Spotlight Folder

What's it for? Anyone actually know?

Sure: faster searches for any file.

From the camera? Odd.

For anything on your Mac.

Don't have a Mac. Will never have a Mac.

So why does this folder exist on the camera?

Don't have a Mac. Will never have a Mac.

So why does this folder exist on the camera?

Which camera? Blackmagic makes a lot of different models.

Edited to add: I think you mean you found a Spotlight folder on your SD card or SSD drive, right? Not in the camera itself? If it's on the card, the response above are correct: this is used by Mac OSX to speed the search process; my guess is that the camera probably adds it to the card or drive regardless of whether you use Mac or not, or else your card or drive was previously used by a Mac owner.

Maybe it was formatted in HFS?

Maybe it was formatted in HFS?

If it was formatted in HFS, I don't think he'd be able to access the files on the card on a Windows machine, though. At least I haven't been able to; I can only open SD cards in Windows that were formatted in FAT. Whenever I receive a FAT-formatted USB stick or SD card from someone who has a Mac, the Spotlight and Trashes folders appear on there (I use both Mac and Windows). The Mac can read FAT and HFS-formatted SD cards and I think it adds those folders automatically for indexing Spotlight searches. As an aside, I've always wondered why the Trashes folder is named Trashes and not Trash!

@ Brad: That's separating trash for recycling
Apple tries to polish their environmental image even if the batteries are glued into iPhones…

@ Jim: Seriously, I'd assume that either you have software installed on your PC to read HFS or the card has been in a Mac before as Brad suggested.

You should always format your cards in camera before shooting and the spooky file will be gone!

BTW, you didn't mention initially that you hate Macs

The cards are formatted as exFAT. The camera is adding the folder.

I find it annoying, and wish it to stop.

The cards are formatted as exFAT. The camera is adding the folder.

I find it annoying, and wish it to stop.

Which camera?

At any rate, exFAT is readable by both Windows and Mac, and perhaps Blackmagic's card-formatting procedure adds the Spotlight folder for the benefit of Mac users. It's not taking up space on the card and you can just ignore it. Or delete it.

Could well be that the camera is making that folder when formatting, while Windows would never do that.

But I'd still suggest to format in camera rather than risking bad shots only to avoid a tiny folder…

[Kristian Lam]

It's an index file used by macOS for file indexing. The camera doesn't do that when formatting.

So that card must have made contact with a Mac behind your back, Jim.