While I too support the free...

While I too support the free dissemination of any information my device may capture and would benefit from a ubiquitous transparent standard, the simple, objective fact remains that a camera's ability (or manufacturer's willingness through a given camera) to provide interpretable RAW data, or lack thereof, remains a simple feature characteristic of the product upon which the consumer simply has the simple, yet omnipontent, choice of deciding to purchase a camera or not.

To purchase and subsequently demand a feature, capability, or support that was not originally described or warranted simply isn't realistic; and the point at which consumers will begin to "vote with their wallets" will be when cameras, regardless of their RAW data characteristics, no longer constitute a value for the dollars spent.

To realistically approach and influence manufacturers, one must first be willing to wholly accept that any customer he or she served has the right to decide what product or service he or she must provide to be considered treating their customers "fairly", regardless of any prior advertised or contractual terms upon which both parties have agreed.

To expect manufacturers to offer passive compliance, a photographer must also be willing to accommodate a customer who has decided that he or she is entitled to receive "more" than that for which he or she has agreed and furthermore be willing to accept being characterized as unfair or somehow not having met your obligation to customers.

Any credible approach to camera manufacturers with any expectation of their support must be done so by demonstrating a compelling value for the manufacturer. Any approach that either includes or depends on RAW data access as an entitlement is not only likely to fail, but unfounded on its merits.

Elan Remford – Mon, 2005/04/25 – 10:05am

Elan, to summarise what you said, "there must be something...

Elan, to summarise what you said, "there must be something in it for the manufacturer".

But that can happen. I have downloaded and installed 2 firmware upgrades and 1 s/w upgrade for my camera since I bought it, at no cost to me. So, in effect, I have a better camera that I bought.

Why? Perhaps because the manufacturer wanted to give the camera a "mid-life kicker" to increase its sales. Perhaps that is what you call "compelling value".

It probably isn't that the manufacturer wanted ME to be better off. They wanted something better to offer to other people, and I benefited as a side-effect.

Barry Pearson – Mon, 2005/04/25 – 11:22am

No, that's not the point I made. Consumers simply have no...

No, that's not the point I made. Consumers simply have no right to "demand" anything from a manufacturer other than a given product's advertised features and specifications and no basis for compelling them to do so.

It may be nice to have open RAW format, and it may even ultimately prove to be more profitable for a manufacturer; but no one other than the manufacturer has the right to make that assumption and somehow imply that the manufacturer has been anything less than reputable for not having included it when the manufacturer never committed to delivering one in the first place is ridiculous and unfair.

Demanding open RAW access after the fact is not reasonable; choosing not to buy a camera that doesn't offer it is. While it is reasonable to ask manufacturers for their assistance in providng an open format, there is absolutely no basis for demanding one.

Elan Remford – Mon, 2005/04/25 – 4:40pm