topic Re: R6 Mark II – file numbering limited to 9999 in EOS DSLR & Mirrorless Cameras

R6 Mark II – file numbering limited to 9999

upsidetriangle — Sun, 01 Jun 2025 12:02:27 GMT

Ok so is just me or dose this make no scenes in 2025 given the speed at which you get generate images on these cameras.

Im shore for the majority of users 9999 is many times what they need in a day.

let's set the scene for me this weekend

Two-day airshow ~24K photos

Friday 11K

Saturday 13K

So when I got to get all images in one folder to edit nop I have duplicate file numbers. So a have to rename some or split my edit. I like to edit all in one so rename its just a annoying.

FAT32 is limited to 65,534 files in a single folder so this is just a Canon thing. Im shore this made scenes in the late 90s and 00s at the start of digital getting to 9999 in a day would take some work and $$$.

Keep 9999 as the default but give use the option to set it to say 50K.

If there is a setting for this or some way I can change this let me know pls.

Re: R6 Mark II – file numbering limited to 9999

Waddizzle — Sun, 01 Jun 2025 12:24:40 GMT

Welcome to the Forums.

The 9999 file limitation is joined at the hip to the 8-character filename format. All major camera manufacturers follow this same pattern of naming files. I would venture to guess that it saves space on the memory card, allowing for more image file storage

The camera has file and folder management settings. I believe that the factory default setting is for when the “counter” reaches 9999 a new folder is created, and the “counter” is reset back to 0000 in the new folder.

A word of advice. Storing thousands of images on a single memory card is highly inadvisable. A single card failure could mean the loss of thousands and thousands of images. Carry spare memory cards. Do not use a single card for an entire day of shooting.

Re: R6 Mark II – file numbering limited to 9999

upsidetriangle — Sun, 01 Jun 2025 13:31:26 GMT

So the length of a file name does technically use more space a 8 character filename would be 16 bytes and a 20 character filename would 40 bytes. On 11K files that have 20 characters filename in instead of 8 you would need 0.264 Megabyte more storge. Not a problem when we all think in Gigabyte and Terabyte

The creating a new folder is way to get around their limitation.

And I don’t use one card all day I only used 128gb cards so I filled 2 card and part way fill the 3rd plus sone on a second body. Then its all backed up on a my server whne i get home. And I do this for fun so if I did lose all the files I still had a good day out. If I was being paid to do this then I would be using Rec. to multiple but as it my hobby I don’t see the need to double my SD card cost.

Re: R6 Mark II – file numbering limited to 9999

kvbarkley — Sun, 01 Jun 2025 13:51:08 GMT

What Waddizle is saying is that Canon is limited by the DCF:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Design_rule_for_Camera_File_system

Re: R6 Mark II – file numbering limited to 9999

Waddizzle — Sun, 01 Jun 2025 16:16:03 GMT

The file naming convention is not going to change. Use multiple folders, multiple cards, and use the EEOS Utility to download the files and rename them on the fly.