diff --git a/ChangeLog b/ChangeLog
index 08e71bd9..4a21631d 100644
--- a/ChangeLog
+++ b/ChangeLog
@@ -1,3 +1,6 @@
+26/11/21 started 8.12.2
+- make exif resuint optional and default to inch
+
 21/11/21 started 8.12.1
 - fix insert [chregu]
 
diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index d3a1d693..3ae21afb 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 
 # also update the version number in the m4 macros below
 
-AC_INIT([vips], [8.12.1], [vipsip@jiscmail.ac.uk])
+AC_INIT([vips], [8.12.2], [vipsip@jiscmail.ac.uk])
 # required for gobject-introspection
 AC_PREREQ([2.69])
 
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ AC_CONFIG_MACRO_DIR([m4])
 # user-visible library versioning
 m4_define([vips_major_version], [8])
 m4_define([vips_minor_version], [12])
-m4_define([vips_micro_version], [1])
+m4_define([vips_micro_version], [2])
 m4_define([vips_version],
           [vips_major_version.vips_minor_version.vips_micro_version])
 
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ VIPS_LIBS=""
 # binary interface changed: increment current, reset revision to 0
 #   binary interface changes backwards compatible?: increment age
 #   binary interface changes not backwards compatible?: reset age to 0
-LIBRARY_REVISION=1
+LIBRARY_REVISION=2
 LIBRARY_CURRENT=56
 LIBRARY_AGE=14
 
diff --git a/libvips/foreign/exif.c b/libvips/foreign/exif.c
index 12e40292..e7d08d6f 100644
--- a/libvips/foreign/exif.c
+++ b/libvips/foreign/exif.c
@@ -416,11 +416,15 @@ vips_image_resolution_from_exif( VipsImage *image, ExifData *ed )
 	 */
 	if( vips_exif_entry_get_double( ed, 0, EXIF_TAG_X_RESOLUTION, &xres ) ||
 		vips_exif_entry_get_double( ed, 
-			0, EXIF_TAG_Y_RESOLUTION, &yres ) ||
-		vips_exif_entry_get_int( ed, 
-			0, EXIF_TAG_RESOLUTION_UNIT, &unit ) ) 
+			0, EXIF_TAG_Y_RESOLUTION, &yres ) )
 		return( -1 );
 
+	/* resuint is optional and defaults to inch.
+	 */
+	unit = 2;
+	(void) vips_exif_entry_get_int( ed, 
+		0, EXIF_TAG_RESOLUTION_UNIT, &unit );
+
 #ifdef DEBUG
 	printf( "vips_image_resolution_from_exif: seen exif tags "
 		"xres = %g, yres = %g, unit = %d\n", xres, yres, unit );