Does the 3GS Camera store direction information in the EXIF?

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Level 3

955 points

Does the 3GS Camera store direction information in the EXIF?

As a videographer and landscape photographer, knowing the direction the camera was pointing when the picture was shot can be invaluable. I stopped by the local Apple store and two of their guys said no, it only stores location data.

However, in looking at some of 3GS photos in Flickr, it appears that some photos do, some don't. For example, this pic's EXIF appears to contain both Image Direction and Image Direction Reference information:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/respres/3642492008/meta/

Anyone with a 3GS that can confirm?

2.5Ghz MBP, 1.42Ghz Mac mini, Mac OS X (10.5.5)

Posted on Jun 25, 2009 4:21 PM

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Answer 1

Douglas Weber Author

Level 3

955 points

Jun 26, 2009 7:16 AM in response to Douglas Weber

Found a friend at work who has the 3GS and took a couple of test shots, indoors and out.

The answer is yes. The camera stores Image Direction as measured in degrees along with Image Direction Reference such as True. I suspect the alternative to "True" is "Magnetic"

This data is available in the Preview application, within the GPS subtab on the "More info Inspector" pane. However, it doesn't appear that iPhoto or Lightroom displays this information.

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