Can a Tamron TAP-in Console fix incorrect focal length EXIF on a 24-70mm G2 lens?

Question

I'm using a Tamron 24-70mm f/2.8 G2 (A032) on a Canon EOS 60D. Autofocus works normally, but the recorded EXIF focal length is sometimes wrong—for example, an image shot at 24mm may be recorded as 70mm. Cleaning the lens and camera contacts did not help, and another Canon lens reports focal length correctly on the same camera body.

Tamron support suggested using the TAP-in Console. Can the TAP-in Console fix incorrect focal length metadata, or is this likely a hardware problem?

I also noticed the lens serial number appears as zeros in EXIF, even though the physical serial number is present on the lens and the lens can be registered normally. Is that normal for some third-party lenses, or does it suggest another issue?

user15871 · Accepted Answer

These are really two separate questions remotely related due to the fact they are based on information recorded in the camera's metadata. We'll look at each one separately.

While the lens works well in autofocusing, I found the focal length was incorrect in the EXIF data.

and

Can that tap-in console handle my situation?

If the cause of the incorrect EXIF Info is a known bug in the lens' firmware, then using the Tap-in Console application with the hardware USB Tap-in dock to update the lens' firmware should resolve the issue, assuming Tamron has released an updated firmware for the lens that corrects the bug in the current firmware running in your lens.

... why there's no serial number in the metadata?

Most often, when certain information is not displayed in metadata the way we expect, it is not because the information is not there. It is because the application used to view the metadata does not know what to do with certain fields in the 'Maker Notes" section of the EXIF Info. Manufacturers are free to use whatever methods they wish to record "Maker Notes' information. There are no "standardized" fields in the 'Maker Notes' sections and thus there are no "standardized" ways of recording whatever information the camera maker desires to include there.

This answer to How can I compare the lens serial number from the EXIF of a picture, to the serial on my lens? illustrates how the correct data can be included in EXIF Info (because some applications do correctly interpret/translate/display it) but some EXIF viewers do not accurately interpret/translate/display the included information.

Keep in mind that many camera and lens makers use a different "internal" serial number for a particular body or lens than the serial number printed on the exterior of the piece.

Can a Tamron TAP-in Console fix incorrect focal length EXIF on a 24-70mm G2 lens?

2 Answers

Your Answer

Related Questions