OpenRAW

camera makers are not software engineers in first site.

almost all camera makers would say that their software will produce the best results from their files. well, they have the absolute knowledge what and how something happens inside the camera, which gives them the opportunity to handle the data the way they see the final picture. right, "as they see it". which leads directly to artistic choice. in former (film-) days it was an essential part of style and way of working what film you chose and how you handled it. imagine helmut newton had to use the same films and processing like the NASA photographers. the world would be missing some of the greatest picture of the last century, one or the other way.

press releases of camera makers will tell you that their software is unique and the best, i already said that. even if it was the best it wouldnt suit everybody. but even if it was like that they can and never will provide all software necessary to handle digital imagefiles. even their own. and what about the others?

what about photographers or agencies who work with different cameras? often have to or do so because of artistic reasons. they cannot be forced to use and update three or more camera-specific pieces of software. manufacturers want you to do that because they want to tie you to their brand. i dont object to that, they just try to make a living, just on a bigger scale. but reality looks somewhat different in the digital age because you not only purchase a camera but also the film, read chip, so we need both the artistic choice what to do with it and also the possibility for one kind of workflow.

while a SDK seems the right solution here, i think if it is not openly documented it also never will serve all intended purposes. neither with handling and processing nor with archiving issues.
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