I'm seeing a strange issue when importing photos from my Nikon Zf directly into Lightroom Classic via USB-C. Lightroom shows two copies of the same NEF file during import. Both files have the exact same filename (for example, FMZ_0702.NEF), but they appear as separate images and have slightly different timestamps, usually a few seconds apart.
In my case, I'm using a Nikon Zf, but I'm curious whether this affects other Nikon bodies as well.
The camera is set to record RAW to the primary card and JPEG to the secondary card, so this doesn't appear to be caused by duplicate RAW files on both cards. Lightroom imports both copies as separate NEFs.
Has anyone else experienced this when importing directly from a Nikon camera over USB-C? Is Lightroom somehow seeing the same file twice through different paths, or could this be a Nikon Zf USB import issue?
When importing via USB-C from my Z5II I see duplicates of each image. In my case I have the second card set to back up the RAW files, and as this behaviour only showed up after my second SD card arrived (the shop only had one in stock when I went in), I think that’s the reason: the camera is showing both files to Lightroom, which is analysing them and detecting the duplicates. It’s slightly annoying when culling photos but I feel it’s better for the longevity of the SD cards to use the USB import.
I will try setting my camera to raw + jpeg and see what happens.
shinyobject wrote:
When importing via USB-C from my Z5II I see duplicates of each image. In my case I have the second card set to back up the RAW files, and as this behaviour only showed up after my second SD card arrived (the shop only had one in stock when I went in), I think that’s the reason: the camera is showing both files to Lightroom, which is analysing them and detecting the duplicates. It’s slightly annoying when culling photos but I feel it’s better for the longevity of the SD cards to use the USB import.
I will try setting my camera to raw + jpeg and see what happens. ...Show more →
I looked into this a bit more and it looks like it's caused by an MTP communication issue. There doesn't seem to be a real fix at the moment, and changing the second card between RAW or JPEG doesn't affect it (I'm using RAW on SD and JPEG on the second slot).
Adobe has apparently known about this for a while, but since they consider direct USB/MTP import a bit of a legacy workflow, it hasn't really been addressed. Because of that, Lightroom's "don’t import duplicates" option doesn't catch it, since the timestamp shift makes the files look different.
The workaround isn't pretty, but it works:
Just import normally via USB-C, even with the duplicates. Lightroom will usually label the second set with "-2", so they're easy to spot.
After import:
* Go to Previous Import
* Open the filter bar
* Filter by "Filename" > "Contain" > type "-2"
* Select and delete them
Another simpler option is just using a card reader, or disabling the second card backup if you don't need it.
Interesting to know. I tend to only import the few pictures that I want to edit and that works for my family shooting. If I find myself having to edit a few hundred for an event in the future I'll probably go the card-reader route. Thanks for digging into things.
I did try shooting raw + jpeg just before, by the way, and in Lightroom via USB-C every picture showed up as a .NEF file for me too; but I guess your fact-finding has already explained the issue!
akfujishooter wrote:
Silly question, perhaps, but why not via USB-C? What’s inherently wrong with doing it that way?
In my opinion, it's a far better workflow to intentionally put the RAW/JPEGs in an appropriately named/numbered folder for organizational purposes than to let LR copy the files to your hard drive.
I also don't like splitting RAW and JPEG by memory cards for obvious redundancy reasons when even a 64gb card in a Zf can hold over 1000 images with the superior HE* file format.
RoamingScott wrote:
Doesn’t LRC have a “don’t import duplicates“ option?
yes, but it does not fix the problem when checked.
The issue happens because Lightroom imports two NEF files with the same filename and sequence number, but with slightly different timestamps, usually off by one or two seconds. This is caused by how the camera writes to the second card. Even if the second slot is set to JPEG, Lightroom still interprets both files as separate NEF images, so the "Don't import duplicates" option gets bypassed.
This didn't happen when I was using a single SD card, but it started as soon as I added the microSD. That strongly points to a bug in how the second card write is being interpreted. It feels like Adobe isn't prioritizing it, so there is no real fix on their side right now.
Fred Miranda wrote:
yes, but it does not fix the problem when checked.
The issue happens because Lightroom imports two NEF files with the same filename and sequence number, but with slightly different timestamps, usually off by one or two seconds. This is caused by how the camera writes to the second card. Even if the second slot is set to JPEG, Lightroom still interprets both files as separate NEF images, so the "Don't import duplicates" option gets bypassed.
This didn't happen when I was using a single SD card, but it started as soon as I added the microSD. That strongly points to a bug in how the second card write is being interpreted. It feels like Adobe isn't prioritizing it, so there is no real fix on their side right now....Show more →
Now you have me curious as to what happens when you put the camera cards in backup mode (with NEF/JPEGs on both) instead, making 4 total files across 2 cards. If you have 5 min...inquiring minds and whatnot
That’s fair! I’ve just alway let LR do its file structuring because it just works well for me
RoamingScott wrote:
In my opinion, it's a far better workflow to intentionally put the RAW/JPEGs in an appropriately named/numbered folder for organizational purposes than to let LR copy the files to your hard drive.
I also don't like splitting RAW and JPEG by memory cards for obvious redundancy reasons when even a 64gb card in a Zf can hold over 1000 images with the superior HE* file format.
