File Numbering/Naming

[Manta]

I've noticed that my photos are being numbered strangely....

The numbers are sequential but the prefix is different. For example, in the same batch of photos, I have DSC_0078.NEF, DSC_0079.NEF, then _DSC0080.NEF, _DSC0081.NEF and then back to DSC_0082.NEF. The different files also seem to have different colour profiles as some have to be converted to my Photoshop profile (I'm using Adobe RGB 1998) but others don't

Why does this happen? Can anyone suggest a better method to ensure the file naming/numbering is logical, as the way it does it now, my photos are downloaded all out of order.

Appreciate any ideas.

Simon.

[gstark]

Simon,

You're changing your shooting and colour modes for the images that you're shooting. The camera is simply alerting you to this fact ...

This is normal and expected behaviour for the camera, and it's covered (somewhere) within the manual.

[Manta]

Thanks Gary.

Should have known the camera was smarter than me...

Should I not be able to set the same colour profile for all photos taken?

[gstark]

You can do whever you want; the camera places no restrictions on you in this vein. If you feel a need to change colour profile, ISO, whatever, why should the camera stop you?

But it does its little bit of trying to help you you, so that by it changing the numbering scheme ever so slightly, you can easily see what you've done.

And I don't know if you can turn this feature off.

Of course, once you've moved the images to your PC, what's to stop you from renaming the files into whatever sequential scheme that you wish?

[Manta]

I wasn't aware until now that the colour mode I had selected via the Optimised Image custom menu option could be over-ridden in various shooting modes.

I know I can change file names on the PC to whatever I want (and I usually automate this anyway) but I just panicked a bit when I saw these new file names coming up without knowing the reason.

Thanks for the advice.

(I'll go back over the appropriate sections in the manual. I've recently ordered Peter INova's ebook - do you know if he covers anything in this area?)

[Onyx]

Manta, I believe Inova's ebook as well as that of Hogan's covers this "feature".

There are two factors at work here - one is that adobe colourspace files are prefixed with underscore, which the two sRGB modes are not, and secondly custom image parameters (such as colourspace) are only available in P, S, A and M modes. If you use any of the other shooting modes (aka digital vari-programs), it will default to whatever image parameters the engineers have pre-programmed within that mode.

These not only ascribe the camera's bias towards larger/small apertures or certain focus modes, it also changes colourspace and hues.

[Manta]

Thanks Onyx.

Between yours and Gary's explanations (together with that little section in the manual that I seemed to have missed the first time) it all makes much more sense now.

I'll be keeping my "L" plates for a very long time....