Which exif attribute contains the shutter actuation count?

[jw432]

For an x-e3 which attribute contains the shutter actuation count?  This website tells me https://www.apotelyt.com/camera-exif/fujifilm-shutter-count a number but I cannot find that number in the Exif data.  I am simply trying to verify the value by looking at the source, not necessarily trusting a website.

thx in advanced.

[jerryy]

Look for the EXIF key named "Image Count". You will probably have to look at the EXIF data for one of the RAF files or it may be in one of the in-camera made JPEGs.

A lot of image processors will strip this key along with many others out of the EXIF data that does get saved to the TIFF or JPEG or ... images they create.

[Greybeard]

Yes you need to look at a file straight out of the camera and you need an Exif Viewer that shows the Fujifilm specific fields.

Most of these fields (including the shutter count) are not documented by Fujifilm and not displayed by viewers that only show basic EXIF.

Unless you are going to actually parse up the binary file you are going to trust a viewer of some sort.

If you want to look at the raw exif data without uploading your file to a remote web site you can use this:

Fujifilm Exif Viewer

If you click on the plus sign top left you can load an image file into your browser (jpg or raw).

The default view shows you the image and interpreted metadata - but if you right click and choose the EXIF option it shows you the entire list of EXIF tags - including Fujifilm specific - and the raw data without decoding.

Scroll down and look at tag 1438 which is the field normally interpreted as shutter (or image) count.

[itchy shutter finger]

I've always been curious about this shutter count issue, and why it's more difficult on a Fujifilm. Sincere thanks to all three of you for divulging this top secret information, and sharing the availability of web-based tools to do this, and especially Greybeard for his app, which displays information in such a well organized fashion. Clearly a standout feature.

I use five or six graphics programs with exif capabilities, and none of them display shutter count. In fact, all of them display the exif data in formats different from one another. 

After spending a couple hours researching exif protocol, I discovered most of us already have a tool right at our fingertips that displays information nearly as nice as Greybeard's web-based tool. https://exiftool.org/ is open-source, and runs on Windows, Mac, and Linux.

So I started out the night with no clue how to find shutter count, and ended the night with the tough choice of which excellent tool to use to find it. 

Thanks again guys. 😀

[Greybeard]

14 minutes ago, itchy shutter finger said:

After spending a couple hours researching exif protocol, I discovered most of us already have a tool right at our fingertips that displays information nearly as nice as Greybeard's web-based tool. https://exiftool.org/ is open-source, and runs on Windows, Mac, and Linux.

I’m a big fan of Exiftool and have used it extensively. It has one (smallish) problem with Shutter Count (or Image Count as Exiftool calls it) - it only uses part of the field and will roll over when it gets to 32K - whereas the actual field used by FujiFilm is capable of holding 64K (and then rolls over back to the start)

Edited February 27, 2021 by Greybeard

[jw432]

Thanks everyone, very very helpful.  I had looked for this a few years back and missed that the viewer might not show or know what's what.  So I don't think nomacs or faststone know how to show it but it showed right up at https://greybeard.org.uk/exif3/

[itchy shutter finger]

8 minutes ago, Greybeard said:

I’m a big fan of Exiftool and have used it extensively. It has one (smallish) problem with Shutter Count (or Image Count as Exiftool calls it) - it only uses part of the field and will roll over when it gets to 32K - whereas the actual field used by FujiFilm is capable of holding 64K (and then rolls over back to the start)

Yes, I was just looking further at your web app, and saw you use Exiftool as its engine. Clearly your web app is the best tool, IMHO, because of the structure in which you display the information. Thank you for making it available to us. 

[jerryy]

There is one thing I have never gotten clear in my mind about Fujifilm using the term Image Count. I am not sure if that includes images gotten with only the mechanical shutter or if it includes ones obtained with the electronic shutter. I suppose it is easy to fire off several shots with only the ms engaged, several with only es engaged, and then some more with ms + es engaged and check the counts to see. Maybe some day down the road when I get really curious. 

[itchy shutter finger]

5 minutes ago, jerryy said:

There is one thing I have never gotten clear in my mind about Fujifilm using the term Image Count. I am not sure if that includes images gotten with only the mechanical shutter or if it includes ones obtained with the electronic shutter. I suppose it is easy to fire off several shots with only the ms engaged, several with only es engaged, and then some more with ms + es engaged and check the counts to see. Maybe some day down the road when I get really curious. 

When researching this last night, I came across multiple references that said the image count includes both mechanical and electronic shutter actuation, and this was a Fujifilm idiosyncrasy. I recall none saying it was mechanical only.

[Greybeard]

1 hour ago, jerryy said:

There is one thing I have never gotten clear in my mind about Fujifilm using the term Image Count. I am not sure if that includes images gotten with only the mechanical shutter or if it includes ones obtained with the electronic shutter. I suppose it is easy to fire off several shots with only the ms engaged, several with only es engaged, and then some more with ms + es engaged and check the counts to see. Maybe some day down the road when I get really curious. 

Yes it includes both MS and ES - and to make it worse - on recent cameras it includes images taken with pre-shot that might not even get written to the card - its not a good guide as to the life of the mechanical shutter.

FujiFilm doesn't call it Image Count - they don't call it anything at all as they don't document their EXIF fields - the Exiftool developer - Phil Harvey - came up with that name.

[MISTERQUINCE]

Hi, I just tried your app with a RAF file to know the number of actuations done by a GFX 50R. If I look in the metadata tab it says

Shutter Count

1797

But if I right click to get the EXIF tab and look at #1438 tag I find : 34565 (Image Count)
Which one is the good one ?

[Jason Wallis]

That does work for my XT3 but unfortunately the shutter count doesn't appear for the XT100?

[Greybeard]

14 hours ago, Jason Wallis said:

That does work for my XT3 but unfortunately the shutter count doesn't appear for the XT100?

The Shutter Count tag used by the online viewers doesn't exist in files from the X-T100 and X-T200 - I don't know of any way of getting shutter count from those cameras.