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ExifMeta

How to See What Camera Settings a Photo Used

Learn exactly how a photo was made: camera, lens, and exposure.

Last updated: October 6, 2026

Short answer

Upload the original photo to ExifMeta. The Highlights panel at the top of the results shows the Camera, the Lens, and the Exposure: aperture, shutter speed, ISO, and focal length in one line. Every other recorded setting, such as shooting mode, metering, and flash, is listed in the full metadata table below it.

Find the settings step by step

  1. Upload the photo or paste a direct link to it. Use the original file straight from the camera or phone if you can. RAW files such as Canon CR2, Nikon NEF, Sony ARW, and Adobe DNG work too, up to 50 MB.
  2. Read the Highlights panel. Camera shows the make and model, Lens shows the lens if it was recorded, and Exposure reads like ƒ/1.8 · 1/120 s · ISO 100 · 6.9 mm.
  3. For everything else, go to All metadata. Pick the EXIF group to see the standard camera tags, or type a tag name such as ExposureProgram into the “Search tags and values” box.

What each setting means

These are the tags to look for and what each one tells you about the shot.

Camera settings, their metadata tags, and what they mean
CameraMake, ModelThe manufacturer and the exact camera or phone model.
LensLensModel, LensIDThe lens used. LensID is a Composite tag: ExifTool works out the lens from the maker notes when the camera does not name it directly.
ApertureFNumberHow wide the lens opened. A lower number (ƒ/1.8) means a wider opening, more light, and a shallower depth of field.
Shutter speedExposureTimeHow long the sensor was exposed. Fast speeds like 1/1000 s freeze motion; longer exposures blur it.
ISOISOSensor sensitivity. Higher ISO brightens the image but adds noise.
Focal lengthFocalLength, FocalLengthIn35mmFormatHow zoomed in the lens was. The 35 mm equivalent lets you compare cameras with different sensor sizes.
Shooting modeExposureProgramHow the exposure was chosen: Manual, Aperture priority, Shutter priority, Program, and so on.
Exposure compensationExposureCompensationWhether the photographer deliberately brightened (+) or darkened (−) the automatic exposure.
MeteringMeteringModeWhich part of the scene the camera measured light from, such as the whole frame or a single spot.
FlashFlashWhether the flash fired.
White balanceWhiteBalanceWhether colour temperature was set automatically or manually.

Reading phone photos

Phone photos record the same tags, but two of them need care.

  • FocalLength is the real focal length of the phone's tiny lens, often just a few millimetres. To compare it with a regular camera, use FocalLengthIn35mmFormat instead.
  • Phones choose settings automatically and often merge several frames into one picture. The values describe the capture as the phone reports it, which may not match a single exposure you could repeat on a manual camera.

Extra detail in maker notes

Camera makers store extra information in a block called maker notes. ExifTool decodes maker notes for many brands, which can reveal details like the focus mode or picture style. Select the MakerNotes group in the results to browse them. What you find there varies a lot between brands and models. How ExifMeta uses ExifTool.

Why settings are missing

If a photo shows no camera or exposure data, one of these is usually the reason:

  • Many apps and websites remove metadata from the copies they publish. This varies by app and can change over time.
  • Screenshots are not camera captures, so they carry no camera settings.
  • Some editing and export tools drop EXIF data when saving a new file.
  • Manual lenses without electronic contacts cannot tell the camera which lens or aperture was used.
  • Scanned film photos carry the scanner's data, not the settings of the camera that took the picture.

Use settings to learn from photos

Exposure data is a useful way to learn from photos you admire.

  • When a photo catches your eye, note its aperture, shutter speed, and ISO.
  • Check your own shots of similar scenes and compare the numbers.
  • Look at the shooting mode to see whether the photographer set the exposure by hand.
  • Try the same settings yourself, then change one at a time to see what it does.

See Your Photo's Settings

Upload a photo to see its camera, lens, and exposure. Free, no account needed.

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