How to display map on camera LCD?

[gregk1]

I carry a 10in netbook and a Panasonic DMC-FS20 when I travel. I download digital maps from the web with GMapCatcher which exports them as png files. I can view them on the netbook, but it's often more convenient to view them on the 3in screen on the back of my camera, e.g. when it's raining. Taking a picture of the netbook screen is the brute force solution to get the maps onto the camera. It works but they are both digital devices and it would be better to transfer the map to the camera digitally.

I used ImageMagick to convert the .png to jpeg, renamed it to the naming convention of the Panasonic and moved it onto the proper directory under DCIM on the camera. The DMC-FS20 detected the image and displayed it, but would not zoom in on the image. The map had no EXIF info so I tried inserting EXIF from another image and resetting the Exif.Photo.PixelXDimension and Exif.Photo.PixelYDimension tags. The camera picked up the date and thumbnail from the other image so it read the new EXIF info, but still displayed the entire map and still would not zoom in.

It's hard to guess what the problem is since I don't know how to get error messages out of the Panasonic.

Any pointers appreciated, even suggestions on where best to post this question.

thanks
Greg

 

[gregk1]

I deleted all exif metadata for a jpeg taken by the camera that the camera was able to zoom. The camera showed no date and no thumbnail, but was still able to zoom in on the modified jpeg. So something in the jpeg size or structure that is preventing the camera from zooming in on the map jpeg.

 

[gregk1]

I noticed all the pictures taken by the camera are 3648 x 2736 so I stretched the map to that size and it worked. The DMC-FS20 zooms and scrolls the imported jpegs just like one it produced itself.

 

[gregk1]

The DMC-FS20 will zoom and scroll jpgs as long as they are in 4:3 ratio and smaller than 3648x2736 px.

 

[KmH]

It's not a good sign when you talk to yourself a lot.