The only settings and info from your camera that is required are:
1. It must record EXIF data and the 300D does.
2. Your time/date must be set correctly to avoid possible DQ.
3. Any thing that is achievable within the camera is ok including settings.
They can be filled with any information you choose to include, be it correct or incorrect, but the true settings are embedded into the EXIF data and that's what counts.
I like the idea of them being required. As a learning site it is nice to know what settings were used for a particular situation. I think I would like lens too. :-)
As a habit I usually do when I submit a photo. Or, I'll back fill it in after the challenge starts. I agree the information is very useful.
I think a nice feature that could be added to this website is automatic EXIF data extraction upon uploading the file, thus obviating the need to manually fill in the settings.
I think a nice feature that could be added to this website is automatic EXIF data extraction upon uploading the file, thus obviating the need to manually fill in the settings.
The file that gets uploaded normally doesn't have the EXIF data in it. By the time it's been through PS and resized/saved the EXIF data has been stripped out.
The EXIF is present in the original, out-of-the-camera file. Which is usually quite large. So for the site to extract the EXIF would mean uploading the original as well as the submission. Which could cause bandwidth / storage issues.
and I would assume no one wants to check that information for every photo submitted?
The SC usually checks the EXIF info for the winning entries (when they are asked to submit the original), and for any entries for which there has been a validation request.
For all the other entries, the 'settings info' is optional. It only takes a few seconds to fill in the shutter speed / aperture / ISO, but the accuracy of this info depends on people either remembering the settings or going back to read their original EXIF. And some people just don't bother.
I usually just put in close to what it was (at least the ISO). I don't think I have any way to check what ISO was used once the photo is on my computer -- I know Photoshop CS can't retrieve it...I believe the Nikon software can, but I think I installed it and it expired after 45 days so I deleted it.
