Nikon Coolpix 950 slideshow question

[Posted to
alt.comp.devices.digital-cameras;rec.photo.digital;alt.photography - replies
to alt.comp.devices.digital-cameras, please!]

I'm trying to put some images I've taken over the years onto a CF card so
that I can use my Nikon Coolpix 950 to plug into a TV and show a slide show.
Unfortunately none of the original images that has been copied from the
camera to my hard drive are visible in the camera's PLAY mode after I copy
them back to the camera's CF card via the USB card reader.

It might be important to note I used Windows Explore and a SanDisk USB CF
reader to save the pictures to hard disk, since I'd still be transferring
files if I used the camera's serial connection.

I noticed that the original picture names were lower case, i.e.
Dscn0002.jpg. I've tried renaming the files to ensure they were lower case
but I just get blank frames - an improvement over not even seeing the files,
but not much!

I see the same behavior on my Coolpix 2000 and a DXG video/still digicam.

Sorry if this has been asked and answered a million times before. My Google
searching continues without success . . .

This is also complicated by the fact that my images, once transferred to PC,
are often renamed something like:

DSCN0022 - Storm over Gulf

I'd love to find a solution that didn't involve renaming the pictures and
that allowed me to use the 950 - it's a great little portable TV slide show
device. At least compared to an old Kodak Carousel slide projector!

--
Bobby G.

Most cameras have an additional "index" image for browsing after taking a
number of shots.

Copying images back without the "index" will not work (on cameras I am
familiar with)

Not familiar with the Nikon but I'm guessing it is like most other cameras.

Ross

"Robert Green" wrote in message
...

I'm trying to put some images I've taken over the years onto a CF card so
that I can use my Nikon Coolpix 950 to plug into a TV and show a slide
show.
Unfortunately none of the original images that has been copied from the
camera to my hard drive are visible in the camera's PLAY mode after I copy
them back to the camera's CF card via the USB card reader.

It might be important to note I used Windows Explore and a SanDisk USB CF
reader to save the pictures to hard disk, since I'd still be transferring
files if I used the camera's serial connection.

I noticed that the original picture names were lower case, i.e.
Dscn0002.jpg. I've tried renaming the files to ensure they were lower
case
but I just get blank frames - an improvement over not even seeing the
files,
but not much!

I see the same behavior on my Coolpix 2000 and a DXG video/still digicam.

"Robert Green" wrote in message
...
Unfortunately none of the original images that has been copied from the
camera to my hard drive are visible in the camera's PLAY mode after I copy
them back to the camera's CF card via the USB card reader.


Question to the NGs.
Do Card Readers record onto memory cards?

Gerrit

Gerrit 't Hart wrote:
"Robert Green" wrote in message
...
Unfortunately none of the original images that has been copied from
the camera to my hard drive are visible in the camera's PLAY mode
after I copy them back to the camera's CF card via the USB card
reader.


Question to the NGs.
Do Card Readers record onto memory cards?

Gerrit

Yes.

David

Robert Green wrote:
[Posted to
alt.comp.devices.digital-cameras;rec.photo.digital;alt.photography -
replies to alt.comp.devices.digital-cameras, please!]

I'm trying to put some images I've taken over the years onto a CF
card so that I can use my Nikon Coolpix 950 to plug into a TV and
show a slide show. Unfortunately none of the original images that has
been copied from the camera to my hard drive are visible in the
camera's PLAY mode after I copy them back to the camera's CF card via
the USB card reader.
[]
I'd love to find a solution that didn't involve renaming the pictures
and that allowed me to use the 950 - it's a great little portable TV
slide show device. At least compared to an old Kodak Carousel slide
projector!

You could try my TVwriter softwa

http://www.david-taylor.myby.co.uk/s...e/imaging.html

The renaming is done automatically by the program.

David

"David J Taylor"
wrote in
message .uk...
Robert Green wrote:
[Posted to
alt.comp.devices.digital-cameras;rec.photo.digital;alt.photography -
replies to alt.comp.devices.digital-cameras, please!]

I'm trying to put some images I've taken over the years onto a CF
card so that I can use my Nikon Coolpix 950 to plug into a TV and
show a slide show. Unfortunately none of the original images that has
been copied from the camera to my hard drive are visible in the
camera's PLAY mode after I copy them back to the camera's CF card via
the USB card reader.
[]
I'd love to find a solution that didn't involve renaming the pictures
and that allowed me to use the 950 - it's a great little portable TV
slide show device. At least compared to an old Kodak Carousel slide
projector!

You could try my TVwriter softwa

http://www.david-taylor.myby.co.uk/s...e/imaging.html

The renaming is done automatically by the program.

