Version:            (using KDE 4.2.1)
OS:                Linux
Installed from:    Ubuntu Packages

Some EXIF parameters are shown as "Unavailable" for images from my Canon Digital Rebel, e.g. Mode/Program, Flash, White Balance.  

I'm guessing that the problem is that these parameters are in non-standard locations in the metadata.  For example, the information mentioned above is stored in the Canon MakerNotes (CanonCs and CanonSi).

I know that trying standardize a non-standard is difficult, so I have a solution that is a wish.  Even if the above information was displayed properly, I would like to be able to see additional information on thumbnails and tool tips.  Lens Type, Metering Mode, ISO Speed, etc. would be nice to see.  Additionally, this EXIF data cannot be searched upon since it is non-standard.  For example, if I want to search on Metering Mode, "Any" is the only choice that will yield hits, presumably because Digikam does not know where to look for this information.

Apparently Digikam has a "dictionary" of image properties it would like to know about, such as Mode/Program, Flash, White Balance.  At a bare minimum, there should be some way to map these things that Digikam wants to arbitrary fields in the metadata.  So when Digikam wants to display White Balance, it does not look for "WhiteBalance" in the EXIF part of the metadata, it consults its lookup table and finds that the value for its concept of White Balance can be found at MakerNote/CanonSi/WhiteBalance.

A broader wish is to make any metadata available for Digikam to use.  Maybe the user specifies a display tag, like "Subject Distance", specifies where this value can be found, like "MakerNote/CanonSi/Subject Distance", and a data type, like Integer.

Thanks for your consideration!