M8raw2dng - Tool to convert Leica M8 RAW files to DNG

[Nr90]

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Very cool tool!

Thanks for this

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[Guest]

No, it still doesn't work, as I have described under #30 at http://www.l-camera-forum.com/leica-forum/forum-zur-leica-m8/318565-sensor-der-m8-2.html

[Nr90]

It took me a while before I could edit the parameters for the OS X droplet.

This is what I did:

 

1. Download the .zip

2. extract the .zip -> This gives you a file called m8raw2dng-droplet.app

3. Right click m8raw2dng-droplet.app and click Show package contents

4. Open the contents folder

5. Open the Resources folder

6. Open the Scripts folder

7. Open the file main.scpt (applescript is the default editor)

8. Change the parameters and save the file

 

After which the droplet worked as described.

 

PS: This is under 10.10.3 (14D105g)

[Guest]

It took me a while before I could edit the parameters for the OS X droplet.

This is what I did:

 

1. Download the .zip

2. extract the .zip -> This gives you a file called m8raw2dng-droplet.app

3. Right click m8raw2dng-droplet.app and click Show package contents

4. Open the contents folder

5. Open the Resources folder

6. Open the Scripts folder

7. Open the file main.scpt (applescript is the default editor)

8. Change the parameters and save the file

 

After which the droplet worked as described.

 

PS: This is under 10.10.3 (14D105g)

 

 

 

Thanks, but it still doesn't work on my Mac with the same system OS X 10.10.3.

 

Pt 1.: Perhaps that's no problem, but there is no zip, the download contains three bundles:

 

- m8raw2dngv11mac,

- m8raw2dngv12beta_mac and

- m8raw2dng-droplet.

 

Pt 2 - Pt 7.: works, but don't know which parameters have to be changed under Pt.8.:

The script editor looks like this:

 

"

# global variable definitions

global TheApp, Params

 

# TheApp should point to the m8raw2dng executable

on setTheApp()

set TheApp to "/Applications/m8raw2dng"

end setTheApp

 

# Params are the Parameters you want to hand over to the script

on setParams()

set Params to " -v -r -b -p -l -o /Users/YourName/Pictures"

end setParams

 

# From here on leave it be

on open filelist

setTheApp()

setParams()

repeat with i in filelist

tell application "Terminal"

activate

set filecount to 1

set filename to do shell script ¬

"perl -e \"print quotemeta ('" & POSIX path of i & "');\""

if (count of windows) is 0 then

do script TheApp & " -i " & filename & " " & Params

else

do script TheApp & " -i " & filename & " " & Params in window 1

end if

end tell

end repeat

end open

 

set filecount to 0

if filecount < 1 then

setTheApp()

setParams()

tell application "Finder"

set folderpath to POSIX path of (parent of (path to me) as string)

end tell

tell application "Terminal"

if (count of windows) is 0 then

do script TheApp & " -i " & folderpath & " " & Params

else

do script TheApp & " -i " & folderpath & " " & Params in window 1

end if

end tell

end if

"

 

As I'm no computer expert, do you have some examples perhaps, how to change the parameters and why is this necessary?

[Nr90]

Let's use m8raw2dngv12beta_mac and m8raw2dng-droplet.

 

m8raw2dngv12beta_mac should give you a folder with three files:

lensdb.ini

sensdb.ini

m8raw2dng

 

 

What I did was create a folder in my users directory named: m8raw2dng. Copy the files from the m8raw2dngv12beta_mac folder into the newly created m8raw2dng folder.

 

Now we must tell the droplet where to find the m8raw2dng executable.

1. Open the main.scpt in the droplet as described above

2. Go to line 6. This says:

set TheApp to "/Applications/m8raw2dng"

This tells the droplet that the m8raw2dng executable is in /Applications

We put in the current user's directory so we change the line to:

set TheApp to "~/m8raw2dng/m8raw2dng"

(keep the tab in front of the line)

(on unix systems the ~ is the path to the current user's home directory)

3. Save the file

 

 

Next we must set the parameters.

The most important being the output location (where to put the newly created DNG files).

 

1. Go to your Pictures folder

2. Create a folder called: m8raw

(A different name is possible, if so change the following to reflect your folder's name)

3. Open the main.scpt in the droplet as before

4. Go to line 11. It says:

set Params to " -v -r -b -p -l -o /Users/YourName/Pictures"

This tells the droplet with which parameters it should run the m8raw2dng. For a full description go to: M8raw2dng – Tool to convert Leica M8 RAW files to DNG

The most important one is the -o

It sets the output directory. Change the line to:

set Params to " -v -r -b -p -l -o ~/Pictures/m8raw"

(change the path if you chose a different location / name)

5. Save the file

 

 

 

 

Now your droplet is ready to be used. Drag a folder of RAW and JPG files on top of the droplet and it should output the resulting DNG files in your ~/Pictures/m8raw folder.

