Camera Raw for Nikon Z6/Z7

[tomg19376301]

I have been using an older version of Photoshop (Creative Suite 5.0 - on disk) with satisfaction for many years.  Over the years, I downloaded plugins for newer Nikon camera bodies - D300 & D800 -  and it worked well.  I will now be purchasing a Nikon Z6.  I am aware of the Adobe Digital Negative Convertor what can be used with the raw files from the Nikon Z6, but that's another step in post production.  That said, is it likely that Adobe will be creating a "plug in" for the Nikon Z6/Z7 that will avoid the need for the Digital Negative Convertor.  As you might guess, I have not become a monthly subscription customer of Adobe since what I have now meets my needs.  It may be that as Adobe has migrated to subscription service, "plug ins" have become a thing of the past. 

[Chuck Uebele]

Moved to the Camera Raw Forum.

I would be say that it's safe to say that there is no chance Adobe will update ACR to work with older versions of PS.

[Per Berntsen]

The plugin you are referring to is Camera Raw itself – it's a plugin for Photoshop.

Whenever a new version of Photoshop is released, the previous version will receive no more updates, like Camera Raw. 

CS5 was compatible with the D300, but you would have needed CS6 for the D800. 

The Nikon Z6 requires Camera Raw version 11.1, which means that you need to subscribe to the Photography Plan to be able to open raw files.  Or you can use the free DNG converter.

I don't know what OS you have (I'm guessing Windows), but although CS5 (or CS6) is working for you now, it will most likely stop working some time in the future, it is totally unsupported on newer operating systems.

[JP Hess]

The DNG converter can be used as your download utility. You can specify your camera card as the source, and a folder on your hard drive as the destination. Then, the files are converted during the download process. Not as cumbersome as you might think. If you insist on continuing using your legacy software as long as you can, the DNG converter can be a good tool to prolong the inevitable of having to make a choice of switching software.