Code, Camera, Action

Yesterday Apple updated the digital camera raw support for both Leopard and Snow Leopard. 

That's good news for folks with new Canons or Nikons, as the update adds support for recent cameras.

But Micro Four-Thirds users are still left crying in the wilderness. 

• No support for the Olympus EP-1's ORF raw format
• Still no support for Panasonic RW2 raw in the Lumix LX3, G1, GH1, GF1, etc. -- that's any Panasonic camera released since the fall of 2008
• No support for DNG 1.3 lens corrections, which means there's no good work-around. Adobe DNG Converter can turn these raw formats into proper DNGs. But OSX can't read them.

I'm beginning to get worried. 

The trick with these micro four-thirds cameras is that the camera corrects for lens distortion in the raw files. That helps Olympus and Panasonic save money on lenses, while still producing stellar images. But decoding these raw formats adds a layer of math, which complicates image processing. 

I used to think this was a problem that Apple would fix in Snow Leopard. I hoped the new operating system would add lens corrections to its image processing. But this is the first raw update for Snow Leopard. 

Does Apple ever intend to support these raw formats? 

Maybe they won't -- unless we ask them for it. The Aperture feedback form is the place to let Apple know we want raw support for micro four-thirds cameras:

http://www.apple.com/feedback/aperture.html

In the meantime, there is one alternative. Adobe Lightroom does supports micro four-thirds raw. 

Please, Apple, don't push us away from Aperture and iPhoto. Please add support for micro four-thirds cameras. I like my G1 and I like it raw.

Meanwhile, here's what the update does provide --

Digital Camera Raw Compatibility Update 2.7

This update extends RAW image compatibility for Aperture 2, iPhoto ’08 and iPhoto ’09 for the following cameras:

• Canon EOS-1D Mark IV
• Canon EOS 7D
• Canon PowerShot G11
• Nikon D3S
• Nikon D300S
• Nikon D3000