Right now Aperture doesn't support the raw format coming from the new Nikon D3 and D300. Is that going to be resolved in the near future? Or do die hard Nikon fans have to convert to other workflow software (ie Lightroom/Adobe CameraRaw) that is compatible? It's a huge dilemma, for me. I had planned to buy the new nikon, but as I shoot in RAW and rely on Aperture, I am stuck!
Is there an 'official' route ( e-mail address ) that we can use to address our concerns directly, or is it enough to hope that Apple are keeping an eye on these forums and will address this issue sooner rather than later?
To answer my own question above, would anyone experiencing frustration with Aperture's lack of support for the D3 & D300 please contact the Aperture team via the feedback link below.
That way they may respond more quickly.
It surprises me that this wasn't addressed in advance of the cameras' release.
Since raw decoding is part of the operating system, you may also want to leave
OS X feedback.
I've been able to
hack support for my Olympus E3 for the time being. It requires running the raw files through
Adobe DNG Converter. Some of the ideas in that thread might be helpful for D-300 owners.
Capture One 4 Beta 2 will process DNGs converted from D300 NEFs with no complicated hacking. Just run them through the Adobe converter and save them in a new folder. Just choose "None" under Profile. The Adobe DNG setting is a bit flat and desaturated.
"It surprises me that this wasn't addressed in advance of the cameras' release."
Frankly, it would happily astonish me if it was, as (as far as I know) Aperture has never had camera support in advance of a new camera's release, nor I am aware that has Apple ever publicly acknowledged anything prior to its release. Someone correct me if I am wrong here, please, but I think it is the case.
If you look in the archives here, you will see identical threads to this for basically every significant camera since Aperture came out. The D2Xs, the D200, D80, D40..etc. all brought cries from early buyers, and all were eventually satisfied. Everyone on the forum either wrote to or talked about writing to Apple in each case, and nothing basically changed. As far as I know, Apple never even acknowledged any of this. They don't say they WILL support any new camera, and of course, they don't say WHEN either. To me, at this point, I know they will, and I won't worry. One good thing is the documented history for Apple is positive delivery of support in all the cameras that have mattered to me.
On a different note, I want to re-iterate a couple of things from a previous post. While I could not operate using Capture NX exclusively as it does not have the speed of workflow, from an image quality standpoint it is the best RAW converter for NEF files, by far. Even more important, if you have a D3/300 the Active D-Lighting control in NX (providing you set ADL on in the camera) is really pretty amazing, worth playing with. That control is greyed-out for non-D3/300 images.
Since all D3/300 owners have NX for free, there is no reason not to give this a shot...I am betting it will put a smile on your face.
ACR/Lightroom NEF conversions look really weak by comparison, check it out I think you will agree.
I really love Aperture and it was the application that caused me to switch to all Apple products after being a PC user for 20 years.
But for a product targeted towards professional photographers I don't understand how I am suppose to use some thing that doesn't support the pro camera products I use. Let's face it the largest market is Canon or Nikon how can you not support at least those formats ?
If I have to go back to using Capture NX then the value of Aperture drops significantly. Without D3 RAW support my entire workflow is now broken and as much as I hate to do it Apple is forcing me to reconsider my decision and re-evaluate Lightroom.
If Apple doesn't at least make a statement about Nikon support or release a product in the next two weeks I will have no choice but to install Lightroom. And if I end up going this far and start importing my images in to LR then there will be no reason for me to go back to Aperture after they finally get support.
I've been using the D300 for a week now. I shot a wedding yesterday and as an Aperture user, I have no way to process all the hundreds of NEFs. If Aperture doesn't release an update within a week, I'll be forced to switch. It's more feasible for me to spend 2-3 days learning how to use new workflow software than to wait, and wait, and wait for Apple to release D300 RAW support for Aperture. If Adobe can do it, so can Apple. I don't know about you guys, but I can't afford to have a client waiting.
It is the case Aperture uses Core Image and a Core Image update IS required to perform a large portion of Apertures RAW processing.
Not quite. What gets updated is an XML file containing a series of instructions on how to decode the file. Core Image does NOT get updated each time support for new cameras is added.
jpgrove wrote:
It is the case Aperture uses Core Image and a Core Image update IS required to perform a large portion of Apertures RAW processing.
