OpenRAW

Get the word out to the masses:

I sent the following email this morning to Walt Mossberg, the popular technology reporter for the Wall Street Journal:

"Walt,

You might be interested in a story that is growing like wildfire amongst professional and advanced amateur photographers. It has to do with camera manufacturers claiming proprietary rights over the "RAW" image, which is the digital equivalent of a film negative.

Not only are some manufacturers hiding the data, one, Nikon, has gone so far as to encrypt certain data in their latest cameras (D2X, D2Hs, and the brand new D50) making it difficult, if not impossible to open the RAW image in Adobe's PhotoShop. Others (Canon) have reportedly stopped supporting older camera RAW images in their latest software.

Here's a site that pretty well covers the issue:

http://www.openraw.org/

I'm a WSJ on-line subscriber and I love your columns.

John Maio"

I suggest more of you send a similar post to your local news media. Only then will the manufacturers listen and respond.
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http://www.johnmaiophotography.com