 

 

 

You will probably find the resulting DNG files are magenta coloured and uneven. We can fix this later

[ndf9]

Hy guys I'm new in this Leica M8 Forum

 

after i sold my MM, i bought a M8 and new lens, so my question is

 

Make it sense, to use the Leica RAW+JPG with M8Raw2dng for daytime picture.

or is it more a good combination for high Iso (basic ISO160) for darker situations?

 

Thanks

 

Nic

[Nr90]

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Hy guys I'm new in this Leica M8 Forum

 

after i sold my MM, i bought a M8 and new lens, so my question is

 

Make it sense, to use the Leica RAW+JPG with M8Raw2dng for daytime picture.

or is it more a good combination for high Iso (basic ISO160) for darker situations?

 

Thanks

 

Nic

 

My experience with the tool is rather limited, but I wouldn't.

Imo the raw files are clearly superior when pushing 160 ISO files up to 5 stops. In daylight the added information is not as apparent.

To me the biggest issue is switching to the fine+raw mode. The button dance + changing the compression each time you switch the camera on is too much work for the limited daytime benefit.

That said, If you don't mind the button dance, I see no reason to shoot compressed DNG over raw.

[ndf9]

My experience with the tool is rather limited, but I wouldn't.

Imo the raw files are clearly superior when pushing 160 ISO files up to 5 stops. In daylight the added information is not as apparent.

To me the biggest issue is switching to the fine+raw mode. The button dance + changing the compression each time you switch the camera on is too much work for the limited daytime benefit.

That said, If you don't mind the button dance, I see no reason to shoot compressed DNG over raw.

 

I think the Raw files should have more dinamic range as the compressed DNG files also with Highlights. Maybe not 5 stops, but some more flexibility as with compressed files.

 

the button dance is quick, and let me feel i would prepare the M8 for something more special.

 

I like the idea to change the parameter -c and have the M9 colors after the raw 2 dng conversation

Would be interesting to know more about how the raw files are reacting with highlights

[Guest]

...

Thanks for your help, now it works.

Here is the first converted photo of an external viewfinder, acquired at the last local market for used photo equipment:

 

 

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• Leica M8.2 • Summicron 50 coll. • SOMKY • ISO 160 • LR 5.7 • Stuttgart • März 2015 •

[Lenshacker]

The compressed DNG format allocates 74 values to represent the entire upper half of the intensity values. If you do any post-processing, it's worth having the full range of data.

 

If you are going to convert images to monochrome, uncompressed allows more flexibility.

 

I did some tests here:

 

Showcase - M8 Monochrome Conversion comparison RAW vs DNG, M8RAW2DNG V1.2 | Leica Place - Leica User Group

[Nr90]

Thanks for your help, now it works.

Here is the first converted photo of an external viewfinder, acquired at the last local market for used photo equipment:

 

 

[ATTACH]489430[/ATTACH]

 

 

• Leica M8.2 • Summicron 50 coll. • SOMKY • ISO 160 • LR 5.7 • Stuttgart • März 2015 •

 

Nice! Glad to be of help

[ndf9]

So finally!!! Sorry i have to show this to happy with the M8

 

all pictures with M8 Raw - M8RAW2DNG - DNG - LR5

 

thank you Arvid, thank you Lenshacker

 

first: HIGH ISO 5000 equivalent (-5 stops)

 

second: High contrast

 

third: full sun

 

forth: shadow

 

fifth: High Contrast

 

sixt: sun from side

 

seventh: shadow again

 

8th: fun

Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here…

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Edited March 22, 2015 by ndf9

[pklein]

Here is some more fun with pushing M8 Raw files. Below is a link to two crops, both at 100% magnification, taken at the same f-stop (despite what the EXIF says). They were taken at night under artificial light. The scene looked a bit darker in real life than it does in the pictures. The crop on the left is ISO 160 pushed to 1250. The shadowed upper part of the face is "dodged" an additional 0.6-stop. Very nice.

 

The crop on the right was accidentally underexposed 1-2/3 stops beyond that, so it's probably at about ISO 4000 equivalent. Again, the upper face is dodged an additional 0.5 stop. The color is a bit crunchy, but it would still be usable at reasonable print size. Ignore the vertical line, I believe it's caused by a hot pixel just above what's shown. I haven't yet messed with Arvid's feature to map that out.

 

http://gallery.leica-users.org/d/407757-1/M8Raw1250vs2500.JPG

 

And, if I convert the ISO 4000 equivalent to B&W, it would print as a nice, moderately grainy picture. Remember, this is at 100%.

