Support for DNG files?

Question

Will aperture ever support the Adobe generated DNG file format?

Answer 1

No offense and I enjoyed your comments.
Thanks
CCD or CMOS sensitivity to light is non-linear. One
step of processing a DNG is to determine whether to
linearize (i.e. decode) this specific CCD/CMOS
sensitivity to a standard value. Aperture does not
support linearize and I explain why I believe this is
so below.
There are two very different versions of DNG. The
non-linearize one is little more than a wrapper,
which is why Aperture can read these DNG's as the RAW
is embedded. Now you state rightly that DNG
converters must do more than put a wrapper on, and
that is true ... but not for this type of DNG.
The other (linearize) is an interpreted RAW within a
standardized format (wrapper). Blackpoint
compensation (subraction), scaling etc. are also
manipulable variable. Aperture cannot read linear DNG
even if the RAW is supported.
Aperture RAW support is lacking and their support of
DNG is based on non-linear.
Well, then, how do SilkyPix, Lightzone and RAW Developer manage to open non-linear DNG from cameras they don't support and interpret them very well? That's what I want CoreImage to do.
Aperture need
to be vastly better at adding RAW support or telling
us their roadmap, or providing camera manufacturers
the API or ... but something!!!
100% agreed. However, since it is part of the OS we depend on OS updates which are way too slow to follow on the camera market. Moreover, I presume the release manager has other priorities in scheduling OS X updates than those pesky photographers with their marginal second cameras. I think that's a big part of the problem. The release of a RAW update for just the EOS 400 and D80 were due to too much market pressure. It also shows Apple priorities: it is not the pro or consumer status of a camera that will decide ts priority, but only its amrket share. Sorry, but that's a mistake because professional photographers tend to have different cameras and some far less prominent than the Nikon and Canon DSLRs. This is a major win for LR IMHO.
I agree with you that this is close to useless and
the situation is untenable for professionals. Oh, my
next camera is determined by Apple? Humm.
Yes, I really wonder what they are thinking.
Why would Aperture do this? Well, I believe it is
because of their very strict definitions of
"Non-Destructive" workflow. Ans so frankly I don't
see them using DNG more fully because of their
definition. This is how I believe it plays out ...
Sorry to repeat mysel, but if they could do what SilkyPix, Raw Developer and LightZone do, it would be fine.
So although you disagreed with my prior email points
as "untrue" I hope I've clarified. A linear DNG has
been decoded by something, and that something is
proprietary and therefore the resulting DNG data
content is proprietary.
I hope to have similarly clarified what I mean by DNG support
Since RAW is already manipulated data (contrary to
some belief, it is not exactly what light fell on
what pixel but has been demosaiced at the very
least), it makes the most sense to me to have the
camera manufacturer perform the convert to DNG in
camera. That way, my negative is my one, objective
source and I can select my camera on that basis and
make my adjustments on the same basis.
I agree entirely. I think it is futile to hope for major camera manufacturers to initiate a move to DNG because their marketing department probably feel (wrongly) that it comoditize their cameras. So, it is the software industry that has to impose a standard, and DNG is the closest thing we have. And a standard for RAW is needed. In that respect, I find that Apple does the worst job in the photo-related software industry.
This does not prevent me from apeciating the other qualities of Aperture, but, he entire idea being based on RAW files, not supporting them in the first place seems stupid to me.
Cheers.