What is shutter count in exiftool? And how do I delimit the app to just that?

[beachcolonist]

I don't know programming, but I can read:)

I renamed the exe to "exiftool(-a -u -g1 -w txt -k).exe" per the instructions, to generate "filename.txt" of all the exif data. (Btw in the process I accidentally dropped on a .pdf and it gave up all the data on that too.) This works wonderfully, geek data heaven and searchable!

1.So I want to get shutter counts from Sony ARW files and other image files. In that long list of data, what is "shutter count" called for an ARW (Sony RAW) file?

2. What is the (or is there a) rename convention for Exiftool to limit itself to outputting the shutter count (or whatever "shutter count" is called)?

For the record people selling cameras on Ebay but how don't know "shutter counts" are constantly referred to go get this, but they tend to fall into a black hole trying to use it, after a mile long list of data pops up in DOS. I'm trying to help them out a bit with a rename that limits the output to just shots fired info.

[StarGeek]

1.So I want to get shutter counts from Sony ARW files and other image files. In that long list of data, what is "shutter count" called for an ARW (Sony RAW) file?

I grabbed a random Sony ARW file from http://www.rawsamples.ch and ran exiftool -*shutter* -g1 -a -s on it (yes, you can use wildcards in tag names).  It looks like in the file I grabbed that the tag was simply named ShutterCount.  You can also find a list of Sony Makernotes tags that exiftool can recognize here.  This list is not necessarily everything that's in the file, just what Phil has decoded, and is subject to change at the whim of Sony.  Also, as mentioned on that list, ShutterCount is "only valid for some DSLR models".

It's also worth noting that there is also an ImageCount tag for some cameras, so that might be useful to extract as well.  Or maybe not, the file I grabbed had ImageCount of  4214 and ShutterCount of 5812.

2. What is the (or is there a) rename convention for Exiftool to limit itself to outputting the shutter count (or whatever "shutter count" is called)?

To get just the shutter count, if it exists, add -ShutterCount to the command.  Similar for -ImageCount tag if you wanted that as well.

[beachcolonist]

The files that matter are files from the coveted top end Sony A7RII, and thanks for noting that the camera matters.

Dropping an AR7II a file onto "exiftool(-a -u -g1 -w txt -k).exe" creates "filename.txt" My idea is that you then search the txt with cntrl/f.

Searching that txt returns nothing for shuttercount, or for shutter.

Cntrl/f "count" returns image count, image count 1, image count  2, image count 3 all with the same value. Because the value is only 159, I can't be sure if it is the data I seek ie the number of shutter actuations.

[StarGeek]

Cntrl/f "count" returns image count, image count 1, image count  2, image count 3 all with the same value. Because the value is only 159, I can't be sure if it is the data I seek ie the number of shutter actuations.

I found some raw images here and the same results.  No shutter count but some image counts. 

It does appear that there is quite a bit of data in the image I downloaded which has not been decoded, you can see the results if you use exiftool -u -a -s -g1 file.   So the Shutter count might be there, it's just unknown at this time.

[Phil Harvey]

I seem to recall doing a detailed search for ShutterCount for some Sony models and concluding that this metadata just didn't exist in the files.  I can't say for sure about the A7RII, but these are the Sony models for which ShutterCount is currently decoded:

DSLR-A230
DSLR-A290
DSLR-A330
DSLR-A380
DSLR-A390
DSLR-A450
DSLR-A500
DSLR-A550
DSLR-A560
DSLR-A580
DSLR-A850
DSLR-A900
NEX-3
NEX-5
NEX-C3
SLT-A33
SLT-A35
SLT-A55V

- Phil

[beachcolonist]

So we need to know, what is "image count"? Some minor detective work:

Checking StarGeek's page to get Sony ARW files, I took four, & can see the page gives files that have a numerical order:

sony_a7r_ii_zeiss_batis_25mm_62.arw
sony_a7r_ii_zeiss_batis_25mm_63.arw
sony_a7r_ii_zeiss_batis_25mm_64.arw
sony_a7r_ii_zeiss_batis_25mm_65.arw

So running each via exiftool(-a -u -g1 -w txt -k).exe then searching the txt for "image count" we get nearly numerically ordered results:

sony_a7r_ii_zeiss_batis_25mm_62.txt Image Count: 387
sony_a7r_ii_zeiss_batis_25mm_63.txt Image Count: 388
sony_a7r_ii_zeiss_batis_25mm_64.txt Image Count: 389
sony_a7r_ii_zeiss_batis_25mm_65.txt Image Count: 416

Taking a look at the pictures in question, 387-389 are indeed the same building in a city, and then a change of scene to greenery coincides with 416.

This is pretty strong indication that "image count" is at least something that increments with every exposure.

I am left to wonder how people selling A7RIIs on Ebay are able to post a shutter count number. Maybe I will ask!

[Phil Harvey]

Yes.  ImageCount should increment for each image.  However, you may get multiple images per shutter actuation (with white-balance bracketing for example), and it is unknown when this number is reset to zero.  ShutterCount, however, should count shutter actuations (not images), and not be resettable (except possibly by servicing the camera, eg. to replace the shutter).

- Phil

[WilfriedB]

Two observations on this topic:
- Not until recently, I found out some Sony cameras log the shutter count to the maker notes for my SLT A55V and ILCA-A77MII and ExifTool reports it as 'ImageCount'. Suddenly, my program would report 0, so I tried debug without success, until I learned changed the name of the tag to 'ShutterCount' in Version 11.25(?). In spite of the fact that it took me some time to solve the issue, I agree 'ShutterCount' makes more sense!

- Analyzing my photos made by both cameras, I realized the A77M2 always counted at least double the number of actual images made. Besides white-balance bracketing, as Phil mentioned correctly, HDR or panoramas, there is another reason for the camera to count the shutter twice:
If the "Electronic Front-Curtain Shutter" (EFCS) is set to OFF (which seems to be the default for the A77MII), the shutter will fire twice for each picture. An explanation for that, I found here: https://photographylife.com/what-is-electronic-front-curtain-shutter
ExifTool reports the EFCS setting under '-ElectronicFrontCurtainShutter'.

[Phil Harvey]

Yes, in some shutter modes for some Sony models there are two shutter actuations for each image.

It was version 11.25 that renamed some of the ImageCount tags (see the version history).  Sorry about breaking your script, but it became apparent that these were indeed counting shutter actuations and not images (partly due to the effect mentioned above).

- Phil