Panasonic Focus Modes

[andrewj]

Hi Phil,

I have worked through the different focus mode options for the Panasonic G9ii vs what is currently reported for AFAreaMode by ExifTool, and you should be able to use the attached to update the correct return some of the "Unknown" modes. I think it's probably just a case of adding the right translation for about 4 mode values.

If you update ExifTool I can also check that it returns the right info for sample images for older G-series models.

I don't have access to a Panasonic S-Series camera. If anyone reading this does, it might be useful to do the same exercise using that camera to check if the values are the same.

Thanks
Andrew

[Phil Harvey]

Hi Andrew,

Great, thanks.  I'll add these missing AFAreaMode values in version 13.12.

- Phil

[andrewj]

Thanks Phil.

One further thought. Is there any Panasonic value (perhaps one of the "unknown" ones?) which might contain the "subject/tracking" info (in numeric form), because that appears to be separate from the AFAreaMode for the G9ii. If you have any suspects I'm happy to do the analysis against my test images to see if it makes sense.

If you don't have any suspects I'll try using it as a test case for analysis by an AI.

Andrew

[Phil Harvey]

Try changing just that one setting then using the ExifTool -diff feature with the -u option to look for changes between the images, including unknown tags.

- Phil

[andrewj]

Hi Phil,

I think I've cracked it, see attached. The value Panasonic_0x00e9 is the Subject Tracking Mode. If you have an existing name for the same on other brands great, otherwise I suggest the name "AFSubjectTracking".

Value 2 does not seem to be supported by the G9ii, so I don't know what it might be. I have confirmed that at least value 1 is the same for other recent Panasonic models such as the S5ii and GH6, and that older models return "0" ("Off/Unavailable") which is reasonable as this is a new capability.

Andrew

[Phil Harvey]

Hi Andrew,

Excellent, thanks!!  I think I'll just call it SubjectTracking.

This will appear in ExifTool 13.12.

- Phil

Edit:  I downloaded the G9ii manual, which seems to call this feature "AF Detection".  I still like SubjectTracking better for the tag name though, but I'm open to other opinions.

[andrewj]

Thanks Phil.

Re the naming, I'd suggest keeping the "AF" prefix, so it's obvious where it belongs. I think something with "Subject" makes more sense than just "Detection". How about covering all bases with "AFSubjectDetection" (which will work for any of the obvious search terms)?

One other question, please? I'm building an application to display focus points for an image. With Canon images I can use the AFAreaX/YPositions arrays and AFPointsInFocus array to get a list of multiple focus points. Nikon is similar although the logic is model-specific and more fiddly.

We know that higher Panasonic models store all active focus points in image metadata, as I can see them in on-camera image review, with very similar behaviour between my G9ii and a Canon R7. However I can't see any EXIF value or values which could be used as an array. Any suggestions on where & how this data might be held? Is there a standard way this might be packed into one of the binary values?

Andrew

[andrewj]

Quick update: after careful review I've determined that Panasonic cameras show all focus matches before exposure, but only hold the primary in image metadata for later review.

Phil: Did you agree with my suggestion of "AFSubjectDetection" for the new subject type item?

[Phil Harvey]

Hi Andrew,

I'm about to release 13.12 and I'll use the tag name you suggested, thanks.

The AF point metadata is quite variable between brands and from model to model.  Even within a single model it may be stored differently depending on the AF mode.

- Phil

[andrewj]

Hi Phil,
Sod's Law, no sooner do we get this sorted out than Panasonic release new firmware for several of their models with new subject detection options.
I've updated my analysis to show the new values and their descriptions - see attached.
Thanks
Andrew

[Phil Harvey]

Thanks!  These will appear in ExifTool 12.15.

- Phil

[quickshot]

Hi! Sorry for hijacking this thread a bit: I own a DC-G9, and I noticed that a few tags seem unknown still (in exiftool 13.10).

For example "

Code Select Expand

[GPS]           GPSMeasureMode                  : Unknown (0)"
The G9 has no GPS, but can get the positions via Bluetooth from the smartphone app.
This seems to be the case here.

Other tags I found in an MP4 movie (I can't remember the exact setting, sorry):

Code Select Expand

[Panasonic]     BatteryLevel                    : Unknown (0)
[Panasonic]     VideoBurstResolution            : Unknown (3)
[Panasonic]     VideoBurstMode                  : Unknown (0)Maybe these can be decoded as well (there are still a lot of unknown tags).

[StarGeek]

For example "

Code Select Expand

[GPS]           GPSMeasureMode                  : Unknown (0)"
The G9 has no GPS, but can get the positions via Bluetooth from the smartphone app.
This seems to be the case here.

The GPSMeasureMode tag has only two valid values, either a 2 (for 2-Dimensional Measurement) and 3 (for 3-Dimensional Measurement). Your output indicates that there is a 0 written, thus the Unknown listing. See the GPS tags page.

This isn't something to worry about. A lot of cameras do things like this, probably make the image writing code as lightweight and fast as possible.

[Phil Harvey]

You're in the best position to determine the meaning of these Unknown Panasonic tags.  If you can figure out what they mean, let me know and I'll add the definitions to ExifTool.

- Phil