Acrylian: Setup shows the following:
PHP version 5.2.2
Graphics support: PHP GD library bundled (2.0.34 compatible)
MySQL version 5.0.41
All green checkmarks for the various PHP, GD, and MySQL requirements.
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sbillard: I did state "This is a fresh install of latest stable with all default settings, with the exception of the enabling of auto rotate, and the default theme." in my first post and reiterated that point in my second post as well.
Indeed, everything is default: the theme, the theme settings, regular settings - absolutely everything - with the exception of the "Auto rotate" button I checked on the Image options page.
But just to be sure I wasn't stupidly forgetting something else I had changed, I just did the following sanity check:
1) Downloaded zenphoto-1.2.8_RC1.zip off of the home page, extracted to new zentest folder on my server.
2) Created fresh zen2 database, copied zp-config.php.source to zp-data and configured mysql login info accordingly. Did "chmod 777 zenphoto -R" to quickly take care of all permissions issues, just for this test.
3) Ran setup, all green checkmarks on the program stuff. Created admin user. Logged in.
4) Checked "Auto rotate" on Image options page, but touched *nothing* else.
5) Put a "Test" folder in albums, full of two straight-off-the-camera portrait JPGs from my Canon 7D, and one portait jpg from my old Canon 350D.
The results? Exact same problem. Properly rotated jpgs across the board, but in single picture view the image is again stretched and cropped, smashing a portrait image into the display size of a landscape. (And just in case it's relevant, I get the same view in both Firefox 3.5 and Internet Explorer 8.)
Given that strict test methodology, it seems like it *has* to be either an intrinsic bug in zen (not bloody likely, I suspect) or a server / library problem on my end.