Lightroom support for Nikon lossless-compressed NEFs

Question

Hi,
I shoot in NEF (12-bit, no compression) with a Nikon D200.
I then edit the files with Nikon Capture NX2, and, doing so, I save them as lossless compressed NEF.
I then finish editing in View NX2, where I further add geotagging and star rating.
I would like to import the NEF images straight into Lightroom 3.
My need is only to use the database and slideshow functions of Lr3; I understand and accept that, if I want to re-edit the image, I must use Capture again.
ONLY IN THE CASE I wanted to individually proceed editing in Lr3, I accept the need to extract the embedded jpeg and edit it in Lr3, ending up with two separate images.
In principle, I do not want to duplicate all my images saving them twice also as jpeg.
If I try now to import my lossless-compressed NEFs in Lr3.2, during import preview I can positively see the images, with editing applied. But after import, sometimes it shows an image composed solely by "noise", and sometimes it shows the image, but without any editing. If I open the individual image view, it always says "An error has occurred in elaboration of the image".
For testing, I also tried to save the edited image as NEF non-compressed and import it; I do not obtain the "noise" images any more, but the images are shown in the original version, without editing.
Only if I try to import the original images, it works.
I do not understand such a strange behaviour, since if I use a much simpler program like ExifPro v1.1.11, everything works fine and also the LL-c NEFs are correctly shown, with edits.
I also tried the NXTooey plugin by Rob Cole, but I end up duplicating my images as jpegs, and I do not want it (either I do not use it correctly?).
Thanks for your help
Danilo

Answer 1

Thank you for your prompt answers
@ Lee
I can understand that the philosophy of Lr wants it to be a program for editing, and not merely for viewing - but, indeed, it is not ONLY an edit program (and for editing it has some features I like very much, and it is the reason why I would like to keep using it): it has also the database features, the slideshow, etc., so I cannot understand the intention to deliberately keep such a limitation: to me, such an option could be useful to many users, in many scenarios apart from editing.
The feature could be offered as an optional setting for the user (use internal render - use embedded jpeg), so it is an enlargement of the capabilities of the program, and not a limitation.
Moreover, in my understanding, it is not true that the edited raw images contain only the metadata relative to the editing infos: they certainly contain also an embedded jpeg (or tiff) of the edited image, ready to be extracted.
Infact, programs like ExifPro show the image at 100% quality (not a thumbnail) with editing applied, and they are extremely fast. It is not possible that they have the capability:
1) to fully understand the proprietary matadata - part of them are not even disclosed out of Nikon
2) to apply them on the fly, always and without any misunderstanding
3) perform such an heavy elaboration 10 to 20 times faster than Capture or Lr
So,they instead certainly look into the file for an area where they know it is embedded the edited jpeg, ready and done.
And this could be easily done in the same way also by Lr with minimal effort.
Of course, I accept that, if I want to continue editing in Lr, (since it cannot understand the proprietary metadata), the embedded edited jpeg is extracted and saved, and from now on, I have two separate files that are no more in sincrony with editing.
@ Rob
The firmware of the D200 unfortunately does not have the option to save in NEF Lossless-compressed: either you save in NEF NON-compressed (12-bit),
or you save in NEF LOSSY-compressed (apart from the options of saving in Jpeg)
And so I do not want to save in LOSSY since I would lose infos.
Yes I know that the more recent cameras have the option to save Lossless, and I would always use it indeed, if I had.
Given that, I agree with you for what you say in the second part of your answer.
But I would like to make the temptative anyway: I like very much Lr, it is a program full of options and opportunities (among them, the ability to edit
in a powerful and fast way - who knows if I will abandon Capture in the future and adopt LR for some editings, and for others no)
So: +1 vote: Lightroom option for persistent display of embedded jpeg (could it be offered as an option, or a flag to be checked in the settings??), and
optional extraction for editing.
And I will submit the "noise" phenomenon as a bug - Now I only have to find how to do it...
Thank you again
Danilo