 

http://gallery.leica-users.org/d/407759-1/M8Raw2500bw.JPG

 

Shot with an M8 and 35/1.2 Voigtlander Version I, Raw converter is Capture One 7.12. Screen-size images of the full pictures are here:

<http://gallery.leica-users.org/d/407725-1/L1010071.jpg>

<http://gallery.leica-users.org/d/407786-1/L1010074.jpg>

<http://gallery.leica-users.org/d/407784-1/L1010074+_1_+.jpg>

 

The uncompressed Raw files plus M8Raw2DNG software easily gives the M8 a full stop more usable high-ISO than the compressed DNGs. ISO 1250-equivalent is only a tiny bit worse than uncompressed 640, and 2500 (or slightly more) is not as bad as compressed 1250. Your mileage may vary, batteries not included, I am a data point of one, but I find this technique *very* useful.

 

A big thank you to Arvid for the software, and to LensHacker for working with it and telling us about it.

 

--Peter

Edited April 3, 2015 by pklein

[Lenshacker]

I1015874_2 by fiftyonepointsix, on Flickr

 

B&W 090 Red filter used with the M8, blue and green channels pulled up. The Blue channel is basically Infrared, Green is "mixed" and Red is visible light. Blue is pulled up about 10x. Green about 5x. Hue is rotated to get Infrared Ektachrome look. This works thanks to the 14-Bit values in the M8RAW2DNG converted raw files, and to the weak IR filter.

[Lenshacker]

I1015897 by fiftyonepointsix, on Flickr

 

With B&W 090 Red filter.

[pklein]

Earlier I mentioned the problem of running out of buffer space when shooting quickly. My initial comments were too pessimistic. I ran a couple of tests, and found that I can have 10-12 "JGP Fine + RAW" shots in the buffer at once. Because JPG is involved, the write times are affected by how much detail the JPG algorithm in the camera has to crunch. This probably includes noise/grain, so 2500 will likely have longer write times and bigger files than 1250. At effective 1250, each single shot appears to clear the buffer in about 9-12 seconds. This is with a 4 GB Sandisk Extreme card rated 30 MB/Sec.

 

When I shot a single frame every 2-3 seconds, the buffer filled up and refused to take any more shots after the 12th ("Attention: Data Transfer!" message on LCD). On another run, shooting in continuous mode (faster), the buffer was full after 10 shots. In each case it took the buffer 1:42 to completely empty (starting from the first shot). But once one shot had cleared the buffer, the Data Transfer message disappeared and I could take another shot.

 

So a good rule of thumb is that each shot will take an average of 10 seconds to clear the buffer, and you can have 10 of the 20 MB RAW+JPG fine frames in the buffer at any one time. Shooting quickly in single-shot mode, you'll fill the buffer in about one dozen shots, after which you can only take one shot every 10 seconds until the buffer empties further.

 

So, if you need machine-gun shooting speeds, you'll run into trouble with the M8 uncompressed RAW. If shoot for decisive moments, you probably will be fine most of the time.

 

--Peter

[bla]

Thanks Peter for this valuable test and the useful information! I would be interested how it behaves for DNG+JPG fine in comparison. Does that improve much?

I always recommend to use ISO160 only with RAW, so the jpgs at least get smaller with higher ISO

I would love to take RAW only, I think it'd be quite fast.

Thanks again for the test!

- Arvid

[pklein]

Arvid: I ran another test for you, of the same scene, lens and lighing. This time I used DNG + JPG Fine, continuous mode, with everything else set the same as as with RAW + JPG Fine. The Buffer still filled up after 10 shots, but emptied in 1:06. A 38% improvement in overall speed.

 

It's a multi-variable problem, because we're keeping the JPG processing, but the DNG is half the size of the RAW and more "stepped" in gradation rather than continuous, and the square root compression is being applied with DNG, but not with the RAWs.

 

It is fun to play with this. Now I need to see if I can map out the hot pixels on my sensor, and if that will get rid of a vertical line that has appeared in some of my RAW-derived pictures. I never sent my M8 to Leica to have hot pixels mapped out, I just used Pixel Fixer. So now I need to get my hot pixel data into your INI file. I didn't have to worry about lines with Pixel Fixer. Once I mapped out the hot pixel, any line that descended from it disappeared.

 

--Peter

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[Guest]

This photo has been taken at the Anders Petersen exhibition in Munich in 14-bit raw mode by 160 ISO.

In Lightroom 5.7 it was postprocessed by 4 1/4 apertures.

 

 

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Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[saxman777]

Hi guys.. I am a late comer, and technically I have nothing to contribute.

But I just would like to thank Arvid for his effort. 

I have just aquired a used M8 specifically because of this app that you've created and I'm loving the output.

Next I would like to run this DNG file with Raw Photo Processor (RPP) which I am loving as well.

And thanks to all you guys who have contributed to the development as well.

 

Cheers

-Khai-