Marmot Posted August 15, 2014 Share Posted August 15, 2014 Do any of you snappers covert your RAW files to DNG and how have you been getting on with it? I've been getting the odd CR2 file corrupting years or months after being saved to a hard drive and I believe DNG format may help prevent this as well as being more future proof and more compact (the .xmp data is stored in the .dng file and not as a separate file). Here is the article I read: http://photographyconcentrate.com/should-you-covert-dng/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin Carlsson Posted August 15, 2014 Share Posted August 15, 2014 I always convert RAWs to DNGs when importing. Done if for years and never had any problems. Back-catalogue converted as well. DNGs plays much nicer with Lightroom, Bridge, Cameraraw and Photoshop. Never had any go corrupt, as it did from time to time with CR2s. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marmot Posted August 15, 2014 Author Share Posted August 15, 2014 Thanks for your input, Carlssonlnc, that is good to hear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allan Bell Posted August 15, 2014 Share Posted August 15, 2014 You have me wondering now if converting Fuji X-T1 ARF (RAW) images to DNG would give better rendition of the so called watercolour effect when processing and saving to tiff. Anyone tried this and what were your results. I have RAW images from a few different camera makers but always kept them in their native file. Allan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin Carlsson Posted August 15, 2014 Share Posted August 15, 2014 I presume that rendering would be the same as the DNG file still holds all the data, just a different format. Lightroom for example knows from which camera the file comes and renders accordingly. Benefits is that there is only one file (XMP info is written into the DNG file, not side-car), future-proof and "never" causes any grievances with any Adobe products. Don't know why the camera manufacturer are so slow to move to native DNG (Hasselblad has I think) straight out of camera. Had many problems with CR2s when side-car files were not moved properly with the CR2 file, causing lost adjustments (cameraraw/lightroom) and sometimes go corrupt. So much easier to only have to deal with one raw format, instead of several incarnations of CR2s and other raw formats. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marmot Posted August 15, 2014 Author Share Posted August 15, 2014 CarlssonInc, have you ever had file corruption when using DNG files? I have suffered from some CR2 files corrupting after months or years of appearing to be OK. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin Carlsson Posted August 15, 2014 Share Posted August 15, 2014 CarlssonInc, have you ever had file corruption when using DNG files? I have suffered from some CR2 files corrupting after months or years of appearing to be OK. Not that I can remember, never. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dyn Llun Posted August 15, 2014 Share Posted August 15, 2014 CarlssonInc:-"Don't know why the camera manufacturer are so slow to move to native DNG (Hasselblad has I think) straight out of camera". My digi files are also DNG straight out of the camera - Leica. No problems. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Brooks Posted August 15, 2014 Share Posted August 15, 2014 I have been converting my raw Canon CR2 files to raw DNG as part of the upload process from the camera. I have been doing this ever since the DNG format became available, and have not had any problems. For archival purposes I save a DNG with adjustment info baked inside the DNG file, instead of a sidecar file. This means I can use the Apple finder to move DNG files around. I also save a TIFF output from the adjusted DNG. I would never trust a manufacturer to constantly upgrade for all and future systems to ensure the viability of a propriety file. Kodak photo CD files, Bryce 3D files on the Mac, have gone extinct. I have heard of problems with early Nikon NEF files. I think camera manufacturers maintain propriety files mainly as a marketing ploy. They want you to use their software and file format and therefore become trapped in their ecosystem. That way you would not even think of switching to another manufacturer. At one early point Nikon encrypted the colour data in NEF files meaning you had to use Nikon software. Nikon only backed off after the outcry. I started digital imaging in 1992 so some of my early TIFF files from NEF film scans are 22 years old. I can still open those TIFFS. DNG, TIFF, and JPG are universal file formats that can be opened on all systems now, and likely into the future. Here is a old, but still viable, image from an early TIFF that I uploaded to Alamy recently. I wouldn't want to risk loosing it by using a propriety format. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marmot Posted August 15, 2014 Author Share Posted August 15, 2014 Great pic Bill and thanks for your input. I've now downloaded the DNG converter software so if I decide to go ahead, it should only take 10 years to convert all my CR2 files............. ..