R9-DMR preparation

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Sorry to hear about the problems with Aperture. I second David's suggestion about downloading Capture One 4 Beta2. At least you can readily see images and it will give you a sense of the capabilities of the R9/DMR.

 

Keep posting and I am sure many will come forward to help if you are still having problems.

 

The files from the DMR are really wonderful so you have a big treat ahead of you, just be patient and persevere.

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[mgcd]

Aperture simply does NOT support DMR files. Period. In any case, the best raw processor for the DMR is Capture One either LE or Pro, bar none.

 

Also, you have to mount the motor-drive unit carefully or there may be miscommunication between the camera and the DMR unit.

 

Cheers,

[epompei]

Hello all,

 

sorry to bother, but I am new to Leica and I'd appreciate some advice.

After 21 years with my Yashica FX3, I started looking around for a new camera (the Yashica is starting to behave funny). After much reading, I almost managed to convince myself toward the Leica R, the other alternative being the MP.

My favorite subjects are landscapes and wildlife, which makes me hesitant toward the M, due to the limited zoom available.

Actually I would consider the Leica R9 with the DMR and the following lenses: the standard one which comes with the entry set for the R9, the 100mm/f2.8 and the televid 280/560mm.

I am definitely NOT a professional photographer, but I like *good* quality images and at the same time I also appreciate avoiding spending an enormous amount of time in front of Photoshop or other software to "massage" the pictures, since reducing images is part of my work (I'm an astronomer) and I want to be able to enjoy a nice picture almost "out-of the-box", as it was the case with my Yashica.

I would like to ask you some feedback on this choice and also if you think it is worth to purchase the DMR: I have the negative scanner (Minolta Dimage 5400) which has worked very well so far, apart the enormous amount of time it takes to scan.

 

Thanks a lot for your attention,

Emanuela

[telyt]

Actually I would consider the Leica R9 with the DMR and the following lenses: the standard one which comes with the entry set for the R9, the 100mm/f2.8 and the televid 280/560mm.

 

I would like to ask you some feedback on this choice and also if you think it is worth to purchase the DMR: I have the negative scanner (Minolta Dimage 5400) which has worked very well so far, apart the enormous amount of time it takes to scan.

 

I use the R8/DMR for wildlife with the 280mm f/4 APO, 400mm f/6.8 and 560mm f/6.8 Telyts. The DNG files convert very easily to beautiful .TIF and .JPG files. Lots of examples on my website http://www.wildlightphoto.com

[Eoin]

HHHEEEEELLLLLPPPPP!!!!!!

Trouble sorting aperture plist.

OK, I have downloaded the txt file and plist editor.

I am looking here /System/Library/CoreServices/RawCamera.bundle/Contents/Resources/Raw.plist.

I can only get as far as RawCamera.bundle (which is a lego piece icon). It is not a folder. I am running Leopard and have all the latest updates installed.

 

Jason, some things have changed in Leopard so here is a walk through to get you up and running.

 

1, the raw.plist file is located inside /System/Library/CoreServices/RawCamera.bundle, when you navigate to rawcamera.bundle you'll need to right click it and select show package contents from the drop down menu. You'll then see a window open up with a contents folder, open that and open resources folder and you'll find raw.plist.

 

2. You need to make a copy of the raw.plist file in case you make a mess of things. I usually copy it to my desktop.

 

3. The raw.plist file in the resources folder is a protected system file and you need to change the permissions on it to allow you to edit and save your changes. To do this right click the raw.plist file and select Get Info from the drop down menu. In the new menu down the bottom you'll see sharing and permissions, you'll need to add your username to the list and change all the permissions of the names to read and write. You may need to click the lock and enter your password to change these settings. I also set the open with to use PlistEdit Pro here. Close this Info menu and re-boot your Mac.

 

4. Go back to the raw.plist as you did in section 1. and double click it and it should open in PlistEdit Pro. I presume you have down loaded the Leopard R9 and not the original R9 Text file?. You'll need the Leopard version as some things have changed. Open the text file in a text editor and select all the text and copy it. Then in the PlistEdit Pro window there are 2 panes, we are going to work in the bottom window, I suggest you maximise the application and drag the window bar up to give yourself as much room as possible. If you scan down the entries you will notice the various camera entries start with a <key>Camera Name</key> and end with a </dict> entry. You need to find a </dict> click your mouse after it and press the enter key. This will insert a blank line into which you paste the text from the Leopard R9 text file. Remove any blank lines before and after your paste. Save the raw.plist and close PlistEdit Pro.

 

5. Leopard uses a checksum to validate all system files and make sure they have not been damaged by malware. We need to change the checksum for the edited raw.plist file.

Back in the contents folder of the RawCamera.bundle you'll see CodeResources, right clic that and open with PlistEdit Pro. Click the files triangle and you'll see an entry for Resources/Raw.plist and in the value column there is a 20 digit check sum. We need to update this value. Open a treminal window and type the following openssl dgst -sha1 /System/Library/CoreServices/RawCamera.bundle/Contents/Resources/Raw.plist and press enter, this will return a new checksum for the raw.plist file. Cut and paste this value into the value column for the raw.plist entry in the top window section. Save and close the CodeResources file. Reboot your mac once again.

 

6. Use Sandy's cornerfix to batch process your DMR files before importing into Aperture. Don't forget to select the option in his preferences to not overwrite the DMR Name with the M8 name. You should be good to go!. Enjoy.

 

7. If all the above seems daunting to you, don't try it, download the trial versions of Lightroom or C1 v4. If you do proceed, keep these instructions because every time Apple update the core image services you'll need to re-apply this patch until proper DMR support is added......if ever.

[andybarton]

Eoin

 

As you know, I have used your sage advice and Sandy's Cornerfix to successfully get Aperture to deal with DMR files. However, I haven't used the Checksum thing in order to do so.

 

I would comment that Aperture runs very slowly on a 20" Dual Core iMac 2.0GHz with 1.5 gig RAM...

[Eoin]

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Andy,

 

It is suggested else where that the checksum needs to be updated, that being said I've amended the raw.plist with and without updating the checksum and both seem to work OK. I included it in the steps just to cover all bases.

I'd also suggest Aperture runs slowly on all hardware even my new 17" Hi Res MBP 2.4 Core 2 Duo with 4Gb, 7k Hatchi HDD performance is not much improved from my G5 (last ver) or my prior MBP with 2Gb. The key to Aperture is the

size of the projects inside the library, it seems to run quite well with many smaller projects residing inside folders than larger single projects. In terms of speed it won't set the world on fire, but it's very usable and stable. I love the workflow and organisation

of images, I won't be changing any time soon ..... well perhaps when v2.0 comes out I'll consider it.

[dhsimmonds]

I never get any of these problems using a PC. However I always use a card reader and would never connect my camera of any type to the computer. I have heard of disasters to expensive camera electronics by doing so sometimes.......I would rather lose a cheap card reader! Although so far, I have never had a problem myself.

 

None of these problems relate in my view to the DMR which remains a superb professional imaging device. I would rather change computer!

[JasonSF]

Hi, and thanks for everything. Where do I get the plist txt file for Leopard for the R9 DMR.

 

I cannot seem to find it in any threads.

 

Cheers

 

Jason

[JasonSF]

oops, is OK i have just found it. good old time machine eh!

 

Thanks

 

Jason

[JasonSF]

THANK YOU.

 

Well, I now import straight into Aperture! And it all works with RAW files.

 

Why do I need cornerfix DMRtoM8???? I have just imported straight from card (in reader) into Aperture and it all looks good.

 

Thanks again for the instructions.

 

What stars you all are.

 

Jason