Such a wimp!

For a while I have been on a quest to find out what more I could expect out of my Nikon D200. I know that the camera is rated up to 100,000 actuations and was sure that I was close to that limit. I was wrong. 43435! Sheesh! I was sure I have been shooting more than that. Sadly, according to my (most likely messed up) math I have been taking less than 900 images a month... Booo!

I needed an application that could dig deep into the EXIF data of an image. It was a surprisingly difficult to find an application that would work on a Mac and tell me what my Nikon D200 was doing. As a result of several searches I found this great terminal tool called "exiftool". It gives you more information than you may want to know but it sure can be useful. Here is what I get with exiftool: (some names have been changed to protect the innocent) :)

ExifTool Version Number	7.86
File Name	XXX.NEF
Directory	/dorn/XXXXX/XXXXX
File Size	15 MB
File Modification Date/Time	2009:07:16 16:04:47-04:00
File Type	NEF
MIME Type	image/x-raw
Exif Byte Order	Big-endian (Motorola, MM)
Make	NIKON CORPORATION
Camera Model Name	NIKON D200
Orientation	Rotate 270 CW
Software	Ver.1.00
Modify Date	2009:07:16 16:04:47
Jpg From Raw Start	181760
Jpg From Raw Length	490732
Y Cb Cr Positioning	Co-sited
Subfile Type	Full-resolution Image
Image Width	3904
Image Height	2616
Bits Per Sample	12
Compression	Uncompressed
Photometric Interpretation	Color Filter Array
Strip Offsets	(Binary data 1990 bytes, use -b option to extract)
Samples Per Pixel	1
Rows Per Strip	11
Strip Byte Counts	(Binary data 1427 bytes, use -b option to extract)
X Resolution	300
Y Resolution	300
Planar Configuration	Chunky
Resolution Unit	inches
CFA Repeat Pattern Dim	2 2
CFA Pattern 2	1 0 2 1
Reference Black White	0 255 0 255 0 255
Exposure Time	1/1250
F Number	1.8
Exposure Program	Manual
ISO	200
Create Date	2009:07:16 16:04:47
Exposure Compensation	0
Max Aperture Value	1.7
Metering Mode	Center-weighted average
Flash	No Flash
Focal Length	50.0 mm
Maker Note Version	2.10
Color Mode	Color
Quality	Raw
White Balance	Fluorescent
Focus Mode	AF-C
Flash Setting	Normal
Flash Type
White Balance Fine Tune	0
WB RB Levels	1.6640625 2.1484375 1 1
Program Shift	0
Exposure Difference	-0.2
Preview Image Start	7648
Preview Image Length	114182
Flash Exposure Compensation	0
ISO Setting	200
Flash Exposure Bracket Value	0.0
Exposure Bracket Value	0
Crop Hi Speed	Off (3904x2616 cropped to 3904x2616 at pixel 0,0)
Serial Number
Color Space	sRGB
Tone Comp	Normal
Lens Type	D
Lens	50mm f/1.8
Flash Mode	Did Not Fire
AF Area Mode	Single Area
AF Point	Center
AF Points In Focus	(none)
Shooting Mode	Continuous
Auto Bracket Release	Auto Release
Contrast Curve	(Binary data 4160 bytes, use -b option to extract)
Color Hue	Mode1
Light Source	Natural
Shot Info Version	0207
Vibration Reduction	Off
Hue Adjustment	0
Noise Reduction	Off
WB RGGB Levels	426 256 256 550
Lens Data Version	0201
Exit Pupil Position	56.9 mm
AF Aperture	1.8
Focus Position	0x21
Focus Distance	1.50 m
Lens ID Number	118
Lens F Stops	7.33
Min Focal Length	50.4 mm
Max Focal Length	50.4 mm
Max Aperture At Min Focal	1.8
Max Aperture At Max Focal	1.8
MCU Version	122
Effective Max Aperture	1.8
Raw Image Center	1952 1308
Sensor Pixel Size	6.05 x 6.05 um
Image Count	29327
Deleted Image Count	14108
Shutter Count	43435
Flash Info Version	0101
External Flash Firmware	n/a
External Flash Flags	(none)
Flash Commander Mode	Off
Flash Control Mode	Off
Flash Group A Control Mode	Off
Flash Group B Control Mode	Off
Flash Group A Exposure Comp	0
Flash Group B Exposure Comp	0
Image Optimization	Custom
Multi Exposure Version	0100
Multi Exposure Mode	Off
Multi Exposure Shots	0
Multi Exposure Auto Gain	Off
High ISO Noise Reduction	Off
User Comment
Sub Sec Time	25
Sub Sec Time Original	25
Sub Sec Time Digitized	25
Sensing Method	One-chip color area
File Source	Digital Camera
Scene Type	Directly photographed
Custom Rendered	Normal
Exposure Mode	Manual
Digital Zoom Ratio	1
Focal Length In 35mm Format	75 mm
Scene Capture Type	Standard
Gain Control	None
Contrast	Normal
Saturation	Normal
Sharpness	Normal
Subject Distance Range	Unknown
GPS Version ID	2.2.0.0
Date/Time Original	2009:07:16 16:04:47
TIFF-EP Standard ID	1 0 0 0
Aperture	1.8
Blue Balance	2.148438
CFA Pattern	[Green,Red][Blue,Green]
Jpg From Raw	(Binary data 490732 bytes, use -b option to extract)
Lens ID	AF Nikkor 50mm f/1.8D
Lens	50mm f/1.8 D
Preview Image	(Binary data 114182 bytes, use -b option to extract)
Red Balance	1.664063
Scale Factor To 35 mm Equivalent	1.5
Shutter Speed	1/1250
Create Date	2009:07:16 16:04:47.25
Date/Time Original	2009:07:16 16:04:47.25
Modify Date	2009:07:16 16:04:47.25
Circle Of Confusion	0.020 mm
Depth Of Field	0.06 m (1.47 - 1.53)
Field Of View	26.1 deg (0.69 m)
Focal Length	50.0 mm (35 mm equivalent: 75.0 mm)
Hyperfocal Distance	69.34 m
Image Size	3904x2616
Light Value	11.0