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reciprocity Images Posted August 15, 2014 Share Posted August 15, 2014 I always convert RAWs to DNGs when importing. Done if for years and never had any problems. Back-catalogue converted as well. DNGs plays much nicer with Lightroom, Bridge, Cameraraw and Photoshop. Never had any go corrupt, as it did from time to time with CR2s. I do the same, have done so since DNG was available. Went ahead and converted all back catalogue when making the switch from Aperture to LR some years back. Like the OP, I consistently had problems with CR2 file corruption. Have never had a corrupted file with DNG (knock on wood), but I don't know if that is a result of the format or just luck!? Only downside (that I can see) is slightly slower import process as the files are converted. -Jason Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marmot Posted August 16, 2014 Author Share Posted August 16, 2014 Cheers Jason. I've noticed that my CR2 files only corrupt AFTER I have moved them to an external hard drive. Maybe DNGs are more robust, like TIFs and JPGs, with which (paws crossed) I have never had a corruption problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MariaJ Posted August 16, 2014 Share Posted August 16, 2014 Interesting conversation. I only started using DNG files this year when my version of ACR couldn't read the RAW files from my new Sony RX100. The conversion process is easy, but I'm not sure if I should hold onto the original RAW files as well. Having the JPGs, RAW and DNG take up a lot of space. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marmot Posted August 16, 2014 Author Share Posted August 16, 2014 I agree Maria - I'm reluctant to let my CR2s go completely. As a side issue, I just managed to revive one corrupt CR2 file. Although the file would not open in DPP and showed up as corrupt in Bridge, the Windows 7 browser thumbnail looked OK so I opened it from there directly into Irfanview and it looked fine and I was able to save it as a fine looking TIF!!! Maybe it was just a miracle (as it is I've already published this same image on Alamy et al..... before it decided to get corrupted) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allan Bell Posted August 16, 2014 Share Posted August 16, 2014 Just downloaded DNG 8.6 and note there is a facility to embed your original RAW file inside the DNG file produced from that RAW file. This does give a larger DNG file but also allows the original RAW to be extracted at a later date if needed. Is anyone using this facility or do they keep both RAW and DNG files separate? Allan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pearl Posted August 16, 2014 Share Posted August 16, 2014 I have also been converting all my RAW files to DNG for years and had no problems until I tried using Capture One Pro which seems unable to recognise the DNG files correctly. I didn't do extensive tests on it, just reverted back to LR. Allan - I also convert the Fuji X-T1 RAW files and have no problems using LR and CS6. Never noticed this watercolour effect that people talk about. And yes, the files are much larger if you embed the original RAW in the DNG. I don't do this but it might get round the C1P issue. Pearl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin Carlsson Posted August 17, 2014 Share Posted August 17, 2014 When I started using DNGs (around 2006?) I left CR2s behind completely. I don't "bake them" them into the DNG file, just convert at import and also had the back-catalogue converted. It has worked without a hitch since then, no corruptions, no problems moving files around and losing edits/metadata etc. However, a few raw converters won't work with DNGs. For example Canon's DPP (Digital Photo Professional) doesn't work with DNGs, but I'm not using that anyway. Would be great that if going forward ALL camera manufacturers would move to the DNG format straight out of camera - not at least for simplicity and shaving a few wee seconds/minutes off the import process. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allan Bell Posted August 17, 2014 Share Posted August 17, 2014 I have also been converting all my RAW files to DNG for years and had no problems until I tried using Capture One Pro which seems unable to recognise the DNG files correctly. I didn't do extensive tests on it, just reverted back to LR. Allan - I also convert the Fuji X-T1 RAW files and have no problems using LR and CS6. Never noticed this watercolour effect that people talk about. And yes, the files are much larger if you embed the original RAW in the DNG. I don't do this but it might get round the C1P issue. Pearl Pearl pleased to here you are converting X-T1 images to DNG and not seeing so called "watercolour effects". May I ask if you are using LR develop on the DNGs and if so what noise/sharpness settings you use? Allan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pearl Posted August 17, 2014 Share Posted August 17, 2014 I have also been converting all my RAW files to DNG for years and had no problems until I tried using Capture One Pro which seems unable to recognise the DNG files correctly. I didn't do extensive tests on it, just reverted back to LR. Allan - I also convert the Fuji X-T1 RAW files and have no problems using LR and CS6. Never noticed this watercolour effect that people talk about. And yes, the files are much larger if you embed the original RAW in the DNG. I don't do this but it might get round the C1P issue. Pearl Pearl pleased to here you are converting X-T1 images to DNG and not seeing so called "watercolour effects". May I ask if you are using LR develop on the DNGs and if so what noise/sharpness settings you use? Allan Allan I mostly use ACR (CS6) to process X-T1 DNGs although I have occasionally done them in LR if in a hurry. I use the default noise and sharpness settings. I shouldn't speak too soon but no QC failures yet with this camera (all lenses) or any other Fuji X cameras for that matter. If you are nervous about changing then you can keep the original RAW files as well, separately rather than embedded. I used to do this but haven't for a long time. Pearl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D700 Doug Posted August 17, 2014 Share Posted August 17, 2014 Second thing I do after downloading !Always convert and save as DNG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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