MakerNote Exif tag

Version of this document: 1.3 (August 24, 2000)

This page documents fields of the "MakerNote" tags of JPG files produced by Casio digital cameras.

It seems since summer 1999 Casio digital cameras write the MakerNote in the following format.

These camera models/versions have been proved to use this structure:

ModelVersion(s)Example
QV-3000EXVer1.002
Ver1.001
Ver1.000		08240011.JPG
None
http://www.casio.co.jp/English/qv/3000ex/gallery/ImageLib/000310175320/FOLDER01/01070097.JPG
QV-2000UX99.09.07.11.08
99.09.03.15.44
99.09.02.16.36
99.08.27.17.20		http://www.watch.impress.co.jp/pc/docs/article/991018/ca_t6.jpg
http://www.steves-digicams.com/qv2000/dcim/100_0911/09110007.jpg
http://www.casio.co.jp/QV/Info/qv_2000ux/gallery/img/09050127.JPG
http://www.casio.co.jp/QV/Info/qv_2000ux/gallery/img/08300116.JPG
QV-8000SX99.08.16.13.38http://www.steves-digicams.com/qv8000/10220034.jpg

These camera models/versions have been proved NOT to use this structure:

ModelVersion(s)Example
QV-2000UX99.07.13.16.01http://www.casio.co.jp/QV/Info/qv_2000ux/gallery/img/01140050.JPG
QV-8000SX99.06.28.19.26
99.06.25.14.47		http://www.casio.co.jp/English/qv/8000sx/gallery/ImageLib/990821233042/FOLDER01/07030012.JPG
http://www.casio.co.jp/English/qv/8000sx/gallery/ImageLib/990821233042/FOLDER01/07020045.JPG
QV-7000SXNo Exifhttp://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/Q7K/Q7KDBE.JPG

QV-5000SX

No Exif

http://www.pcphotoreview.com/gallery/photos/11599.jpg

It seems all versions of QV-3000EX use this structure. "Late" versions of QV-2000UX and QV-8000SX use this structure, "early" versions of QV-2000UX and QV-8000SX don't use this structure, they have a MakerNote containing only 4 bytes data.

This is an unofficial documentation!

MakerNote consists of 20 Exif tags. Every tag has 1 component. Values are in decimal format.

No.

Tag Name

Format

Value

1RecordingModeUnsigned Short

1: "Single Shutter"
7: "Panorama"
10: "Night Scene"
15: "Portrait"
16: "Landscape"

2QualityUnsigned Short

1: "Economy"
2: "Normal"
3: "Fine"

3

Focusing ModeUnsigned Short

2: "Macro"
3: "Auto Focus"
4: "Manual Focus"
5: "Infinity"

4

Flash ModeUnsigned Short

1: "Auto"
2: "On"
4: "Off"
5: "Red Eye Reduction"

5

Flash IntensityUnsigned Short

11: "Weak"
13: "Normal"
15: "Strong"

6

Object distanceUnsigned Long

Value in mm

7

White BalanceUnsigned Short

1: "Auto"
2: "Tungsten"
3: "Daylight"
4: "Fluorescent"
5: "Shade"
129: "Manual"

8

UnknownUnsigned Short1: ?
2: ?
3: ?
4: ?

9

Unknown
BULB ?		Unsigned Short1: ?
2: ?

10

Digital ZoomUnsigned Long

65536 (0x10000): "Off"
65537 (0x10001): "x2"

11SharpnessUnsigned Short

0: "Normal"
1: "Soft"
2: "Hard"

12ContrastUnsigned Short

0: "Normal"
1: "Low"
2: "High"

13SaturationUnsigned Short

0: "Normal"
1: "Low"
2: "High"

14UnknownUnsigned Short 
15UnknownUnsigned Short 
16UnknownUnsigned Short 
17UnknownUnsigned Long (?)
2 Unsigned Short?		Byte 1: 0
Byte 2: 64 - 160
Byte 3: 0
Byte 4: 53 - 165
18UnknownUnsigned Short16: ?
18: ?
24: ?

19

UnknownUnsigned Short 

20

SensitivityUnsigned Short

QV3K:
64: "Normal"
125: "+ 1.0"
250: "+ 2.0"
244: "+ 3.0"
QV8K, QV2K:
80: "Normal"
100: "High"

Remarks:

Due to "Exif" information the tag number 17 should be of data type "unsigned long". In fact the bytes 1 and 3 seem to be constant 0, bytes 2 and 4 seem not to increase 255. The field might consist of 2 values of "unsigned short" data type or of 4 values of "byte" data type.

Tag number 6 ("Object distance") should be treated as uncertain.

Some ideas the "unknown" tags might represent:

  • battery level
  • color modification (sepia, b/w)
  • flash energy

If anybody has

  • other informations
  • verifications
  • detected errors
  • ideas

concerning items on this page please write us at support (at) dicasoft.de.

Please write us too if you decide to use these informations in your software development. So we can inform you if the informations should have been changed.

There is a small freeware tool using these informations: DiCaInfo.

Thumber uses these informations too (starting with version 3.2.1).

Other "MakerNote" documentations: