I asked myself how hard it could be to use a different system for naming the files of DJI's devices. I have absolutely no idea of coding (or whatever it takes to change these basic things), so it's no complaint but rather an question.. :-)

It’s the same system as my canon camera uses so seems fairly normal to me

DJI001.jpg to DJI999.jpg is not enough!
It should go to at least DJI9999.jpg.

Just let them be customisable. All camera makers let you adjust the first 3 digits. So you can do whatever you wish, and prevent conflicting file names.

Prezzodrone Posted at 1-3 07:18
It’s the same system as my canon camera uses so seems fairly normal to me

Negative, canon let you change the first three digits, like nikon. This stops you getting duplicate file names for a very long time...

If I were voting for change I'd go for, change the counter to 9999 rather than the current 999.
DJI seem to have changed the DAT tick over in the Mini 3 from 99 to something higher, at a guess 999, so has anyone checked whether the Mini image count can go to 9999?
How many digits are in the name of Mini 3 images and what happens if a copy of an image, with the numerical part of the name being equal to 999, is placed in the current xyzMEDIA folder?

Cant say this is an issue for me,  I organise my files by date and location and I doubt Id ever take more than 1000 images at any one place.  

primeshooter Posted at 1-3 09:42
Negative, canon let you change the first three digits, like nikon. This stops you getting duplicate file names for a very long time...

Not on my canon 40d it doesn’t.

Prezzodrone Posted at 1-4 01:02
Not on my canon 40d it doesn’t.

I think that's quite an old body is it not...all sony and nikon cameras allow custom name function and I am sure the canon's do...at least in recent times.

primeshooter Posted at 1-4 03:55
I think that's quite an old body is it not...all sony and nikon cameras allow custom name function and I am sure the canon's do...at least in recent times.

Hmmm.  So your basically wrong saying all canon cameras do this then.

I get your points but would it be sooo hard to code such a function? And is there any reason NOT to name your files with date+time or some other unique naming?

chrisvomradio Posted at 1-5 01:28
I get your points but would it be sooo hard to code such a function? And is there any reason NOT to name your files with date+time or some other unique naming?

No, it won't be hard if drone was aware of date and time, and not just the FlyApp.

Tuxtard Posted at 1-5 01:48
No, it won't be hard if drone was aware of date and time, and not just the FlyApp.

But date and time are imprinted in the image via exif data anyway..

chrisvomradio Posted at 1-5 02:36
But date and time are imprinted in the image via exif data anyway..

Ok, then it should be pretty easy to change the filename.

Anyone from DJI reading along? Maybe someone can explain the history of the system and the difficulties when changing it?

We would pretty much all like it to be changed, but they won't.

The main problem is they use the same numbering system for photos, so it runs out pretty quickly. If youre a pro, you can get around it, but amateurs just dump everything in the same folder. But even then, if you try to find your source material, you will get multiple files listed in the search.

What's worse is that the numbering system gets triggered off old cards. Put an old card in the drone, and you end up in a state of confusion, and no idea where to dump the latest files.

I say we let Chat GPT take over DJI, and get it done properly.

Zoooom Posted at 1-5 07:14
We would pretty much all like it to be changed, but they won't.

The main problem is they use the same numbering system for photos, so it runs out pretty quickly. If youre a pro, you can get around it, but amateurs just dump everything in the same folder. But even then, if you try to find your source material, you will get multiple files listed in the search.

Would it be correct to say that 'old cards' trigger a change in the number-count of an image ONLY if they contain a file whose name contains a number portion that is higher than that of the name of the last imagery shot by the drone's camera?
That's the way it works for me, i.e. put an empty card in and there is no change, similarly if the last image shot by the camera had a number 345 then an old card containing imagery whose name-numbers are less than 346 will not change the naming scheme.

Sean-bumble-bee Posted at 1-5 08:26
Would it be correct to say that 'old cards' trigger a change in the number-count of an image ONLY if they contain a file whose name contains a number portion that is higher than that of the name of the last imagery shot by the drone's camera?
That's the way it works for me, i.e. put an empty card in and there is no change, similarly if the last image shot by the camera had a number 345 then an old card containing imagery whose name-numbers are less than 346 will not change the naming scheme.

But all that could be avoided by choosing a method that does not allow duplications. This is the method my smartphone uses. This way you can never have the same file name twice.

chrisvomradio Posted at 1-5 08:55
But all that could be avoided by choosing a method that does not allow duplications. This is the method my smartphone uses. This way you can never have the same file name twice. [view_image]

Agreed but in someways I prefer abc_1234.jpg
If duplicates occur then, in windows, it's easy enough to sort files by their date and time stamps and the rename them sequentially using someting like Bulk Rename Utility.

Sean-bumble-bee Posted at 1-5 08:26
Would it be correct to say that 'old cards' trigger a change in the number-count of an image ONLY if they contain a file whose name contains a number portion that is higher than that of the name of the last imagery shot by the drone's camera?
That's the way it works for me, i.e. put an empty card in and there is no change, similarly if the last image shot by the camera had a number 345 then an old card containing imagery whose name-numbers are less than 346 will not change the naming scheme.

>>trigger a change in the number-count of an image ONLY if they contain a file whose name contains a number portion that is higher

Yes. It effectively means you have to use the same card all the time, or make sure everything is deleted on a random card you throw in.

chrisvomradio Posted at 1-5 08:55
But all that could be avoided by choosing a method that does not allow duplications. This is the method my smartphone uses. This way you can never have the same file name twice. [view_image]

Anything is better than what they are doing.

