Using Nikon products with Photo (split)

[Papapeo]

Good morning, my name is Ricardo:
First of all, I apologize for writing with a translator from Spanish to English:

Please I need some advice, I work with Mac.
I am very tired of problems and difficulties, since Apple left us stranded with Aperture and I had no choice but to switch to using Apple Photos as DAM and Affinity as editing.

 What I can do? Wait to see what happens with Affinity.

I have a Z8 bought from a month ago and I can't use Apple Photos for library or Affinity for editing. They do not recognize Nikon RAW. Is there an App that can work with these more complex RAW? Now the developers have to do reverse engineering to adapt the Apps to the changes made by Nikon, I don't understand this lack of coordination.

3) In the event that the only App is Lightroom, do you know if I can migrate all my files saved in Apple Photos without any type of loss? I think it's the only solution, to stop suffering with updates from one developer or another.

4) And yes, this previous solution with Lightroom is not highly recommended. Which one can I use as a DAM, which guarantees me a fast RAW update? Does anyone know about Nikon NX STUDIO?

Thanks for answering.

All the best.

[v_kyr]

2 hours ago, Papapeo said:

I have a Z8 bought from a month ago and I can't use Apple Photos for library or Affinity for editing. They do not recognize Nikon RAW. Is there an App that can work with these more complex RAW?

Well, for pretty new cams on the market the first app which will support those cams is always the cam vendors software. In your case here Nikon's NX Studio! - Some time later, the other big guys of that RAW converter software business, do or will adopt here their software too in order to support any popular new cams.

For a Nikon Z8 (great cam by the way) the RAW converter software to take a look at for supporting it in a better way, thus would be in this order ...

1. Nikon NX Studio (which usually also comes along with the cam as the reference software)
2. Capture One (Pro) for Nikon
3. Adobe LR and Adobe Camera RAW
4. DxO, DxO Pure RAW
5. ... the rest which is quality wise not on the same level as the before named software here ...

2 hours ago, Papapeo said:

Now the developers have to do reverse engineering to adapt the Apps to the changes made by Nikon, I don't understand this lack of coordination.

Reverse engineering is mostly needed by other third party tools here, those which/who don't make use of Nikon's own offered Nikon SDK. So all third party software which relies on things like LibRaw, which Affinity Photo and a bunch of freeware/opensource RAW converters do rely on!

DAM software is a slightly other theme here, as most of these are meant for image archiving, cataloging, previewing & retrival. So many of these just offer to preview the JPG thumb images included in RAW files, thus not all of them offer here to work & deal on/with the plain RAWs themselve in a manner like a RAW converter usually does.

Beside all the above said, I always wonder that people who buy and use more expensive pro cams (like a Nikon Z9 or Z8 and the accompanied glass for those etc.) are then looking after using cheap, at best only mediocre callable RAW processing software (like Affinity Photo) for the image handling job here.

Forgotten to mention, that Apple Aperture can often still be (re)used on macOS Ventura, macOS Monterey, macOS Big Sur, and macOS Catalina via Retroactive!

[R C-R]

5 hours ago, Papapeo said:

Now the developers have to do reverse engineering to adapt the Apps to the changes made by Nikon, I don't understand this lack of coordination.

The major camera makers like Nikon typically treat this kind of information as proprietary trade secrets, so to preserve their intellectual property rights they usually do not share it with third parties at all or only in strictly limited ways.

[Papapeo]

El 31/7/2023 a las 18:32, R C-R dijo:

Los principales fabricantes de cámaras como Nikon suelen tratar este tipo de información como secretos comerciales de propiedad, por lo que para preservar sus derechos de propiedad intelectual generalmente no la comparten con terceros en absoluto o solo de maneras estrictamente limitadas.

 

El 31/7/2023 a las 14:16, v_kyr dijo:

Bueno, para cámaras bastante nuevas en el mercado, la primera aplicación que será compatible con esas cámaras es siempre el software de los proveedores de cámaras. ¡En tu caso, aquí está el NX Studio de Nikon! - Algún tiempo más tarde, los otros grandes de ese negocio de software de convertidores RAW, también adoptarán o adoptarán aquí su software para soportar cualquier cámara nueva popular.

