Can a JPEG filename like WIN_20160329_212328.JPG identify the camera or phone used?
Asked 3/31/2016
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I received an original JPEG named WIN_20160329_212328.JPG and wanted to know whether the filename or limited EXIF data can identify the device that took it. The file is 3264×2448 (about 8 MP), and the EXIF appears to contain only basic exposure data with no camera make/model or software fields. Can a filename prefix like WIN_ reliably indicate a device family, or is there not enough information once identifying metadata has been removed?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
10y ago
2 Answers
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As this style of file naming is quite common in phone cameras, I'm going to hazard a guess that it came from such a device. 8Mpix seems reasonable for this. My Sony phone uses a more conventional naming scheme as shot but a format rather like this if I edit on the phone (the date in that case is the edit date)
Going a step further, how about a windows phone? I don't know anyone who's got one well enough to test.
Can you post the exif data anyway? On my Sony at least, the editor preserves it, though it's not very helpful.
The EXIF date/time matches the filename, the rest of the EXIF data looks like it's been cleaned of identifying information. The fields that have been cleared aren't exactly the same ones windows 7 clears with its option to "Remove Properties and Personal information", but there's a lot of overlap.
Originally by user26575. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user26575
10y ago
0
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Probably not with any confidence. The WIN_ prefix is only a weak clue and is not reliable proof of the device. One answer suggested it might be from a phone, possibly even a Windows phone, but that’s only an educated guess.
The stronger point is that the JPEG filename itself is not a dependable identifier. Standard camera file naming usually follows DCF-style conventions, so a name like WIN_20160329_212328.JPG may have been assigned later by software or by the device’s own nonstandard naming scheme.
Your EXIF data contains only generic image/exposure information and appears to have had the identifying fields stripped or never written. With no make, model, makernotes, or software tags, there’s very little to work with beyond “an 8 MP camera.”
Compression-signature tools such as JPEGsnoop can sometimes hint at software or device families, but without embedded maker data they usually can’t identify a specific camera reliably.
So the best conclusion is: the image likely came from some phone-class 8 MP camera, but the exact device—or even the exact family—cannot be determined confidently from this file alone.
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