Alan,
Thank your for your additional thoughts! I would like to encourage this type of exchange, as I have been obsessing about this stuff for 2+ years now, and I am not alone. Sigma has the opportunity to do something amazing -
Unleash MF image quality to the masses, at 1/10th cost of existing MF systems.
We are keen to hear from experienced photographers - to better understand your "user experience" expectations, AND get your views on the expectation of photographers who might comprise the next wave of Sigma camera adopters. While I can only guess, I would think that many experienced photographers and enthusiasts will remain on the fence and will wait for ACR support. Some of these may be more willing now that the Merrill series has been discounted, and a DPQ is only the price of a single decent lens. The "disruptive workflow" can be a deal breaker, as enthusiasts have full time jobs - in this regard, they too are like professionals, with limited time and resources for shooting, and pp-ing. The "Two Step Tango" (SPP> TIFF>LR) can easily devalue what would otherwise be a wonderful artistic and photographic experience. And let's not discount the additional DAM burden, as having a replicate set of large X3F and TIFF files effectively doubles asset management complexity and storage requirements - we do live in a world that is moving toward the Cloud, right? This translates into addition telecom and Cloud storage costs. Ah, the convenience of digital electronic photography
Admittedly, our hoped-for outcome is a long shot - so I must set expectations low. Sigma seems to view that Adobe should included their offerings as ACR supported cameras; Adobe's view is the VCF array is a completely different computational transformation with complexities requiring additional Adobe resources, coupled with the market data that suggests Sigma's marketshare is but a thin line on the industry's pie chart. Further, while Sigma has much to gain IMHO, what's in it for Adobe?
Adobe has their hands full with revenue concerns of their own, tying up precious resources, as shifting to SaaS and CC subscriptions. Have you read many positive reviews around CC? While $10 USD/mo. is a reasonable price, many seem to whine - perhaps it is just a matter of adjusting to change. Not sure how the SaaS approach will fly in AsiaPac, where the hope-for future revenues will originate, as outside of Enterprise SW, these cultures have been pirating SW for years. I am not attacking this from a value perspective, as I grew up in a wealth country, with two well-educated parents, and plenty of resources. But my friends from China and India mention it will take a generation or so for attitudes to shift.
Google, MS/Nokia, and Apple are in a very different position - what if Apple, with the release of Yosemite, releases a decent alternative with "Photo" - which I understand will offer a combination of iPhoto and Aperture capabilities (presumed RAW support), and doing so in the "new normal" fashion - giving it away for free with their HW? MS/Nokia's 1020 is the first smartphone to offer RAW output. What if this trend develops into the norm? One simple way to improve the already amazing quality of smartphone imaging is to extend pp-ing latitude via RAW support.
One thing I am learning from Eric and Sharad, is that the ACR process is a PITA, as each vendor want their own particular requirements to be reflected in the RAW conversion. Hasselblad has unique requirements, just as Foveon, Fuji X-Trans, and likely many others that are introducing innovations outside of the std Bayer approach. This may explain why Sharad mentioned Adobe is revving the DNG spec, with these specialty requests, and the possible wave of smartphones moving to RAW capture, the existing ACR conversion model is likely soon to become unsustainable. Personally, I guess Adobe would like to get out of the whole RAW conversion business, as it's a PITA they might soon prefer to outsource the whole shebang.
I am no scientist, or economist, but do see the obvious trends, and think RAW is here to stay, as it extends the capabilities of amateurs such as myself, enabling me a for forgiving experience. All I have to do is my part - open my wallet to sw tools, or Apple hw, telecom, and Cloud storage service providers!
As Quentin's firm mentions "Business Matters" ..the driving force behind all of this.
My $0.02,
SR