Para una Nikon Z8 (gran cámara, por cierto) el software convertidor RAW para echar un vistazo para soportarlo de una mejor manera, por lo tanto, estaría en este orden...

1. Nikon NX Studio (que normalmente también viene con la cámara como software de referencia)
2. Capture One (Pro) para Nikon
3. Adobe LR y Adobe Camera RAW
4. DxO, DxO Pure RAW
5. ... el resto, que es de calidad, no en el mismo nivel que el software mencionado anteriormente aquí ...

La ingeniería inversa es necesaria principalmente por otras herramientas de terceros aquí, aquellas que/que no hacen uso del propio SDK de Nikon ofrecido por Nikon. ¡Así que todo el software de terceros que se basa en cosas como LibRaw, en el que confían Affinity Photo y un montón de convertidores RAW freeware/opensource!

El software DAM es un tema ligeramente diferente aquí, ya que la mayoría de estos están destinados al archivo de imágenes, la catalogación, la vista previa y la recuperación. Muchos de estos solo ofrecen obtener una vista previa de las imágenes de pulgar JPG incluidas en los archivos RAW, por lo que no todos ofrecen aquí trabajar y tratar con los RAW simples de una manera que generalmente lo hace un convertidor RAW.

Además de todo lo anterior, siempre me pregunto si las personas que compran y usan cámaras profesionales más caras (como una Nikon Z9 o Z8 y el vidrio acompañado para esos, etc.) se están ocupando de usar un software de procesamiento RAW barato y mediocre (como Affinity Photo) para el trabajo de manejo de imágenes aquí.

¡Olvidé mencionar que Apple Aperture a menudo todavía se puede (re)utilizar en macOS Ventura, macOS Monterey, macOS Big Sur y macOS Catalina a través de Retroactive!

Gracias por tus consejos y ayuda. Creo que lo mas prudente por mi parte es utilizar DNG converter y pasarme a Lightroom Classic.

Saludos y nuevamente Gracias.

[Papapeo]

El 31/7/2023 a las 18:32, R C-R dijo:

Los principales fabricantes de cámaras como Nikon suelen tratar este tipo de información como secretos comerciales de propiedad, por lo que para preservar sus derechos de propiedad intelectual generalmente no la comparten con terceros en absoluto o solo de maneras estrictamente limitadas.

Gracias por tu comentario.

Estoy harto de que en pleno siglo XXl, y tal como está el mundo de globalizado, andemos con tonterías y secretos que no ayudan a dar la fluidez y agilidad necesarias  para lo que demandamos los usuarios.

Un saludo y gracias.

[R C-R]

1 hour ago, Papapeo said:

Estoy harto de que en pleno siglo XXl, y tal como está el mundo de globalizado, andemos con tonterías y secretos que no ayudan a dar la fluidez y agilidad necesarias  para lo que demandamos los usuarios.

Even in the 21st century, protecting their intellectual property rights remains essential for any for-profit company that wants to remain in business.

[v_kyr]

1 hour ago, Papapeo said:

Gracias por tus consejos y ayuda. Creo que lo mas prudente por mi parte es utilizar DNG converter y pasarme a Lightroom Classic.

You can also give the free "Capture One Express for Nikon" a try, instead of "Capture One for Nikon" or the full blown "Capture One Pro (which of course offers much more here)".

For Lightroom Classic ...

Quote

The Nikon Z8 requires Lightroom Classic 12.3 or later.

Lightroom Classic (LrC) is only available by subscribing to the Photography plan, at $10 a month.

Alternatively, you can use the free Adobe DNG Converter which will convert copies of your NEF files to DNG files, which can be read by the older Lightroom 6. You'd have to set Compatibility to Camera Raw 7.1 and later in the DNG converter preferences. - Although this will let you import the files, you'll be missing out on all the new features and improvements that Lightroom has had since version 6.