ExifTool hangs when processing ARW files from Sony DSC-RX1

Started by noirist, December 27, 2012, 08:46:01 AM

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noirist

ExifTool 9.09 hangs when processing the ARW files from the new Sony DSC-RX1. This is on a Windows 7 64-bit machine. Please advise how I can help.  Thank you!

Phil Harvey

I have tried reading and writing metadata from a sample RX1 ARW that I have handy, and I don't see any problems.  I am running ExifTool 9.09 on a really old Mac right now, but the platform shouldn't cause a difference like this unless there is a memory limitation causing the problem.  I can't test this on Windows right now, but I will be able to do this tomorrow.

However, to eliminate other differences, we should start from the same file with the same command:

1) What was the exact command that you used?

2) Can you reproduce the problem with this ARW image?

- Phil
...where DIR is the name of a directory/folder containing the images.  On Mac/Linux/PowerShell, use single quotes (') instead of double quotes (") around arguments containing a dollar sign ($).

noirist

I'm using geosetter 3.4.16 Build 2119, which uses exiftool 9.09 to read and write image metadata.  Geosetter hangs when I open a directory full of ARW image files.  When I try kill geosetter, windows reports an error that "Managing metadata (EXIF/IPTC/XMP) of image files is not responding" which I guess is exiftool inside geosetter (??). If I don't kill geosetter, eventually it loads the directory but it takes a very long time (eg., 30 seconds for a directory with only 2 24MB ARW files, 4 minutes for a directory with 13 24MB ARW files, and an unknown amount of time for a directory with 80 ARW files). When I open a directory full of NEF files, it loads the directory quickly (eg., 49 seconds for 35 21MB NEF files). This is on a machine with 8GB of RAM.

Now that I write this, I'm wondering if the performance problem might be related to the much larger jpeg previews in the ARW files?

Thank you for your excellent exiftool and for your quick response on this forum!

Phil Harvey

On my iMac, it takes 0.63 seconds for ExifTool to extract metadata from a directory containing 13 24MB RX1 ARW images.  I'll be able to test this on a PC later today.

- Phil
...where DIR is the name of a directory/folder containing the images.  On Mac/Linux/PowerShell, use single quotes (') instead of double quotes (") around arguments containing a dollar sign ($).

Heiko

you are right that GeoSetter is using ExifTool, but ExifTool is only used for writing the metadata. For reading the metadata GeoSetter is using it's own code.

You can use the "Report View" in GeoSetter to test if the larger preview images could cause the long load time.

Regards
Heiko

Phil Harvey

...where DIR is the name of a directory/folder containing the images.  On Mac/Linux/PowerShell, use single quotes (') instead of double quotes (") around arguments containing a dollar sign ($).

noirist

I tried using the report view in geosetter, it's just as slow as the thumbnail view. Once the directory is loaded, switching between the report and thumbnail views is instantaneous.  So the image file view doesn't change what information geosetter extracts from the image files.

It sure looks like geosetter uses exiftool to read the image metadata because it has an "Image Info (ExifTool)" window in which it reports "ExifTool" warnings and errors.  For example, the Sony RX1 jpegs have two warnings, "Possibly incorrect maker notes ..." and "Suspicious MakerNotes offset fo...". You can disable the "Image Info (ExifTool)" window but then geosetter takes just as long to open a directory of ARW files, and when you enable the window, it pops open immediately with all the image info filled in. So I'd be very surprised if geosetter didn't use exiftool to read the metadata regardless of the user chosen display options.

Phil Harvey

Well, those are ExifTool warnings, so it certainly does sound like Geosetter was running ExifTool.

However, I just tried this on my (very old and very slow) Windows XP machine, and ExifTool took 5 seconds to process a directory of 13 RX1 ARW's, so I don't see how ExifTool alone could be responsible for the lags you are experiencing.

I suggest posing this query in a Geosetter forum.

- Phil
...where DIR is the name of a directory/folder containing the images.  On Mac/Linux/PowerShell, use single quotes (') instead of double quotes (") around arguments containing a dollar sign ($).

Heiko

you are right, that GeoSetter has one window which is called "Image Info (ExifTool)" and in this window ExifTool is used to display all available infos about the selected image. There you will also see warnings and errors from ExifTool. Also ExifTool is used for writing the metadata and there you also will see warnings and errors from ExifTool.

For reading the metadata GeoSetter is using its own code! (and you realy can believe that :-)). The reason that GeoSetter is using it's own code for reading metadata is the performance. The reason that GeoSetter is using ExifTool for writing metadata is the safety.

Heiko

noirist

If geosetter is using its own code to read the metadata, how can it publish exiftool warnings when it reads images?  No writing is involved.

noirist

I submitted an issue on the Geosetter help page
http://www.geosetter.de/mantis/view.php?id=1008