Why SO many random DCIM Folders? I want ONE!

You guys are all acting like idiots. Pardon me. These forums are supposed to be helpful, not fighting forums.

My points status is not as high as yours, but I can say that EVEN Apple has a window that you use for opening a file folder to explore its contents. Not called Windows Explorer but I do think that it exists.... And it is a very normal way to open a DCIM folder from a card (from cameras) and see the contents. So when one encounters a DCIM folder, regardless of their points level in this forum, it might be an assumption that it could be possible to view the contents in some normal, organized fashion.

I also object to the term primitive. It is a BASIC tool. Quite different. Some function in operating systems that allows you to open folders and view files.

Anyone who owned an older version iPod also might have been used to plugging in these devices and using their storage capacity for files. And these opened in a rather normal way on whatever computer you hooked them up to.

And when the discussion gets to 18 pages due to stupid discussions of superiority of one system over another and comparison of points, most of us do not have the patience or time to look at all of the pages to see that "It has already been said". For you big points people, the search mechanism for these forums directs you to some random page in the middle of the discussion where your particular question phrase is mentioned.

Yup, it's called Finder, and it is useless with databases, just like Explorer. Unfortunately there exists a small subset of Windows users who only know how to use Explorer, so they use it for everything. Then they complain.

Philly_Phan
wrote:

8000 photos for a 9-day trip? If you view each one for one second, it will take you

over two hours just to look at them. If you're going to enhance them in any way,

it will take a week with no sleep! And that does not include sorting. Amazing.

I'm not sure why the number of photos a user takes is such a problem for you. If I had to guess, I'd say they included that information to emphasize the need for their tool of choice to work well.

Lawrence Finch
wrote:

It is a "primitive tool" if it does not recognize the worldwide standard for DCIM folders

But Windows Explorer does recognize DCIM. When I insert my SD Card from my Canon DSLR and navigate to it using Windows Explorer, I simply only need to open the DCIM folder, then the Canon folder, and all of the photos I've taken appear. They are sorted in a manner in which I set Windows Explorer to sort them. So it's false to say Windows Explorer does not recognize the DCIM standard. People who know more about it than I do have made a case that Apple can do it in a more organized fashion, you simply choose not to recognize that because you disagree.

Philly_Phan wrote:

Please be so kind as to read the mechanism for forum point awards and then compare Csound's

point total with yours. Then, go away.

"My points are bigger than your points." Apple forums elitism. That's funny. More points and higher levels do not make someone a better forum user. The people of this thread come here because they use Windows Explorer. Alternate tools, methods, and work-arounds have been suggested and will continue to be suggested. If anyone chooses to continue to use Windows Explorer and question why Apple won't make it more streamlines, well, that's their prerogative. If someone doesn't like it, then they don't have to keep coming back to this thread again and again just to harass everyone. It unfortunate when members who happen to have higher points/level stick up for, and even encourage, bad behavior by other users simply because they too have reached a certain status.

tboake wrote:

You guys are all acting like idiots. Pardon me. These forums are supposed to be helpful, not fighting forums.

My points status is not as high as yours,

You'd think that they'd get tired of coming back here and just leave us to our discussion, but unfortunately that's never the case. What's amazing is that they'll disappear for a while together and always return together. Like some sad, coordinated effort to flex their Apple forums muscle. One of them admittedly doesn't even use a Windows PC so doesn't deal with this particular issue, yet continues to come back here just to harass everyone. My question is, if they hate Windows Explorer so much, and can obviously see that the people of this thread are going to continue to use it and try to help one another do so, then why even come back here? More than likely my post will be deleted because that's how they choose to use their status level on here...by reporting anyone who dares talk out of line.

I think for those of us who also have digital SLR cameras, we are used to the DCIM folder contents behaving in a certain way. The file naming for Nikon is quite organized in folders that follow the Digital Camera IMages standard (having multiple letters and numbers), but use folders that are numbered in sequence. I understand Canon is similar. It makes them easy to navigate.

If Apple wants to use a different organization system, then it is just a surprising behaviour when opening a DCIM folder for people who are accustomed to a more rational naming system.

As I said, I take a lot of photos when I travel. I upgraded to the iPhone6 (from the 4S) specifically for the camera. Hence exceed the allowed 1,000 to iCloud on a trip. My worry (and hence my phone is getting very full) is to delete images as I am always concerned that I have not transferred them all. The chaotic storage system (and yes, I can solve this all by sticking with iPhoto, but for various reasons have a PC computer) makes me unsure of locations.

By the way, the use of the * in the Explorer search window as suggested on this thread was a perfect workaround. It dumped everything into a list by date taken so I could look through in a confident way without opening each of the many folders to check for the contents.

I have also had no luck getting iCloud for photos to work on my PC. But that is another thread to find.

Yes it is a lot! I document tall buildings for the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat. (www.skyscrapercenter.com) When I travel to distant places, I want to be sure to capture the complete building, from all angles. I seldom have the chance to revisit and need to be sure that I have some good shots. I was just in Vancouver, Seattle, Tokyo and Osaka and spent my time documenting over 200 buildings. Modern DSLR cameras make this easy to do as there is no wait time for the image to record on the high speed cards. The new iPhone is also very fast.

And yes it takes me weeks to sort through that many images, catalog them into their building names, and even figure out what I shot 🙂 But the 3D Google Earth view is helpful to figure out that.

The wonderful aspect of digital photography compared to the old days when I was documenting with slides is the negligible cost.

