11.32 Folder Name

Menu Position MENU --> 6 --> Folder Name

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What it Does Lets you choose between a cryptic-looking folder name, and one containing the date the images were shot (but in a format that is not computer-sortable)

Recommended Setting Standard Form

 

Every time you install a fresh, blank memory card into your camera, it automatically creates directories on the cards and stores subsequent images into one of them. These directories and locations may seem strange and arbitrary to you, but this is an “industry standard” practice originally designed to make it easy to stick your memory card into a 1-hour photo kiosk (if you can still find one) and it will know where to go and what to do (and still allow you to keep additional files on your memory card without confusing the equipment).

11.32.1 If Standard Form is Selected

The directories it creates are:

• “DCIM\1xxMSDCF” (this is the directory into which your images are placed)
• “AVF_INFO\” – This contains some .bnp and .inp files which are said to be proprietary Sony format and contain information about the video file but not the video itself. The Sony manual reads, “When you delete the files, you cannot record/play back the images correctly. The files are defaulted as hidden files and not usually displayed.”
• “MP_ROOT\xxxANV01” – This is where all the .mp4 files (and their associated thumbnails) go.
• “PRIVATE\AVCHD\BDMV\STREAM” – All the AVCHD movies go here.
• “D:\PRIVATE\M4ROOT\CLIP” – all XAVC S movies (4K and HD) go here.
• “Sony\” – Nothing important in here.
• “MISC\” (appears when DPOF files are specified. It is used to hold files relative to DPOF print ordering functions (and other consumer cameras use it for other purposes as well).

If the camera is writing images to the default DCIM\100MSDCF directory, and the .jpg filenames run out of numbers (DSC09999.jpg), the camera automatically creates a brand new directory called 101MSDCF to store the next image (DSC00001.jpg) into. It does this to avoid the possibility of writing two images with the same file name in the same directory (making the assumption that the old directory is full, containing images from DSC00000 through DSC09999).

So this function allows you to specify which such directory your images will be written to. But beware that this camera only recognizes directories with industry standard filenames and locations. For example, if you put the memory card into your computer, which contains a manually-created directory called “DCIM\My_Files”, when you put the memory card back into the camera and tried to select “My_files” as the new default directory, you’ll see that “My files” doesn’t even show up in the list of available directories to select. The camera only recognizes directory names of the format xxxMSDCF (with xxx equaling 100 or more). “077MSDCF” won’t be recognized, but “201MSDCF” will be.

TIP: According to the manual, up to 4,000 images can be stored in a folder. When the folder capacity is exceeded, a new folder is created automatically.

 

11.32.2 If Date Form is Selected

The directories it creates are:

• “DCIM\20290111”; a directory whose name represents (somewhat cryptically) the date on which the image is shot.
• MISC\ (Appears when DPOF files are specified). It is used to hold files relative to DPOF print ordering functions (and other consumer cameras use it for other purposes as well).

Now look at the top example again: “DCIM\20290111”. A strange format for a date, no? Here’s how the date format breaks down:

• First 3 digits: The folder number. This automatically gets incremented when your .jpg filename counter rolls over. No way I know of to reset it or control what this number is.
• Next digit: the last digit of the year
• Next two digits: the current month
• Next two digits: the current day of the month

 

TIP: If you do want your directories to sort chronologically once they’re on your computer, you have to rename them manually once they get there. Here’s the format I personally use:

      2015-01-02 Carol’s Birthday Party

When you sort your directory list alphabetically, your directories will all be in chronological order – regardless of the description (“Carol’s Birthday Party”) you append to the directory name. In this way I can sort them by date, and also find pictures by keywords (at least at the directory level) using Windows search. Also note that I’m using 4 digits to represent the year. I don’t want to create another Y2K problem on my own computer.

So, a directory name of “10131208” breaks down as “Folder 101, taken in 2013, on December 8^th.”

Notice that this date format applies only to the directories that hold still images. The video directories listed earlier are not affected.

If you ever had a dream of just uploading all of these folders into a “My pictures” directory and have them automatically sorted by date, then dream on. This date format is just awful for that purpose, as it was apparently not designed for computer sorting to produce a chronological order.