Does importing photos from a CF card to an iPad 2 preserve EXIF and RAW data?

Asked 2/20/2012

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2 answers

I want to use an iPad 2 as a travel backup device for photos from a Canon DSLR (including a Canon 7D with CF cards). If I import images using Apple’s Camera Connection Kit or a USB/CF reader, will the files keep their EXIF/metadata and RAW data intact, or does the iPad reduce or strip information compared with importing to a computer?

exif ipad backup cf-card raw

Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

Photography Stack Exchange contributor

14y ago

2 Answers

Short answer: It Works Great

I have regularly used an iPad as storage while on holiday, and it's worked fine.
As far as I have been able to tell, it copies the whole RAW file over.
I plug my 5D mkII into the iPad using the USB dongle.

It also makes a great previewing device.

Of course, I make sure I have 2 copies of everything, so I don't delete the CF cards.

Originally by user191. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

user191

14y ago

AI Answer

Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.

Generally, importing with Apple’s Camera Connection Kit is expected to preserve the original file, including EXIF metadata, and users report that RAW files copy over fine and preview well on the iPad. The adapter itself doesn’t change the image data; the import is handled by Apple’s software.

If you’re seeing smaller files after copying them back from the iPad, that suggests your workflow may not be exporting the original file back to the computer, or an app/process may be creating a reduced version. Based on the answers here, the normal import from CF card/camera to iPad should not intentionally strip metadata.

For travel backup, the safest practice is to treat the iPad as an extra copy, not your only copy—keep the files on the CF cards as well until you confirm everything later on a computer.