Sony ILCE-7RM3A RAW .ARW files still not support in Mac Monterey 12.0.1. Files don't open in Preview and no thumbnails in Finder.

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Level 1

11 points

Sony ILCE-7RM3A RAW .ARW files still not support in Mac Monterey 12.0.1. Files don't open in Preview and no thumbnails in Finder.

I have a Sony Alpha ILCE-7R IIIA also listed as ILCE-7RM3A. It is a slightly updated version of the Sony Alpha ILCE-7R III which is listed on Apple's compatibility list. The version of the camera is said to be the exact same as Sony Alpha ILCE-7R III, but Sony added an updated version of the LCD screen. The issue is the .ARW RAW image files it creates cannot be opened in Preview, and the thumbnails don't appear in Finder. Sony support told me it's an Apple issue and they need to add support for this version of the camera. I'm not sure how an updated LCD screen can cause an incompatibility with file formats but this is what Sony is telling me. I am hoping that Apple can add support for this version of the Sony camera because working without the Finder thumbnails is a real pain.

Anyone else having this issue using the Sony ILCE-7RM3A?

MacBook Pro 13″, macOS 12.0

Posted on Oct 25, 2021 3:40 PM

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Answer 1

Timmacy

Level 1

10 points

Dec 16, 2021 6:09 PM in response to tomak00

The supported file format is usually updated through out each system updates, even though the A7RM3 and A7RM3A has the same spec, you will see that A7RM3A has different model name in image exif data, as shown

Shown in link below is the currently supported RAW file format, which doesn't include Sony A7RM3A.

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT212821

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Answer 2

dialabrain

Level 10

135,641 points

Oct 25, 2021 5:12 PM in response to tomak00

My guess is XnView MP will allow you to view the thumbnails of your camera.

https://www.xnview.com/en/xnviewmp/

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Answer 3

tomak00 Author

Level 1

11 points

Dec 17, 2021 5:32 AM in response to majortom1967

Photoshop is not the issue. I am able to open the files in Photoshop. The issue is not related to Adobe, this is an issue with Apple’s Preview. It would not be resolved until Apple adds it as a supported RAW format.

Adobe Photoshop does not show the preview image so I think you’re missing the point of the problem here. We all know Adobe Photoshop is $10 a month, it seems you really like pointing that out.

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Answer 4

Old Toad

Level 10

215,268 points

Oct 25, 2021 3:54 PM in response to tomak00

Tell Apple what missing features you'd like restored or new features added to the system via Feedback - macOS - Apple.

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Answer 5

Old Toad

Level 10

215,268 points

Oct 25, 2021 4:09 PM in response to tomak00

Forgot to add that you can use the free Adobe Digital Negative Converter to convert the Sony files into a format that Photos can handle until it's supported.

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Answer 6

Oct 25, 2021 4:01 PM in response to tomak00

Adobe Photoshop, for just 10 us$/month, doesn't?

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Answer 7

tomak00 Author

Level 1

11 points

Oct 25, 2021 4:48 PM in response to majortom1967

I currently use Photoshop and Lightroom for editing, but not being able to see thumbnails in Finder is a real pain since that’s where I do most of my sorting before editing. For the thumbnails to work in finder I believe it would need Preview support.

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Answer 8

tomak00 Author

Level 1

11 points

Nov 9, 2021 3:30 PM in response to dialabrain

Yes, thumbnails do work in this app. But my preference would be that Apple releases an update to support viewing the file format specific to this camera in Preview. I feel that trying to use different apps for specific cameras is a needless work around when I can easily view RAW formats of many different camera models in Preview. I know it may seem like I'm nitpicking, but it interrupts the flow of my work routine.

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