Darktable - upgrading from 2.6.2 to 2.6.3 changes the lens in Lens Correction module

I have a encountered a problem (well, perhaps an “issue”?) while migrating from darktable 2.6.2 to 2.6.3, and was pointed to this discussion group as the appropriate place where it could be addressed.

I have been using darktable 2.6.2 for several months, and have more or less got the hang of the simple and straightforward processing of RAW pics from my Nikon DSLR.

At the moment, this is nothing more complicated than Haze removal, Shadows and Highlights, Lens correction, and maybe Exposure, Levels and Crop/rotate if required. I have not tried any of the more advanced tools, but I hope to do so in time.

The curious problem while shifting from darktable 2.6.2 to 2.6.3 was that when I reopened one of the image folders, which were processed with 2.6.2, in the newer version, I found that the lens under the Lens correction module was different. All the earlier pictures which were corrected for the 18-55mm AF-P G DX VR lens were now showing 50mm AF-S 1.8G in the module. This is weird because I don’t have that lens, and the EXIF information does not contain that data.

There were a large number of pictures already processed, and all of them are effected.

One would normally expect the new software version to read the .xmp files and retain the settings of the modules which had been applied, but apparently this is not the case.

Of course, the solution is straightforward, but laborious. It would mean going over all the photos, changing the lens back to the one actually used. A copy/paste of the history stack does not work because different pictures have different focal lengths and apertures.

Has anyone encountered this kind of problem? Could there be changes in some of the other applied modules as well?

The platform is Linux, specifically Kubuntu 18.04.

Regards, and thanks in advance for any clarifications.

How are you installing darktable? PPA, snap, flatpak, or other?

Many thanks for your response.

Darktable 2.6.2 was installed via the package manager from the Ubuntu repository, while the source of 2.6.3 was downloaded, then compiled and installed.

Since the two reside in separate locations, I can run both versions, though I have not run both at the same time.

Regards.

That is interesting… Did you also compile lensfun or exiv2? Or are you using the distro package?

No, I have not compiled the other packages. They are the ones available from the repository.
Does that matter? Do I need to compile all dependent packages?

Regards.

when you built the 2.6.3 was the lensfun devel package installed?

there is no 2.6.3 package available for your distro?

e.g. via install | darktable

2.6.2 is not from the 18.04 repo. The latest version there is 2.4.2.

The snap package is also up to date, being at 2.6.3.

Screen capture of the Synaptic window. It says 2.6.2.

Regards.

@darix:
Yes, lensfun was installed and updated using the utility lensfun-update-data.

Regards.

  1. your 2.6.2 was from a ppa
  2. make sure you have all -dev packages installed. not just the runtime packages.

or you could just use the OBS package.

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Okay. Let me repeat the process and see if I can do it properly this time.
Many thanks for the replies.
Regards.