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When will Nikon Z8 Raw files be supported by Apple Finder, Preview and Photos?

The latest versions of iOS is installed on my MacBook Pro (Ventura 13.5.2 ), iPad and iPhone

When using Apple PHOTO, PREVIEW and PHOTOs App:

--->>> Nikon Z8 raw files (NEF format) can NOT be viewed.

while, Nikon Z6 and Z7 raw files (NEF format) display correctly.

NEF Raw files display as gray squares in PHOTOS

Photos Editor cannot edit Z8 Raw File (NEF)

Adobe, Topaz, Affinity, and many other editing packages already support Nikon Z8/Z9 RAW (NEF) file formats. When will Apple support them?

HOWEVER: Nikon Z7ii and Z6 raw formats (NEF) ARE VIEWABLE and EDITABLE

When will Apple be releasing versions of FINDER, PREVIEW & PHOTOS that support Nikon Z8 and Z9 raw (NEF) format?

This is very disappointing.

I hope Apple will address the issue and provide a release date for when the issue will be resolved.

MacBook Pro 14″, macOS 13.5

Posted on Sep 11, 2023 8:31 PM

Top-ranking reply

susiefromarlington Author

Level 1

20 points

Posted on Oct 1, 2023 10:02 PM

I have contacted Apple Support directly.

I explained the situation and sent a NEF file generated by my Nikon Z8.

After sending the NEF, I received a response “We do not support the file type you tried to send. To which I responded: “Exactly the issue; however you do support the same file type generated by the Nikon Z7ii.” Then I sent the Z7ii generated NEF file, which is supported.

The are elevating the issue to their “Senior Advisor Team”. I am expecting a call back tomorrow (2023-Oct-02) at 12:30PST.

Stay tuned!

I’m also going to contact Nikon’s support team, as it is my belief that Nikon should be proactive in assuring files generated by their cameras can be viewed by their user’s computing systems. It’s just good business to work with the operating system manufactures in a timely manner (like prior to final release of the camera to the public). Just sayin.

Having retired from the Avionics industry, I know that one voice carries very little weight … I strongly recommend that everyone contact Apple to get the iOS updated to support the Z8 generated files.

To contact Apple Support directly:

Go to Apple.Com

Select “Support” from the top level menu

Select “Contact Us” from the sub-menu

You will be prompted for information:

Select Your computer (example: MacBook Pro) from the list of devices

Select. Apps & Software

From the list of Apps and Software, select: PHOTOS

The system asks for your location … share or don’t share

On the next pop-up, at the bottom select contact type “Call” or “Message”.

Then be prepared to provide the information about the issue.

I will post the feedback I receive, tomorrow.

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32 replies

Yer_Man

Level 10

163,698 points

Oct 2, 2023 1:32 PM in response to susiefromarlington

Yes, NX Studio, Adobe, Topaz, etc all support RAW files generated by the Z8 and Z9.

Those are not examples of tools used to organize file on a hard drive, however.

Um, that's exactly what Lightroom Classic and NX Studio are: photo managers with non-destructive parameter processing. In other words, more powerful versions of Apple's give-away Photos. They do manage and organise photo files on the HD... I can't help but wonder why someone would spend $4k on a camera but want to process the output with a giveaway app...

The Nikon z9 is supported in Mac OS Sonoma.

dialabrain

Level 10

124,637 points

Nov 24, 2023 2:51 PM in response to Old Toad

Old Toad wrote:

You'll have to ask Nikon. They need to provide Apple with the necessary technical data so Apple can include it in their system update. Apple doesn't go to Nikon to ask for it.

Just curious how you know that? How would you know that Nikon didn't supply the info but Apple just hasn't done anything with it yet?

Dec 1, 2023 1:31 PM in response to dialabrain

They do not know that since they are making up off their top of their head (or pulling it out of someplace else). The fact that Apple users view this as complicated is one area where people really do come off like sheep. The raw files include an embedded jpg for display. That is how Windows machines could display the standard non-HEIC raw files on day one. The HEIC files required an update but that is a revised format. Viewing nef (or Canon/Sony raw) files is NOT complicated and failure is with Apple not the camera manufacturers.

Dec 1, 2023 1:58 PM in response to SWYost-TX

SWYost-TX wrote:

They do not know that since they are making up off their top of their head (or pulling it out of someplace else). The fact that Apple users view this as complicated is one area where people really do come off like sheep. The raw files include an embedded jpg for display. That is how Windows machines could display the standard non-HEIC raw files on day one. The HEIC files required an update but that is a revised format. Viewing nef (or Canon/Sony raw) files is NOT complicated and failure is with Apple not the camera manufacturers.

Apple's Raw compatibility libraries aren't about displaying embedded low-resolution JPG previews.– they provide support applications need to be able to "develop" full-resolution photos from actual Raw data. Raw data formats can, and often do, vary from camera to camera even when the nominal filename extension remains the same.

If you are claiming that handling a new Raw format is just a matter of extracting a low-resolution .JPG, that does not say much for your knowledge of how Raw processing works. Claiming that people who understand the issue better than you do "come off like sheep" does not help your cause, either.

Dec 1, 2023 2:12 PM in response to SWYost-TX

No one here is, or should be an Apple apologist. We are not Apple employees and simply volunteer our time and years of practical Apple product experience without our heads in a dark place. Some of us have been doing UNIX, Windows, and Linux for a long while too for extra perspective without being armchair quarterbacks.

One should use the tools that solve their issues, and if one can view Nikon Z8 NEF images in Windows 11 Pro (and I have), then there is the answer, if not wanting to use third-party tools on macOS in the interim.

Microsoft has their approach to displaying camera RAW files in their image viewer and exactly how they do this is probably an internal Microsoft trade craft secret. Apple has a different approach depending on operating system differences and the camera vendors providing per camera model data files in a timely manner. Then the Apple internal process of scheduling, testing multiple applications in parallel beta operating systems, with the right resources simply takes time.

Yes, one can extract a JPG image from most any camera RAW image using ExifTool. Getting the RAW image EXIF metadata into that JPG is an ugly ExifTool command line exercise, but in practice, it does work. Just did it on a Z8 RAW image.

dialabrain

Level 10

124,637 points

Dec 1, 2023 2:14 PM in response to VikingOSX

VikingOSX wrote:

Yes, one can extract a JPG image from most any camera RAW image using ExifTool. Getting the RAW image EXIF metadata into that JPG is an ugly ExifTool command line exercise, but in practice, it does work. Just did it on a Z8 RAW image.

Most likely how XnView MP can open just about any RAW file for viewing.

Dec 18, 2023 8:11 AM in response to susiefromarlington

Hi Susie, thanks for all your hard work in trying to resolve this with Apple. I just got my new Z8 and was astounded when I realised 7 months after launch.... I import all my RAW .NEF into photos from where I edit using plugins etc., and store my images in Photos and the Cloud etc., so it's devastating to me it's taken so long and still unresolved. I have sent Apple a message in the right way as many of you have and hope they will resolve it soon. Wether it's Nikon or Apple or both, I would think they should be happy that we're using their products with their software and after many cameras in many years, I've never experienced such a long wait.......

Yer_Man

Level 10

163,698 points

Dec 18, 2023 8:15 AM in response to rk_bapple

Nikon offer the free NX Studio that works with its Raw files. There are a lot of third party apps, like Lightroom Classic, that also work with these raws. Apple have not been prioritising raw support for some time now. I do wonder why you would spend $4k on a camera and even more on lenses and then try process the output with a freebie app designed with phone shooters in mind.