Well, personally I disagree with that solution. I'd prefer taking my time with each shot. However, my preferences are irrelevant.

Some time back I suggested a 2-step workaround that seems to have been lost in the discussion. Transfer all of the pics to iPhoto in one swell foop. Do NOT tinker around in iPhoto but, instead, export the entire group of pics to the folder of your choice. Yes, it is an extra step but the export requires only a mouse click and the pics are exported rather quickly.

Philly_Phan wrote:

Well, personally I disagree with that solution. I'd prefer taking my time with each shot. However, my preferences are irrelevant.

Some time back I suggested a 2-step workaround that seems to have been lost in the discussion. Transfer all of the pics to iPhoto in one swell foop. Do NOT tinker around in iPhoto but, instead, export the entire group of pics to the folder of your choice. Yes, it is an extra step but the export requires only a mouse click and the pics are exported rather quickly.

Again, this is not an option on the PC. The user has a PC. This entire thread is about iPhone with PC.

drume wrote:

Philly_Phan wrote:

Well, personally I disagree with that solution. I'd prefer taking my time with each shot. However, my preferences are irrelevant.

Some time back I suggested a 2-step workaround that seems to have been lost in the discussion. Transfer all of the pics to iPhoto in one swell foop. Do NOT tinker around in iPhoto but, instead, export the entire group of pics to the folder of your choice. Yes, it is an extra step but the export requires only a mouse click and the pics are exported rather quickly.

Again, this is not an option on the PC. The user has a PC. This entire thread is about iPhone with PC.

It is my understanding that Windows Photo Gallery can be used the same way.

Not really. The Windows "Photos" app is terrible for this, since its import utility doesn't even allow thumbnails large enough to see and has no options. The better Windows wizard, as previously mentioned, is available by right-clicking on the iPhone and selecting "Import pictures and videos". It has reasonably sized thumbnails, a full range of import options, stretchable time range grouping, and allows selection of any combination of groups and individual photos. It doesn't make up for Apple's terrible limitations with Windows, but it helps.

drume wrote:

Not really. The Windows "Photos" app is terrible for this, since its import utility doesn't even allow thumbnails large enough to see and has no options.

There's no need for thumbnails and/or options in this instance. "Photos" would be used merely as a mechanism to obtain the pics from the iPhone. The pics would then be exported to a folder of choice, which is what tboake wants.

drume wrote:

...Apple's terrible limitations with Windows...

If you truly believe that, then you should either replace your iPhone with an Android or replace your Windoze with a Mac. Complaining on a forum accomplishes nothing.

Yes, thumbnails are necessary unless you only plan on copying everything and all at once, then never copying anything again.

And replace? Really? So I guess if my car is irritating in some ways, I should just replace it until I get one where everything is perfect, right?

Everything is a trade-off, balancing good attributes with frustrating issues. Live in reality where things aren't black and white. This forum is precisely for "complaining" in order to constructively criticize and find/provide helpful information, which is exactly what I provided.

Actually, this forum is decidedly not "for 'complaining' in order to constructively criticize..." It is for describing issues or problems, or asking questions with the intent of finding a solution. The TOU specifically states:

Post constructive comments and questions. Unless otherwise noted, your Submission should either be a technical support question or a technical support answer. Constructive feedback about product features is welcome as well. If your Submission contains the phrase "I'm sorry for the rant, but…" you are likely in violation of this policy.

Cheers,

GB

drume wrote:

Yes, thumbnails are necessary unless you only plan on copying everything and all at once, then never copying anything again.

That's exactly what tboake needs. The Photos app would function as a bridge between the iPhone folder system and the single folder solution that tboake wishes.

drume wrote:

And replace? Really? So I guess if my car is irritating in some ways, I should just replace it until I get one where everything is perfect, right?

There is a difference between merely "irritating in some ways" and "terrible limitations." Which is it?

drume wrote:

Everything is a trade-off, balancing good attributes with frustrating issues. Live in reality where things aren't black and white.

Absolutely correct, which is why I provided a workaround for a "frustrating issue" rather than a "terrible limitation." Why do you object to a completely functional workaround?

drume wrote:

This forum is precisely for "complaining" in order to constructively criticize and find/provide helpful information, which is exactly what I provided.

No, that is absolutely NOT what this forum is for. Please refer to Gail's post.

If you take issue with users who complain about the problems they're having with their Apple devices, you're going to be awfully busy going around to all of the threads telling them to stop complaining. Support forums are where people come to complain. Always have been, always will be, regardless of the product or service. Quoting the TOU won't change that. I've always found it ironic when people complain about complainers.

This thread grows because Windows Explorer users continually end up here looking for solutions. Since Apple isn't in a hurry to offer a complete and total solution (and probably never will) then we will continue to offer alternate tools and/or work-arounds that allow users to keep using Windows Explorer. And we manage to do that just fine without insulting them, telling them they're using the "wrong" tool, or a "primitive" tool. Amazingly, all the drama stops when a select few people avoid this thread. You're not going to stop thousands, if not millions, of people from using WE with their i-devices. I'm not sure why a few of you have such a problem with it. If you don't want to use it, that's great, all power to you. If someone doesn't have anything helpful to contribute, there shouldn't even be a need to post here.

Ignore and violate the TOU often enough on this forum, and you won't be heard from again. If you want help, then explain what it is you want help with. If you want to complain, go elsewhere....

Cheers,

GB