Can Panasonic RW2 metadata provide usable focus distance for lens correction?
Asked 10/20/2024
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2 answers
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I'm creating a Lensfun profile for a Panasonic L-mount lens and found that vignetting changes noticeably with focus distance. In real-world editing, the correction sometimes looks over- or under-applied, so I'm trying to confirm whether Panasonic RW2 files from a DC-S5M2/S5M2X contain focus-distance information that software can use.
Common tools like ExifTool and FastRawViewer don't show an obvious focus distance field, although ExifTool does show hyperfocal distance, which is not the same thing. Panasonic is said to store focus in "steps," so the key question is whether those steps can be converted into an actual distance value that raw editors or correction software could use.
Does Panasonic RW2 metadata include a usable focus-distance value, and is it likely that software support—not missing metadata—is the real issue?
Originally by Charles Duffy. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Charles Duffy
1y ago
2 Answers
1
The focus step reported by Panasonic is a 0.5cm value. I.e. the focus distance in cm = step value/2.
Originally by Steven Kersting. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Steven Kersting
1y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Yes—Panasonic RW2 metadata can contain focus information in Panasonic "focus steps," and those steps can be converted to distance. Based on the cited ExifTool forum information, the conversion is:
focus distance in cm = step value / 2
So the metadata does appear to provide a usable focus-distance value, just not necessarily in a plainly labeled distance field that every application exposes.
That means your concern is reasonable, but the likely issue is not that the camera file lacks focus-distance metadata. More likely, your editing software either:
- does not read that Panasonic-specific field, or
- does not use it when selecting lens-correction parameters.
In short: the data seems to be present in Panasonic's step-based form, and software support is probably the limiting factor rather than missing metadata.
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