The directory structure on the card could also be an issue, if it does not
resemble the following:

DCIM
100NIKON
101NIKON
102NIKON
...
MISC

The photos are found in 100NIKON, 101NIKON, 102NIKON, and so on when the
camera records photos. By extension, that's probably where the photos should
be copied to, assuming that directory structure already exists on the card.
(Maximum of 999 photos per ###NIKON directory, if I recall correctly).

"David J Taylor" -

stuff snipped

You could try my TVwriter softwa

http://www.david-taylor.myby.co.uk/s...e/imaging.html

Sounds like what I need but I'd like to get this done for something I am
doing in about 4 hours. If I did my conversion correctly, it's $34.3848!!
That's about half of what the camera cost, used! I'm just going to tote
along my laptop for today and try to figure out how to avoid the problem in
the future.

The renaming is done automatically by the program.

So, as I suspected, it's at least, in part, a renaming issue. What does
Windows Explorer do to the file name that makes it unreadable by the Nikon?
I suspect it's a upper/lowercase issue and that the Nikon's on-board
microprocessor is unable to deal with anything other than exactly what it
expects to see. I guess I have been spoiled by $30 DVD players that can
play MP3's, JPGs and VCDs without having to jump through hoops. Then again,
the 950 was designed about two generations ago, computer-speaking.

So, what exactly is the Nikon expecting to see in a file name format? I've
finally managed to copy one file back, but only after changing a Windows
Explorer setting option to "Allow Uppercase File Names." Help!!!!

FWIW, using a hex editor I'm seeing that as soon as an image is edited, the
file header information changes and the image produces a camera error: "File
contains no image data."
This is w-a-a-a-y harder than it should be!

--
Bobby G.

On Fri, 30 Dec 2005, Robert Green wrote:

So, what exactly is the Nikon expecting to see in a file name format? I've
finally managed to copy one file back, but only after changing a Windows
Explorer setting option to "Allow Uppercase File Names." Help!!!!

The pictures taken by my 950 are always in uppercase. Being a programmer if
I want to do any mass renaming I simply write a few lines of code and loop
through the files in a folder.

FWIW, using a hex editor I'm seeing that as soon as an image is edited, the
file header information changes and the image produces a camera error: "File
contains no image data."

Any editing of a file should be done losslessly, preserving the EXIF
header. I use jpegcrop. It is freeware. You also have to be sure you rotate
losslessly. Both jpegcrop and IrfanView can do that.

Don www.donwiss.com/pictures (e-mail link at home page bottom).

"Don Wiss" wrote in message
On Fri, 30 Dec 2005, Robert Green wrote

So, what exactly is the Nikon expecting to see in a file name format?
I've
finally managed to copy one file back, but only after changing a Windows
Explorer setting option to "Allow Uppercase File Names." Help!!!!

The pictures taken by my 950 are always in uppercase. Being a programmer
if
I want to do any mass renaming I simply write a few lines of code and loop
through the files in a folder.

Since making that "allow upper case" change to Explorer's preferences, I
have been having a lot more luck copying random photos back to the CF card
and having them appear in the play mode.

FWIW, using a hex editor I'm seeing that as soon as an image is edited,
the
file header information changes and the image produces a camera error:
"File
contains no image data."

Any editing of a file should be done losslessly, preserving the EXIF
header. I use jpegcrop. It is freeware. You also have to be sure you
rotate
losslessly. Both jpegcrop and IrfanView can do that.

I *have* been editing and rotating in IrfanView. The problems come when I
use the CROP command. It changes the EXIF file header to something my hex
editor says is JFIF. Am I doing something wrong? Is there a setting in
IrfanView that allows preservation of the EXIF header info?

I'll take a look at jpegcrop. Thanks!

--
Bobby G.

"Robert Green"

stuff snipped

Any editing of a file should be done losslessly, preserving the EXIF
header. I use jpegcrop. It is freeware. You also have to be sure you
rotate
losslessly. Both jpegcrop and IrfanView can do that.

I *have* been editing and rotating in IrfanView. The problems come when I
use the CROP command. It changes the EXIF file header to something my hex
editor says is JFIF. Am I doing something wrong? Is there a setting in
IrfanView that allows preservation of the EXIF header info?

[Answering my own question after hunting around . . . ]

The option I wanted was under the Options Menu - "JPG Transformations" and
the key is to "Preserve APP information" - that covers rotating and
flipping. Now the question is how to preserve the EXIF header information
after cropping! I think the solution is a later version of IrfanView (I am
using 3.36) and the EXIF plugin, but that's just a guess.

Thanks for the pointers, Don, David and others. Most informative and it
enabled me to make my slide show date with small, convenient camera, not
bulky laptop, in hand. The 950 images certainly look great when output to a
TV set.

--
Bobby G.