No RAW support for new Nikon P7000

Question

Just received the new, compact, "pro-sumer" Nikon P7000 camera today. It's a beauty. High-end, finessed pictures in those situations where you don't want to lug a DSLR around. It's going head-to-head with the legendary Canon G11/G12.
One major "gotcha'" that I didn't know about until I started using the camera, is that the Nikon P7000 uses a proprietary RAW format. It's predecessor, the p6000, did too. However, while Aperture supports the older p6000 NRW "raw" format, it does NOT currently support the enhanced NRW+ format used by the p7000. f#$% !!!
This is truly annoying!! There is no reason that I can think of for the p7000 not to use the NEF raw format used by most other (Nikon) cameras. Thanks, Nikon!! /sarcasm
So this means that currently, RAW photos from the Nikon P7000 cannot be imported into Aperture. You have to set the camera to create "Fine" JPEG photos; which, granted, are pretty good. However, to get the advantage of RAW photos, you have to use the "ViewNX2" editing software that came with the camera. Blah!
Hopefully, Apple will step up, and the Raw Camera Support for Aperture will soon include the NRW+ format. Or even better yet, hopefully Nikon will see the error of their ways an migrate their Powershot cameras to the "standard" raw format, NEF, in an upcoming firmware release.
j0hnw
P.S. For info about the Nikon P7000, see: http://imaging.nikon.com/products/imaging/lineup/digitalcamera/coolpix/performan ce/p7000/index.htm

Answer 1

SierraDragon wrote:
Yes, it is a problem. Apple loses lots of market share through slow response time in supporting new cameras. Adobe is usually faster, so a workaround may be to use Adobe's DNG Converter to convert the Nikon P7000 NRW files to DNGs that Aperture can digest.
Thanks for the pointer to the free Adobe DNG Converter. Even though it doesn't yet support the P7000, you're right in that Adobe may beat Apple to the punch. Plus, I just like the idea of the DNG format. The Converter looks like a handy tool to have in the tool chest. I've got my fingers crossed that it's AppleScriptable
The P7000 does look like the pocket camera many of us have been whining to Nikon about for years. I lacks swivel display but the huge size of the LCD makes up for it. I want one!
Despite my whining about RAW support, my initial impression after one day of shooting is that it's as great a camera as it looks on paper. Lots of control over the shot. Good, solid feel. Can get great shots in adverse (eg. low light) conditions. The only major annoyance I've noticed is slow RAW write times (several seconds using Class 6 card). I've heard some grumbling about AutoFocus issues, but I having had any problems with it yet. The swivel monitor isn't a big deal -- for me anyway -- because the 3" display is easy to see at any angle. Plus, I wanted rugged, and would worry about the swivel joint becoming a weak spot. BTW, you'll need some big pockets to call it a "pocket camera"; it dwarfs my Canon S90 (which I consider my pocket camera)
Thanks again,
j0hnw