introduction

can locate a missing camera by searching for photos on the web that have been taken by that camera.

how it works

Every photo you take with your digital camera contains hidden information about both the image and the camera such as the make, model and date. This information, called exif data, can also include a unique serial number which identifies your camera.

crawls the internet searching for photos, collecting the serial numbers of the cameras that took them.

When you use the drag & drop feature, reads the unique serial number from the exif data of your photo and uses it to match against serial numbers it has stored.

contribute

You can help the database grow by simply installing the free Chrome extension

faq

Do you store my photo?

No. The photos are never actually uploaded to , only the exif details are extracted by the web browser and transmitted.

What if I haven’t got a photo?

If you don’t have a photo to hand you can enter the serial number manually here. The serial number can be found on the original box the camera came in. Or perhaps a guarantee/warranty certificate.

What kind of photo can I use for the drag & drop feature?

The photo needs to be a jpeg file. Ideally it should be an original image, i.e. not modified in photo-editing software or downloaded from a site. This is because some software and websites alter the exif data which can give negative results.

Why don't you support RAW files?

We do support RAW files in that you may find search results that point to RAW images. This means you can still search for a match to your camera serial number. It’s just RAW files cannot yet be used for the drag & drop feature. This will be a future enhancement.

Is my camera supported?

See the supported cameras page for cameras that store the serial number and are therefore compatible.

Is my cameraphone supported?

Cameraphones such as iPhones do not store the serial number of the phone in their photos and are therefore not compatible.

Why does my camera not have a serial number?

Unfortunately, some models do not write the serial number.

Why is the detected serial number different from the one on my camera/box?

Confusingly, some manufacturers store an "internal" serial number in the exif data which is different from the one you can see on the packaging or on the camera itself.

Can two different cameras have the same serial number?

The serial number is only unique within brand AND model. For example, you may find a Canon 5D and a Canon 7D with the same serial number. You must check that the camera model in your search results is correct.

Why are there no search results when I have my own photos online?

There are a few possible reasons. We may not have indexed your photos yet, the database is constantly growing. The exif may been removed by the website. Try this online exif viewer on your image to see if it still contains a serial number.

How do I cancel my subscription?

If you choose to go Pro then you can easily and instantly cancel your subscription at any time directly on the PayPal website. If you have any problems, just contact us directly and we'll be happy to help.

Do you search Facebook?

Unfortunately, Facebook strip out the EXIF data when photos are uploaded which means is unable to search it. We hope in future that they will retain this data so that the photos can also be indexed.