Skip to main content
S
snerkler
Known Participant
May 5, 2017
Question

ISO not showing in EXIF data on exported Nikon jpegs using Mac.

  • May 5, 2017
  • 1 reply
  • 3184 views

Hi,

For a while now, I think since upgrading to Mac OS X El Capitan and/or Adobe CC the ISO is missing from the EXIF when viewing exported images from lightroom using Mac preview to open the files. All the other data is there, just not ISO. I've searched on apple forums and see that many are having this issue, but have not as yet found a solution. If I open the RAW file using preview the ISO data is there, but once I've edited it in LR and exported it it's missing. If I upload to Flickr the ISO rating still shows.

It only affects Nikon cameras AFAIK, I have Fuji, Canon, Sony and Olympus files and they all show the ISO after exporting from LR. I've spoken to a couple of other people using different software such as DXO and Capture One and that doesn't have the same issue, i.e. you can see the ISO in the exported Nikon files so it suggests to me it's a weird lightroom/mac glitch. Does anyone know of a fix for this?

Cheers.

    This topic has been closed for replies.

    1 reply

    G
    gatorjim2000
    Participating Frequently
    May 5, 2017

    Have you tried viewing the EXIF data in something other than Preview?

    My tests show that the ISO value is present in the EXIF data of exported Nikon images when viewed with ExifTool and other apps. It's only Preview that seems to have an issue.

    Granted, maybe LR is somehow causing the problem with Preview, but the ISO value is in the exported images.

      S
      snerklerAuthor
      Known Participant
      May 5, 2017

      Thanks for the reply. Yes it shows in other software such as Xee but I still prefer preview to all the ones I've tried. As I said the ISO shows on Flickr so I know the data is there, it's just some weird anomaly when viewing exported lightroom images in preview. Very odd.

      johnrellis
      johnrellis
      Legend
      May 5, 2017

      This is a bug in Apple's Preview -- it is not interpreting the EXIF 2.3 standard correctly. The bug is triggered because of the particular EXIF tags written to the original image by the camera (LR just copies those tags to the exported JPEG).  You could file a bug report with Apple, but I sincerely doubt that it would get fixed before the next ice age.  Gory details:

      In the couple of Nikon .nef raws I looked at, two EXIF tags were recorded:

      ISO                            : 160
      SensitivityType                : Recommended Exposure Index

      (ISO is what the EXIF standard calls PhotographicSensitivity.)  This is perfectly valid according to the standard. 

      But Preview seems to believe that if SensitivityType = "Recommended Exposure Index", then there should be a third tag:

      RecommendedExposureIndex      : 160

      But that is not required by the standard. 

      When I use ExifTool to delete SensitivityType from the exported .jpg, Preview correctly shows ISO; and when I use ExifTool to instead add RecommendedExposureIndex, Preview again shows ISO.

      I looked at a sample Sony .arw raw, and it included all three tags, which keeps Preview happy.  And in a sample Canon .cr2 raw, it included just ISO, which also keeps Preview happy.

      Terms & ConditionsAccessibility statement
      Using the community Terms of use Privacy Cookie preferences Do not sell or share my personal information ad choicesAdChoices