions even make multiple actuations such as sweep panorma, multi shot iso mode, hand-held twilight even though only one image is recorded in the end.

Reference:
Mi-Fo forum (German) - http://www.mi-fo.de/forum/index.php?s=163ac69844bfce230b4657ea05857498&showtopic=33239&pid=296150&st=15&#entry296150 - link (-> http://translate.google.com/translate?sl=de&tl=en&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&eotf=1&u=http://www.mi-fo.de/forum/index.php%3Fs%3D163ac69844bfce230b4657ea05857498%26showtopic%3D33239%26pid%3D296150%26st%3D15%26%23entry296150 - Google translation )
A900/A850 with >65k shutter actuations - anyone? - http://www.dyxum.com/dforum/a900-a850-with-65k-shutter-actuations-anyone_topic97410_post1161086.html - link
The alpha shutter count tool - http://www.dyxum.com/dforum/the-alpha-shutter-count-tool_topic97489.html - link

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/Michael

//www.dyxum.com/dforum/topic87334.html - DWEs don't grow on trees! | //www.dyxum.com/dforum/posting-images-and-links-faqs_topic28010.html - Posting images&links FAQ

Replies:

Posted By: JosR
Date Posted: 21 April 2013 at 22:56

Micholand wrote:

These special SonyTags and their respective data can be extracted via http://www.sno.phy.queensu.ca/~phil/exiftool/index.html#top - exiftool - for details http://www.dyxum.com/dforum/a900-a850-with-65k-shutter-actuations-anyone_topic97410_post1161086.html#1161086 - see here .

A small update on that: based on the information above, Phil Harvey has implemented the direct extraction of ImageCount and Shuttercount in the latest release of Exiftool, version 9.28 of 21 April 2013.
Just an example with one of my A580 files:
exiftool.exe -ImageNumber -ImageCount -ShutterCount A580_09770.jpg
Image Number                    : 9770
Image Count                     : 10971
Shutter Count                   : 11253

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ILCA-77M2 + SAL1680Z, SAL70300G, SAL70400G2, Minolta 100mm Macro, ILCE-7RM4 + SEL24105G, SEL100400GM, LA-EA5

Posted By: armyhidi
Date Posted: 30 April 2013 at 09:23

hi

I try http://regex.info/exif.cgi - http://regex.info/exif.cgi and could get requested data for calculation on A700 but seems that sonyfocus Sony_FocusInfo_0x846,847 and 848 numbers to big and if use same formulas as per A900 result reach millions.

any body try it?

Posted By: Micholand
Date Posted: 05 May 2013 at 09:46

armyhidi, you might want to re-read the above summary, especially the following paragraph:

A100 / A200 / A300 / A350 / A700:
no such "counter" tags in maker notes directly; most likely data is encrypted and accessible via service tools only, like KM5D

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/Michael

//www.dyxum.com/dforum/topic87334.html - DWEs don't grow on trees! | //www.dyxum.com/dforum/posting-images-and-links-faqs_topic28010.html - Posting images&links FAQ

Posted By: armyhidi
Date Posted: 05 May 2013 at 14:47

Micholand wrote:

armyhidi, you might want to re-read the above summary, especially the following paragraph:

A100 / A200 / A300 / A350 / A700:
no such "counter" tags in maker notes directly; most likely data is encrypted and accessible via service tools only, like KM5D

hi,

I have read it in the begining .

well here is 'maker notes ' tags .actually there are hundred of tags.the only problem we dont know their relationship in order to calculate

Sony Focus Info 0x0846     126
Sony Focus Info 0x0847     3
Sony Focus Info 0x0848     231

Posted By: SteveSavage
Date Posted: 07 May 2013 at 14:51

Sweet mother of science, I bought a new camera pretty much!

Detected Camera model : DSLR-A850
Shutter actuations made up to file _DSC0010.JPG: 11699
| | | | Sony_FocusInfo_0x0846 = 179
| | | | Sony_FocusInfo_0x0847 = 45
| | | | Sony_FocusInfo_0x0848 = 0
(65536 * 0) + (256 * 45) + 179 = 11699

Posted By: nigelbrooks
Date Posted: 07 May 2013 at 14:55

Sweet indeed!

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I've been away!

Posted By: MiPr
Date Posted: 11 May 2013 at 21:56

Just a note after playing a bit with ExifTool: in case of the group of cameras in which NEX-6 resides it is only possible to retrieve info about "Image Count" but IMO this term is misleading and should be replaced by "Exposure Count". The problem is that those cameras allow one to use multi-exposure techniques like "free-hand night shot" (or whatever Sony calls it) and "sweep panorama". For example the former forces the camera to fire 6 exposures and combines those shots into one. As a result you get files which are numbered in a consecutive way e.g. _DSC0129 and _DSC_0130 whereas the ExifTool reports e.g. 1499 and 1505 respectively.

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I'm noise-blind. And noise-about-noise-deaf too ... | BTW, topic87334.html - Dyxum Weekly Exhibitions don't grow on trees ...

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