My Panasonic has 7 digits. Stupid thing is they've got 4 in the DJI ones, and don't use the 4th one. Yeah, because everybody needs a spare 0.

From a programming perspective, if the drone is always scanning the current folder to fix files, and find where it's up to, it could be laborious, if someone has 10,000 files left on the card in one folder. The drone might take another 5 seconds to start.

So, the quick fix is to have 0xxx in 100MEDIA, 1xxx in 101MEDIA .....  10xxx in 110MEDIA. That might avoid having to change many lines of code.

But they are afraid of having to roll this out on many drones, and someone compains about a bug that wipes out their day's shooting.

Really, the problem is worse than this, because professionals have two drones and would like a prefix like M3P, or MV3. So you either need a couple of configurable prefixes or a date system. The date system will probably need arbitrary folder interruptions. I prefer prefixes, since it will look less like a homogeneous mess.

So, you have DJI_M3P.Site_0576

That will fix the problem, without buggy code changes.

Zoooom Posted at 1-5 16:33
Really, the problem is worse than this, because professionals have two drones and would like a prefix like M3P, or MV3. So you either need a couple of configurable prefixes or a date system. The date system will probably need arbitrary folder interruptions. I prefer prefixes, since it will look less like a homogeneous mess.

So, you have DJI_M3P.Site_0576

You are right. Something like that would work pretty well I guess. So, how can we reach out to some DJI engineers? :-)

Zoooom Posted at 1-5 16:33
Really, the problem is worse than this, because professionals have two drones and would like a prefix like M3P, or MV3. So you either need a couple of configurable prefixes or a date system. The date system will probably need arbitrary folder interruptions. I prefer prefixes, since it will look less like a homogeneous mess.

So, you have DJI_M3P.Site_0576

And it is not just about drones. Even when combining a Pocket or Action from DJI all have conflicting file names since all devices have the same file name convention.

Zoooom Posted at 1-5 16:33
Really, the problem is worse than this, because professionals have two drones and would like a prefix like M3P, or MV3. So you either need a couple of configurable prefixes or a date system. The date system will probably need arbitrary folder interruptions. I prefer prefixes, since it will look less like a homogeneous mess.

So, you have DJI_M3P.Site_0576

I agree that this would be a good idea but since it isn't available I create an empty folder or text file in the root of the card that contains the drone's name and write a suitable abbreviation on the card to indicate which drone the card belongs to. Then when the images are to be moved I rename the images to include the drone's name, a simple task with a bulk renamer.

To summarise, a stupid problem that is easy to fix, that they should fix.

primeshooter Posted at 1-6 04:40
To summarise, a stupid problem that is easy to fix, that they should fix.

Just like that!

Agreed, in this day and age there should be an option to customize !!

jmb63 Posted at 1-6 07:08
Agreed, in this day and age there should be an option to customize !!

2023 innit...

Hay, DJI engineers ✌

Hey, DJI engineers: Any feedback regarding this topic?

Prezzodrone Posted at 1-5 00:51
Hmmm.  So your basically wrong saying all canon cameras do this then.

Okay calm down. That body is like over 10 years old or something. This is a basic function.

primeshooter Posted at 1-8 03:13
Okay calm down. That body is like over 10 years old or something. This is a basic function.

Sorry. It’s all I’ve got and it’s still very useful to me.

Prezzodrone Posted at 1-8 07:15
Sorry. It’s all I’ve got and it’s still very useful to me.

I still have a 350D lol and 35mm cameras.  

Sean-bumble-bee Posted at 1-8 07:24
I still have a 350D lol and 35mm cameras.

I watched a YouTube who’s doing a challenge with that camera and he got great results.    I don’t know why some people have to knock older gear.

Prezzodrone Posted at 1-8 07:15
Sorry. It’s all I’ve got and it’s still very useful to me.

Never said it wouldn't be. I have a D200 from 2007 ish and I still use it sometimes.

Prezzodrone Posted at 1-8 07:35
I watched a YouTube who’s doing a challenge with that camera and he got great results.    I don’t know why some people have to knock older gear.

I am not knocking old gear. I have a D200 from 2007...Most of my other cameras are at least 6 years old and over...I am saying that the chap telling me his camera couldn't do the filename change - is a very old camera and no reason for a drone released in recent times not to carry this function.

primeshooter Posted at 1-9 03:14
Never said it wouldn't be. I have a D200 from 2007 ish and I still use it sometimes.

Well it didn’t come across like that.  

primeshooter Posted at 1-9 03:15
I am not knocking old gear. I have a D200 from 2007...Most of my other cameras are at least 6 years old and over...I am saying that the chap telling me his camera couldn't do the filename change - is a very old camera and no reason for a drone released in recent times not to carry this function.

I use mine all the time,  for the last couple of years I used it for the school newspaper and no one complained.

Prezzodrone Posted at 1-9 09:35
Well it didn’t come across like that.

"Okay calm down. That body is like over 10 years old or something. This is a basic function."

That is what I said, okay I said calm down - but you jumped on the premise that I am saying an old body is crap. Not what I said at all. I said it's an old body when talking about file renaming, customisation. These are things that have become much more normal in modern times. So it's hardly an argument that because your 10 yo camera doesn't allow it that a new drone should not. Like I said, my money's where my mouth is. I use old gear plenty.