Windows XP Warnings for Digicam Users

Turns out that all isn't exactly wonderful when it comes to the latest Microsoft operating system and digital camera users. Windows XP has all kinds of new digital imaging "goodies" built in but using some of them can bring you less than satisfying results. Both Canon and Nikon have warned against using Explorer's image rotation feature as it destroys the Exif header in the JPEG files. The Exif header contains all of the exposure and camera data that is recorded at the time of capture and the high-end digicams use this to display this info during playback. And both companies also warn users against formatting flash cards under WinXP because it will use the default FAT32 format -- and digital cameras can't understand this as they use the standard FAT file system. If you remember to tell WinXP to use FAT instead of FAT32 then all will be OK but it's always best to format your flash cards inside of the camera with its own format utility.

12/16/01 update: I've had several readers email to tell me that they have had no problems using Explorer's image rotation feature and that the Exif data remains intact. I've also had a D30 owner tell me that it did destroy the Exif data. I can not prove or disprove this personally, I do not run WinXP. If you are using WinXP you can do your own test, rotate an image (use a copy, not your original) and then view it with any program that can display Exif data and see if it is still there. You can find quite a few Exif-capable viewers listed here. Those that I have used include ThumbsPlus, Exif Reader, Exif Image Viewer and ACDSee.

12/17/01 update:

A Microsoft spokesman pointed out that this is misleading as the issue only effects those downloading camera pictures using XP's camera wizard.

"Pictures are converted to JPEG because that is the most common format and, as a result, EXIF information is lost. However, the majority of users don't need EXIF information. So this glitch only effects those advanced users and they can simply open the camera as they would a hard drive and drag and drop the pictures without losing any information," he explained.

Nikon and Canon have also warned that Compact Flash cards used with digital cameras should not be formatted using Windows XP, whether Home or Professional versions.

If a CompactFlash card that has been formatted using Windows XP is inserted into a Coolpix digital camera the message 'card is not formatted' will appear in the camera monitor.

If such a card is inserted into a D1, D1X or D1H camera, the 'CHA' display in the control panel will start to flash. In either case, both companies advised using the camera to reformat the card.

But the Microsoft spokesman said that the flash card problem was not an XP issue, but rather that the cameras were not configured to handle the later versions of the FAT file format.

"This is not just XP; these cameras could not handle Windows 2000 either," he said.