EXIF Camera Make
The manufacturer of the camera, such as Canon, Sony, Nikon or Apple. It identifies the brand of device that produced the file.
Quick facts
| Tag ID | 0x010F Make |
|---|---|
| Stored in | IFD0 |
| Example value | Apple, Canon, SONY, Canon, DJI |
| Also known as | Make, manufacturer, brand, camera brand |
| Privacy risk | Low risk on its own — but it is a strong grouping key for correlating photos. |
What the Camera Make tag actually means
The Make tag is an ASCII string naming the device manufacturer. It is a required field in the TIFF/EXIF baseline, which is why almost every JPEG carries it.
Why it matters
Make plus Model is the first half of a device fingerprint. During law-enforcement or fraud investigations, analysts group photos by Make and Model to find other images from the same device.
What to do about it
Optional. Keep it for a photography portfolio; remove it if you are publishing many unrelated photos and do not want them grouped by device.
Who writes this tag
The camera or phone firmware.
Sources and how this was verified
Tag IDs and encodings are taken from the CIPA DC-007-Translation (Exif 3.0) and ISO/IEC 21222-1 specifications. The privacy rating is our own editorial judgement, based on what each field can uniquely identify. Every entry in this reference is checked against real files produced by the cameras, phones and editors we test with.
- CIPA DC-007-Translation 2019 (Exif 3.0) — tag identifiers and IFD structure
- ISO/IEC 21222-1:2015 — data element registration
- Adobe XMP Specification (2024) — XMP packet properties
- IPTC IIM 4.2 — news/photo metadata field numbers
See our editorial and review policyfor how we test, rate and correct these entries. Found an error? Tell us.
Related EXIF tags
The specific camera or phone model, such as "iPhone 15 Pro" or "Canon EOS R6 Mark II". Narrower than the make and more identifying.
The make, model and sometimes serial number of the lens attached to the camera. The most over-precise field in the entire EXIF block.
A unique serial number for the exact camera body. It identifies one specific physical device in the world and is the strongest non-location identifier in a photo.
The application that last wrote the file — a camera firmware, a phone, or an editor such as Lightroom or Photoshop. It can reveal your editing workflow.
Camera Make FAQ
Common questions about the EXIF camera make tag, its values and its privacy implications.
What is the Make tag in EXIF?
Make (0x010F) is a mandatory ASCII field naming the camera manufacturer, for example "Canon" or "Apple". It sits in the primary IFD alongside Model.
Does the camera make reveal who took a photo?
Not by itself. It reveals a brand, not a person. It becomes sensitive when combined with Model and serial number, which together can tie a photo to one specific physical device.
Cite this reference
If you are writing about the EXIF camera make tag, you are welcome to link to this entry. It is maintained, versioned and reviewed on a published schedule.
“EXIF Camera Make (0x010F Make), freexifdata.com EXIF Tag Reference, reviewed October 20, 2026.”