I am a photo enthusiast who likes to buy an occasional new camera. My last 3 were 5DII, Lumix LX3, and am eagerly awaiting the arrival of my GH2. I am about to relive a recurring nightmare. When I bought the 5DII and LX3 I had CS3. Of course it would not support either RAW format and after using the extra step of DNG conversion for a while I upgraded to CS4. Now as I await my GH2 I am faced with the same situation. Work around for a few months and then likely upgrade again as the extra step of DNG conversion fatigues me again. I know what you may think, anyone who can buy these cameras should stop whining and pony up the $200 every 2 years for an upgrade. That is true but it is the whole tower of babel situation in photography that is irritating.
I see the individual solution options as follows:
1. In the future do a better job of synchronizing my software upgrades with my camera purchases (Now I like to upgrade about every other version)
2. Limit future camera purchases to those capable of in camera DNG output (Hmmmm $27k Leica or Hassie vs $200 upgrade seems foolish)
3. Shoot JPEG…….
4. Get enthused about the incredible video capabilities of the GH2 and by the time my feeble mind gets some semblance of competency with video it will be time to upgrade anyway or god forbid the industry as a whole comes up with a solution… Which leads to:
Industry solution:
1. $200 rebate from any manufacturer who releases a RAW format that CS or LR Current Number – 1 or 2 doesn’t recognize
2. Much like medicine 20 years ago did adopt a universal and updatable image format recognized by all.
I know this rant isn’t unique nor am I oblivious to fact that universal RAW format has been discussed ad nauseum. Thanks for letting me ventilate. Maybe next week as I download my first pics and have to take the extra step of conversion I’ll feel better.
Sam Ward
samwardphoto.com