Is DNG format specific to a camera

[carbon_dragon]

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I'm currently using Apple Aperture for my Leica M9 but as Apple no longer supports it, it's only a matter of time before I will have to convert (maybe to Capture One). In the meantime, should I buy an M10, will it's DNG files be readable by Aperture even if Apple no longer adds support for new cameras. Note I'm not positive Apple isn't doing this, but it would kind of be typical so I'm kind of assuming this is true.

 

In other words, will buying an M10 mean an IMMEDIATE conversion to another program?

 

Thanks.

[ramarren]

The DNG format specification is not specific to a camera. However, cameras that produce raw files in DNG format do include a specific set of metadata for the camera ... camera brand and model name, a camera color profile (CCP), etc. Earlier versions of Aperture would not open DNG files for which Apple did not have a supported CCP file; I'm not sure that this is true even to the last incarnations of Aperture but I would not be too surprised if it is.

 

Similarly, Apple's implementation of DNG is incomplete in that it never supported the DNG linear format, often used by scanner software and some DNG conversion utilities (for instance, the Iridient DNG converter designed for Fujifilm XTrans sensor data).

 

The good news is that there are several good choices in image processing software that can replace Aperture: of course there's Lightroom and Photoshop (particularly if you don't mind being a subscriber to Adobe's services), but there are also Luminar and Affinity Photo, Iridient Developer, Capture One, etc ... amongst others. All of these are very good raw converters and image processing tools, albeit all have their own strengths and weaknesses just as Aperture does.

 

On macOS, I've been using Lightroom 6.14 (the last perpetual license version) for a while now and learning Luminar 2018 as preparation for when Lightroom 6 can no longer run on macOS and needs an upgrade to Lightroom CC ... because I don't like to join yet another subscription service. Luminar performs quite well, better than LR in some ways and not quite up to the same level in others. I've also found that the latest revisions of SnapSeed and Affinity Photo on the iPad Pro do an amazingly good job with my M9, M240, M-D262, SL, and CL DNG files, never mind all my JPEG and TIFF files.

 

Ya just gotta keep moving forwards.

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[prk60091]

My leica Q files are readable by Aperture even though the Q debuted long after aperture was retired.

[ramarren]

Aperture uses the system-based "Raw camera" conversion framework dynamically, so it's conceivable that the last versions of Aperture will get compatibility for free since that framework is regularly updated still for Photos, Preview, and other app utilizations. But you can't bet on it.

 

Probably the best thing to do to be sure is to just hunt up an M10 or M10-P DNG file from the net and then attempt to import it into Aperture. If it is imported, you're good and you don't need to worry about moving to new software yet.

[carbon_dragon]

Ok thanks. If I actually buy one, I’ll see what happens when I try to import the images. Darn Apple!