Lightroom raw support for Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II

[Bengt Nyman]

I am shooting the new Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II. I am using the latest Lightroom 5. (I cancelled my Lightroom 6 because it kept crashing).

Lightroom has no support for the new E-M1.2.

What do I do ?

[Just Shoot Me]

Please read this and then go to the DPReview link to read more.

High Res Shot

This feature isn't new to Olympus cameras, but the output resolution is now 50MP and enhancements have been made to reduce blur from moving subjects (though it remains best suited for tripod shooting and very still subjects). In High Res mode the camera shifts the sensor eight times, taking a photo in every position, and combines them into a single 50 or 25 Megapixel image. A gigantic 64GB ORF Raw file can be saved, along with a single-shot ~17MB ORI format file that can, theoretically, only be opened in Olympus Viewer. In practice, if you rename it to .ORF, you'll find it's a standard single image Raw file.

Ultimate OM-D: Olympus E-M1 Mark II Review: Digital Photography Review

[Bengt Nyman]

You are off subject, again.

[ssprengel]

LR 6.8/CC 2015.8/ACR 9.8/DNGC 9.8 have preliminary support, whatever that means, although it suggests the next version may have better support.

Either people don't know, or people are restricted from saying via a non-disclosure-agreement, when the next version of the Adobe software will be available, and whether it will process the high-res files.

Software available from Olympus will process the high-res files, currently.

[Bengt Nyman]

I presently use a DNG converter to translate em1.2 raw files for editing in Lightroom. I do not use the sensor shift technology to increase resolution. In my case, what would be the advantage of using the Olympus software.

[ssprengel]

The .8 versions of current series of Adobe software only have preliminary support, so the processing is deficient in some way.  In the past that usually means Adobe has hacked something so this new camera will use a camera profile from an older model camera, making the colors a little off.  In such case the Olympus software may provide better color rendering; however, Olympus software is most necessary for processing high-res photos, which you're not doing, you've said, although the other participant, eric, seems to be.

A little earlier you asked when LR will be able to process Olympus files without the extra steps.  If you are asking when LR 5 will have native EM1 Mark 2 support, then the answer is never.  You'll always have to use the DNG Converter to work with camera raws where the release date of the model of camera is newer than the release date of LR, which in your case is December 2014, for LR 5.7.1.

[Bengt Nyman]

Thank You !

Adobe is trying to force everybody to subscribe to the cloud, which would cost me 10 times what the freestanding programs are costing. I would subscribe to LR alone, but I don't want to pay the full time subscription cost for Photoshop since I rarely use it. Adobe strategies do not work at all for me right now. I might have to go elsewhere. Do you have any suggestions ?

[Bill Sprague]

Bengt Nyman wrote:

Do you have any suggestions ?

Photoscape X and  RawTherapee are free.

[Bengt Nyman]

Are they better than Olympus software, which I will try.

[Bob Somrak]

Bengt Nyman wrote:

Thank You !

Adobe is trying to force everybody to subscribe to the cloud, which would cost me 10 times what the freestanding programs are costing

Only if you keep you Lightroom upgrades for about 7 years.  10 times an $80 upgrade is $800 or 80 months of both Lightroom AND. Photoshop.

[ssprengel]

The standalone LR 6 is EXACTLY the same software as LR CC 2015, so if LR 6 doesn't work on your computer then LR CC 2015 won't, either.  My guess is that either your computer has some iffy hardware somewhere or you may need to disable the GPU (Graphics Acceleration) in LR Preferences / Performance because your video drivers aren't quite compatible and LR needs to use software-rendering.

As far as where to get the Olympus software, Just Shoot Me provided a link to the Olympus site, above, that you can click through and find the software, but here is a more direct link, to the Olympus Viewer 3 which supposedly works with your camera's raw files.  It looks like there is the installer, then an update from November:

Download Files: Software, Firmware, Drivers - OLYMPUS digital camera

The site is in Japan but this is the English link I get from the US.  I don't know where the link takes you if your browser doesn't indicate your default language is English.

For reference, here is what I see for the OV3 downloads at the above link:

[Bengt Nyman]

Thanks. I found it, downloaded it and using it. Slow but accurate, better tones etc than LR. Missing a few P.S. like things from Lightroom but I can always open the .jpg in LR if needed. Thanks for the help !!

[ssprengel]

If possible in OV3, save as a 16-bit TIFF with a ProPhotoRGB color profile and import that into LR.  That'll be as close to what LR's internal color workspace is. 

