Canon RAW file names

For years, the .CR2 files from my Canon 50D's and 7D's have been named "IMG_XXXX.CR2".

Within the past few weeks, all files are now named "_MG_XXXX.CR2", the 'I' now replaced with under-score "_". This is in all 4 of my cameras. I have not made any changes to camera settings that would explain why the file names have changed.

Computers (tower and laptop) are running Linux Mint 20.3

Puzzling!

Jim

I think this may happen when the colour space is changed from sRGB to Adobe RGB?

Cheers

Dennis

Thanks, yes that's it!

That is a change that I recently did on all 4 cameras. Didn't realize that would have an effect on the file names.

If you are shooting RAW, the RAW files inherently have no color space assignment...color space is associated with JPG (or the preview image which is embedded and saved within the RAW file) file type. IOW it is pointless to choose a color space if you are sending RAW files into a RAW convertor (such as Lightroom or Capture One), which allow selection of the color space at the time of JPG file output.

Most commercial print making services print sRGB, or they convert any aRGB to sRGB before they are printed! Few print aRGB directly (without conversion to sRGB). And any unique colors in aRGB (which are not also in sRGB) are lost...rendering aRGB pointless unless you are printing aRGB files yourself on an aRGB capable printer.

GJim wrote in post #19431538
Thanks, yes that's it!

That is a change that I recently did on all 4 cameras. Didn't realize that would have an effect on the file names.

When I did this a long time ago, I think it also changed the Bits/Channel from 8 (sRGB) to 16 (AdobeRGB) if my memory serves me correctly?

Cheers

Dennis

nardes wrote in post #19431802
When I did this a long time ago, I think it also changed the Bits/Channel from 8 (sRGB) to 16 (AdobeRGB) if my memory serves me correctly?

Cheers

Dennis

Bits per channel and color space is two different things. SRGB and AdobeRGB both provide an infinite amount of colors (assuming a infinite bit depth) though both cover a different space of the color spectrum. Bit depth defines how many colors can be described within that space. Canon cameras are a fixed bit depth (raw files) depending on the model (either 12 or 14 bits). When you shoot jpeg, it will output a 8 bit per channel in either sRGB or AdobeRGB as the jpeg standard is 8 bits. In a practical sense you can have 16 bit sRGB or aRGB both providing the same amount of colors but mapped across a different part of the spectrum with AdobeRGB providing the greater coverage of the whole spectrum. When you get a AdobeRGB jpeg, it also is 8 bits but mapped over a wider area of the spectrum.

gjl711 wrote in post #19431809
Bits per channel and color space is two different things. SRGB and AdobeRGB both provide an infinite amount of colors (assuming a infinite bit depth) though both cover a different space of the color spectrum. Bit depth defines how many colors can be described within that space. Canon cameras are a fixed bit depth (raw files) depending on the model (either 12 or 14 bits). When you shoot jpeg, it will output a 8 bit per channel in either sRGB or AdobeRGB as the jpeg standard is 8 bits. In a practical sense you can have 16 bit sRGB or aRGB both providing the same amount of colors but mapped across a different part of the spectrum with AdobeRGB providing the greater coverage of the whole spectrum. When you get a AdobeRGB jpeg, it also is 8 bits but mapped over a wider area of the spectrum.

Stated differently, both aRGB and sRGB can represent 16.7 Million different color hues, but the color space from which 16.7 Million is chosen in a larger color space.
Using an analogy, imagine that one can count to 1000 different values, you count from 0 - 1000 with sRGB and you count from 0 - 1600 with aRBG, but if you have color hue 1402 in aRGB the file will lose that hue when the file is converted back to fit the range 0 - 1000

Wilt, et al,
Thanks for your replies.

I recently switched all 4 cameras to Adobe RGB on the advice of Jared Lloyd and Annalise Kaylor (https://www.businessof​wildlifephotography.co​m/) as they state that stock image sites prefer the greater color space. I have also changed settings in RawTherapee (my computer system is Linux Mint) to 'Prophoto' for the same reason.

Jim