Shooting Raw

[Geoff F]

Briefly returning to the original question for a couple of quick lines.

Raw as a concept may be all very well, but we have to remember that there are different forms of 'Raw files' which often aren't compatible/interchangeable with each other.

For example, Canon Raw or Nikon Raw, etc, with a version for each camera maker and quite often with different Raw versions between different camera models of the same brand.

Recently I decided to purchase a 'pocket sized camera' because I was missing interesting scenes on occasions when I didn't want to lug around my full kit. So I eventually settled for a Fuji X20; which seems to be turning out to be a worthy piece of kit with a 'real' viewfinder, simple Aperture/Shutter Priority and Manual control options and the ability to shoot Raw.

But the Fuji Raw is Raf format which isn't accepted by my current software.

There was an alternative software option which came with the camera; Silkypix Converter which converted Raf to Jpeg or Tiff. In all fairness, that is a reasonably good converter, but it only works with Raf.

And, I preferred not to 'mess about' with too much software.

There was an option to convert the Silkypix conversion to Tiff without any adjustments then open those images again in ACR for the first stage of editing, much the same as my Canon CR2 files. But it is more 'messing about'.

Eventually, I found that the latest version of the free Adobe DNG Converter could batch convert Raf files into DNG which is fine with ACR and I normally convert CR2 files like this for final safe storage.

So I finally achieved a result; but it took a bit of reading and experimentation beforehand.

Just something for newcomers to Raw to consider.

Many people fear that older Raw formats may not be available in the future so there is some advice to suggest that converting to DNG is the safest long term bet.

[Mike Buckley]

different Raw versions between different camera models of the same brand

Different but always backward-compatible as far as I have heard. So, it really doesn't matter that they are different.

[drjuice]

I second Geoff's suggestion about the ronbigelow.com link; he's got some of the best tutorials that aren't from CiC!

And, Colin, a WONDERFUL analogy, especially because, as a diabetic, I don't get much cake!

virginia