[Bengt Nyman]

Thank you, will do.

[Bengt Nyman]

Lightroom 6 is still very slow and crashes many times daily. Lightroom 5 was a better release for me but did not read raw files from Olympus O-MD E-M1 Mark II. I understand that "Lightroom 5.9 raw support for Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II" is now available in CameraRaw 9.9 which I have downloaded i a .zip file.

Lightroom 5.7 does not respond to update command. How do I update Lightroom 5 to include CameraRaw 9.9 ?

I do not and will not use the cloud, only stand-alone please. 

[DdeGannes]

@Bengt quote

"Lightroom 5.7 does not respond to update command. How do I update Lightroom 5 to include CameraRaw 9.9 ?

I do not and will not use the cloud, only stand-alone please."

Lightroom is a stand alone application and does not use the Adobe Camera Raw plugin. Each version of Lightroom has the raw  processing engine built into the application. LR 5.7 is the equivalent of ACR 8.7

You need to purchase an upgrade to LR 6 then update to LR 6.9 to get the equivalent of ACR 9.9

[Bengt Nyman]

I have already bought the upgrade to Lightroom 6 and it is SLOW AND UNSTABLE. It already had the latest Olympus raw reader included. But thanks for explaining why I can not update Lightroom 5 to use the ACR 9.9.

[JP Hess]

With the DNG converter open, you select the FOLDER containing your raw images. But you don't open that folder. The DNG converter works at the FOLDER level. If you open the folder that contains your raw files you will get the message you are seeing..

[Bengt Nyman]

Tack. Vi vet det.

[Bill Sprague]

Bengt Nyman wrote:

Since Lightroom 6 is an unstable product, updates to Lightroom 5 should continue until Lightroom 6 is reliable.

It has been "stable" on my computer!

[paulp32929253]

Just fyi, I upgraded to the latest versions of Lightroom CC and Photoshop CC today after my older version of CC didn't recognize the files from my new E-M1 Mark II.  After the upgrade the E-M1 files were recognized and imported perfectly.  If you don't want to deal with other apps I'd recommend going this route. 

[Bengt Nyman]

Thanks,

I am aware of that. I also purchased  and returned the freestanding Lightroom 6 (twice) which also reads em1.2 files, but that software is a huge, unstable patchwork. I resist going to the Adobe Cloud because I think it is overpriced and I photograph all over the world, many times with poor or no connection.

P.S. The Olympus viewer 3 software is slow but more accurate in both tones and colors.

Thanks.

[Bill Sprague]

Bengt Nyman wrote:

Thanks,

I am aware of that. I also purchased and returned the freestanding Lightroom 6 (twice) which also reads em1.2 files, but that software is a huge, unstable patchwork. I resist going to the Adobe Cloud because I think it is overpriced and I photograph all over the world, many times with poor or no connection.

P.S. The Olympus viewer 3 software is slow but more accurate in both tones and colors.

Thanks.

FWIW, it is stable for millions, including me.  I don't understand how you twice got left out of getting one of the stable copies!

FWIW.2, if you buy the annual plan from a retailer on a discount sale, the CC is pretty cheap.  My effective cost is $7.50 a month.  All the of Lightroom resides on my computer.  It is not "in the cloud".  Connections are only infrequently needed.  As a traveler, annual plan members' computers only need to "phone home" about every 90 days.  Certainly most travelers check email at least that often. 

[Bengt Nyman]

You sound like a CC salesman !? Or are you just in need of approval.

P.S. So what is it that is "cloud" about it, if it all resides on your computer. That sounds more like regular Lightroom with built in updates at many times the freestanding price. Good for Adobe. Questionable for individual users.

[Bill Sprague]

Bengt Nyman wrote:

You sound like a CC salesman !? Or are you just in need of approval.

..

No, I'm not a CC salesman.  Maybe or maybe not about needing approval.  That would be psychiatry.

I do have a good friend that works for Adobe.  That may motivate me to care a little more. 

My motivation in answering your posts is my personal view of ethics.  This is a forum of (mostly) users that enjoy the simple act of helping people where they can.  It is a generosity thing.  Or, a pay it forward thing.  To use this forum to denigrate a company, it's products and customers is not appropriate. 

Respectfully,

Bill

[Bengt Nyman]

Agreed.

To claim that Adobe is acting ethically, or in our interest, is another story.