Microsoft FINALLY offers RAW support for Windows 7 & Vista

[Wobbles]

Microsoft have finally got their s4*t together and have released an update for native RAW support in Windows 7 & Vista. Majority of DSLR brands & models are covered - including Nikon. There's even a 64 bit version!

You can download the codecs here:
http://www.microsoft.com/download/en....aspx?id=26829

Cheers
John

[Scotty72]

OMG! Common sense has caught up with Microsoft :P

This will relive so much frustration when quickly trying to xfer images between drives - no need to go through Lightroom etc now.

[I @ M]

Nikon owners, don't get too excited.

You are still better off using View NX as a substitute windows explorer as it appears ( at least on our machine ) that it will only render unedited NEF files correctly.

[Wobbles]

Nikon owners, don't get too excited.

You are still better off using View NX as a substitute windows explorer as it appears ( at least on our machine ) that it will only render unedited NEF files correctly.

Problems with Nikons Exteremly Fragile files!? ...... Even Bill Gates puts the boot into Nikon!

[I @ M]

Problems with Nikons Exteremly Fragile files!? ...... Even Bill Gates puts the boot into Nikon!

Rather a strange way of looking at things to me Wobbles. I have only ever seen two NEF files become corrupted out of quite a few thousand here and I am not sure that it was the file structure that led to their demise, rather I think it was computer related.

As for Mr. Gates putting the boot in, I don't agree with that either, it simply shows that micro$oft simply didn't put enough effort into building a codec that can read the edits applied to an edited file. They rather obviously just made it able to render an NEF file straight from the camera, sat back and said near enough is good enough.

[ricktas]

My view on this is that it isn't/wasn't a Microsoft issue in the first place. If they had to make Windoze compatible with every file format out there, it would increase an already burgeoned bit of software. Better to keep it streamlined and let the users install the file format compatibility that they needed. Nikon used to produce a NEF reader for Windoze, but haven't upgraded it in recent times.

I think the issue of incompatibility should lie squarely with the camera manufacturers and not Microsoft, in this instance. Nikon's old Windoze NEF viewer is HERE. Nikon just never kept it up to date for use with 64 bit systems and recent releases of Windoze.

Maybe we should be asking why our camera companies are producing their own file formats and then expecting others to put out updates so we can read them. So I say good on Microsoft for at least giving this to us, when our pathetic camera companies didn't

[I @ M]

Rick, wash your mouth out with soap!!!!
How dare you suggest that camera makers only have their own interests at heart.
I guess the next thing you will suggest is that someone makes a file format that is totally independent from camera manufacturers, operating system builders AND editing software writers.

Yep, Nikon are lacking ( badly & sadly ) in 64 bit products and I feel one of the reasons that they haven't bothered updating their own 64 bit codecs for windows is that they probably see it as that a huge chunk of their market only ever shoot JPEG and the remainder that shoot raw are a bit more committed to photography and don't usually look for thumbnails or even screen size renders of NEF files in the operating system, rather they use a dedicated DAM or editing program to sort and cull.

[ricktas]

Great idea there Andrew. I am about to write to Nikon and tell them that they should stop producing cameras capable of shooting RAW format, except for the D (single digit) range, thus leaving RAW for those committed to photography and leaving all the lesser model owners shooting in JPG.

[camerasnoop]

I'd settle for the camera manufacturers simply leaving their RAW files in a standard format across all new models so I don't have to rely on Adobe to write a new version of ACR for each and every new model (and then charging me to upgrade my software all the time). It can't be that ph#$%ing hard.

[Kym]

DNG anyone? At least let you select either PEF or DNG

[zollo]

yeah beat me to it Kym. was gonna say convert to dng during import (you can leave a proprietary raw embedded too) and no worries!

[Speedway]

Just got an email re this codec this morning, downloaded and tested it. It makes things a lot easier for reviewing your raw files. I found this thread as I started to do a new thread so I thought I would give this a bump instead.
Keith.

[Ace55]

Thanks for the heads up. Just installed on two computers and both can show processed/edited RAW files - NEP.
I must admit I find the Canon v Nikon v Pentax v Sony digs somewhat tiresome. We are blessed with a magnificent array of superb cameras and lenses. We all make decisions about which brand we will opt for with the best information we had at the time and which company will provide the best match for what we want to do. I love my Nikon gear and it suited me the best when I opted for it. If I was starting out again I may opt for Canon. Both make great cameras and great lenses.