Not quite. What gets updated is an XML file containing a series of instructions on how to decode the file. Core Image does NOT get updated each time support for new cameras is added.
Ian
Right. There's some confusion here. Raw format updates come with Mac OS X, not through CoreImage. You can have an OS X update that has a Nikon Raw update and no updates to Core Image. Core Image doesn't import stuff, it draws stuff.
Adobe depends on neither, so they can just get 'em out as needed. No need to gear up the testing and validation mechanism for an entire OS update, just to support some new camera.
Third misconception is that any of these updates should be a "quick fix." All the responsible companies (Apple, Adobe...) hold their raw format updates until they have a shipping model in hand. They also need to make sure it works out across their test suite. Oh sure, all they have to do is change a few numbers in an XML file...but you really, really want those to be the
right numbers, don't you?
The only thing you can reasonably complain about is that it often takes Apple a lot longer than Adobe.
I completely agree...delivering predictable results quickly is the holy grail of successful pros...
BUT...that said...
Would it be nice if Aperture worked the day you pulled the D3/300 out of the box...sure.....
BUT the odds for some kind of pilot error with new and therefore unfamiliar gear like the D3/300 IMHO outweigh any new cameras' technical advantages in the short term.
Why would you or any of these other posters complaining about current lack of D3/300 support, and claiming to also do this work for a living, shoot a mission-critical job like a wedding with a toolset (camera+software) that cannot at present complete the job with certainty??? It baffles me...
Nevermind that the D300 itself is something none of us have any real professional hours on yet...and that also pretty much guarantees unpredictable results. I don't know about you, but I am not standing with a client at a shoot fumbling through menus or god forbid consulting a manual. The D300 has more than enough changes from the D2X and D200 to cause that...it already has in my playing with it over the past week or so. I am currently savoring this D300 learning process, because that is what it is right now. Taking time to experiment and enjoy stress free shooting to gain familiarity.
My billable work today is being done with my D2X, for which I feel pretty confident there will not be an issue, and I can confidently deliver on time via Aperture. If the D2X was to blowup at the shoot I have a D200 backup body (that never saw backup use, thanks Nikon)...also no problem for post processing. There is NO WAY I would chance my reputation on a toolset for which I have no experience...nevermind a toolset that I know upfront that as of today simply won't work.
Imagine trying to explain that to a client..."Oh I wanted to use my new camera, and that darn Apple hasn't software to support it yet..." to survive as a pro...you are given little to no tolerance for excuses...blow a deadline, they lose your number. Blow a wedding....you get the idea. For 30 years I have done anything I could to mitigate a circumstance that could hurt the work.
I also can't imagine wasting time today switching the better part of a terabyte worth of images to something else, like Lightroom. Even if LR was demonstrably better, and IMHO it is not even close...I would look long and hard about the non-billable hours that would have to be spent to make that conversion a reality. Then what if anything goes wrong??? We all know, typically from some sad experience, that with that much data the odds are high the transfer process will not be smooth.
My 2 cents, learn your D3s and D300s...enjoy this process, and look forward to making the new technology part of your upcoming workflow. Make them as familiar in your hands as your current gear, most important RELAX...make today's money with your current gear until both you and Aperture are ready for prime time.
On the other hand, if you are a serious enthusiast...which I think is reality in most of these posted cases...they are very excited about all new stuff, and naturally would also want everything to work right now....
D300 RAW images today...NX will show you what the shots are supposed to look like (pretty darn nice quality images, too)...and ACR will convert them, IMHO poorly, requiring much fiddling to make them acceptable. LR would do nothing but lock you into that currently mediocre conversion. IMHO that does not buy you much. RAW conversion is very far from exact...the only common thing I have heard and experienced personally, is I have not found any shooter who would argue that another software package tops Capture NX images in quality. Even a non-pro will make the same distinction, it is obvious.
I love the Aperture interface, anything else is a step down for its role today in my workflow. I will be happy when Apple completes their support of the D3/300, and I am betting it will be right around the same time I feel confident and proficient with my new cameras.
oops. my mistake. I thought Raw decodes were core image. Still, a system update. And the camera has been out for at least ten days--easy to see why people are so bent out of shape.
Personally, I would never use a new camera for real work until I knew
all the key pieces of my work flow were in place--eg. the camera
and the software. My D200 didn't suddenly break, so I'm still happily using it.
