RAW for all !??? _i need some support
i whish an Open RAW format would be available for everyone, and supported in every camera. Why couldn't i find a compact digital cam which supports RAW ? I don't want to transport a 2kg case in order to take a good shot, and i'm quite anxious about putting 300€ in a camera, just to shoot jpgs... what about the workflow and the color's adjustment possibilities ? this is just unfair .. i do not have 1000€ to put in it, so i just have to shut up ? Maybe this is technicaly possible to create an hardware update for a compact camera, to make it shot RAWs ? If developped in Open Source, you may download it for free, and enjoy the raw's infinite possibilities .. (If someone knows a good compact cam which support raw, please let me know ...) _ Thanks for this site.
To the best of my knowledge,
To the best of my knowledge,
... as a first step all cameras must collect raw data and then as a second step process it. As processing is proprietary (not standard) the camera makers decide how it is processed. The attributes that are enabled during the processing phase distinguish one brand from another. The options for JPEG processing are well established, cost-effective, and self-contained. Raw processing requires additional support.
Open Source is of no avail, as the raw data can't be intercepted between capture and processing--only the camera makers can enable that. It is also dependent on begging camera makers to fully document their format. For the most part they have chosen not to. Instead camera makers have decided that RAW support is a premium feature.
There are a few remedies I can suggest:
1. If you are in current need of a compact camera with raw support, look for some of the older used compacts, such as Canon's S45, or S50. They are fully supported by ADOBE ACR and DCRAW. They may not be supported by newer software, and certainly not those commercial programs that only support certain popular makes.
2. Insist that the compact cameras you buy support DNG output. Help educate them. If a critical mass of the market demands this option, and hold off on their purchases, camera makers will have little choice but to revisit their strategies and appease their audiences. DNG is a self contained raw format that does not require much additional support from the manufacturer. It can be put on a chip just as JPEG support. If you wait for camera makers to fully document and open their documentation--it may be a very, very, very long wait.
3. Shoot JPEG. Raw is not necessary for every photographer. Up to a few years ago, the popular thinking was JPEG could produce every bit as good an image as raw data. Today, that view is not as popular. Consumers are a fickle lot. For the vast majority of camera user's, who knows what they will favour tomorrow?
Take your less than 1000€ budget and apply it wisely. :-)
the born 2 design
design guy
I usually use a D100 but
I usually use a D100 but recently bought a compact Ricoh GR which makes a dng file. In every way this is a handy professional level compact camera which allows plenty of versatility. You will need Photoshop elements or CS2 as I cant locate anything else that works with dng Raw files. Does anyone know of a Mac app which will work with dng. With the Nikon you have choices of Nikon software, Bibble or Photoshop with Bridge or using Nikons Plug in
My suspicion is that those
My suspicion is that those cameras actually DO have the ability to shoot raw, but once the camera has been developed, that ability is switched off. (Perhaps the manufacturer doesn't want to develop suitable raw-handling software).
Many people are engaged in hacking cameras to discover how to make them shoot raw.
They are realising that if they find out how, they still need to get the raw images processed. So the are realising that the way to achieve this is to convert the raw data into DNG.
We should ask the manufacturers to ALWAYS support DNG as an output option, whatever else they do. Even if they don't provide any corresponding software, the raw files will be handled by the various DNG-handling products around.