What EXIF records
| Field | Example | What it tells you |
|---|---|---|
| Camera | make + model | The camera or phone that took the photo |
| Lens | lens model | On phones, usually the model plus the camera’s focal length and aperture |
| Focal length | 35mm | Often paired with a “35mm-equivalent” value for comparing different sensor sizes |
| Aperture | f/8 | Smaller numbers let in more light and blur the background more |
| Shutter speed | 1/500 | How long light was collected, in seconds |
| ISO | ISO 100 | Higher is brighter, and noisier |
| Exposure bias | −0.7 EV | How much the photographer brightened or darkened the shot |
| Date taken | 2026:09:17 18:42:05 | When the shutter was pressed |
| Location | GPS coordinates | Only present if the camera had location access |
Reading a line of settings
Take 35mm · F8 · 1/500 · ISO 100. The focal length is 35mm, a common choice for street and everyday photos. An aperture of f/8 keeps near and far reasonably sharp. A 1/500 s shutter freezes movement, and ISO 100 keeps the image clean. Together they point to a bright day outdoors. For how the three exposure settings interact, see the exposure triangle.
Phone sensors are small, so the real focal length is only a few millimetres. The 35mm-equivalent value is the more useful number. The iPhone main camera is roughly 24–26mm equivalent, depending on the model.
How to view EXIF data
iPhone
Open a photo in the Photos app and swipe up, or tap the Info (ⓘ) button. You’ll see the camera, lens, focal length, aperture, shutter speed and ISO, plus the location if there is one. This panel is available in iOS 15 and later.
Mac
Open the photo in Preview, choose Tools › Show Inspector (Command-I), and select the EXIF tab.
Windows
Right-click the file, choose Properties, open the Details tab, and scroll to the Camera and Advanced photo sections.
Why some photos have no EXIF
- Screenshots aren’t taken with a lens, so there’s no aperture or shutter speed.
- Chat and social apps often strip most metadata when they compress images.
- Edited copies: some editors export a new image without the original metadata.
Remove location before sharing
EXIF location can pinpoint where you stood. When sharing from an iPhone, tap Options at the top of the share sheet and turn off Location. To stop the camera recording location at all, go to Settings › Privacy & Security › Location Services › Camera and choose Never.
How FilmTable uses EXIF
On import, FilmTable reads the camera model, lens, focal length, aperture, shutter speed, ISO and date taken, and fills them into the text on its photo frames, like the 35mm · F8 · 1/500 · ISO 100 line on a film edge. It doesn’t read or use location.
Exported images are newly rendered files: the original photo’s settings and location aren’t written into them, and the settings appear only as text on the frame. If a photo has no EXIF, the settings line stays empty and you can tap the text to fill it in.