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fredericd54756768
Participant
Sep 17, 2017 8:01 PM UTC
Question

Nikon D850 RAW File Converter to DNG - loss of image quality?

Hi

I am using the Nikon D850 and am aware that Adobe LR does not yet support the Nikon RAW files. So I am using the DNG Converter (as proposed by Adobe) for the first time ever. Can it be that there is a loss of image quality in DNG compared to the original RAW File? If this is so, how long will it take Adobe to get a RAW/LR update who makes it possible to read RAW Files without using the converter? (I am based in Switzerland).

If the update comes soon, I would wait with the editing of this weekends wedding shooting.

Thanks for every advice (can also be on how to setup the DNG converter to get the maximum out of each file, in case the update takes longer).

Cheers - Frederic

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25 replies

Akash Sharma
Akash Sharma
Legend
Oct 26, 2017 4:58 PM UTC

Hi All,

We have released an update of Lightroom 6.13, Nikon D 850 is now supported in the latest version.

Please refer Lightroom 6.13 now available and update to version.

Thanks,

Akash

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seungyongk90815014
Participant
Oct 9, 2017 11:30 AM UTC

If you have DNG converter installed you can also use D850 profiles in LR.

Copy all files in C:/ProgramData/Adobe/CameraRaw/CameraProfiles/Camera/Nikon D850

To C:/Users/<user-name>/AppData/Roaming/Adobe/CameraRaw/CameraProfiles.

And then restart LR. Enjoy!!!

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    itekiti
    itekiti
    Participating Frequently
    Sep 28, 2017 1:02 PM UTC

    I always transfer pictures from camera to HDD, then i convert them to DNG.

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    itekiti
    itekiti
    Participating Frequently
    Sep 28, 2017 1:07 PM UTC

    Transfer again from camera and convert to DNG and it looks ok... hmmm....

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    Todd Shaner
    Todd Shaner
    Legend
    Sep 28, 2017 1:42 PM UTC

    Then these are the things you need to check and/or replace:

    That looks like data corruption most likely due to the card reader, USB cable, or system memory.

    The other possibility is the memory card may be failing, but that symptom is generally permanent corrupted image files.

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      francescospighi
      Participant
      Sep 18, 2017 12:11 PM UTC

      Here on my D850 review, you can easily see the difference. What's clear is that there is an evident difference in how DNG converter manages M-Raw compared to Nikon's software, making them almost not usable at the moment. Hope you guys can send this note to developers because now for us could be a great limit.

      Nikon D850 Review // Fied test & Real World and Wedding

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      Todd Shaner
      Todd Shaner
      Legend
      Sep 22, 2017 3:09 PM UTC

      Francesco, I agree with your observations concerning the Nikon D850 m raw file sharpening using both the original NEF file with Adobe Camera Raw 9.12.1 and the converted DNG file in LR CC 2015.12. They are identical and both require a very high Sharpening Amount. (75+) to achieve reasonable sharpness.

      You can speak directly with Adobe Engineer David Franzen at the below Photoshop Family post:

      nikon 850 raw+ camera raw | Photoshop Family Customer Community

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        ejfeliz65
        Participant
        Sep 27, 2017 5:55 PM UTC

        It has taken me ALL day to convert almost 2,000 images from a trip I just finished...that is crazy!! You can't tell me that with the number of Lr and all the other Adobe products Nikon users that they (Adobe) could not have had a software update ready for the d850 release date, unless they are battling with Nikon for some reason. it's just plain stupid.

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        ManiacJoe
        ManiacJoe
        Inspiring
        Sep 17, 2017 9:47 PM UTC

        There should be no loss of image quality with the DNG converter, assuming reasonable settings for the DNG converter.

        Note: the Picture Controls and other camera settings used by Nikon software for their initial display of the image are not used by Adobe or any other third-party software, so the initial display of the image by Adobe will not necessarily look like the Nikon version.

        Adobe's track record for new camera releases is one whole minor release after the official release of the camera. So for example, 6.12 is the current version, 6.13 would be the planned version already in development before Nikon officially released the D850, 6.14 would be the expected version of LR to support the D850. It is possible that 6.13 gets the new camera update for the D850; it could be that 7.0 gets it. Adobe does not discuss such things with the public.

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          fredericd54756768Author
          Participant
          Sep 18, 2017 5:14 AM UTC

          thank you - great explanation!

          Frederic

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          dj_paige
          dj_paige
          Legend
          Sep 17, 2017 9:02 PM UTC

          fredericd54756768  wrote

          Can it be that there is a loss of image quality in DNG compared to the original RAW File?

          In general, the answer is an emphatic NO.

          Why do you ask?

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          fredericd54756768Author
          Participant
          Sep 18, 2017 5:13 AM UTC

          thank you!

          well, I shot with two cameras, D750 and D850. D750 is the RAW File, D850 is the converted DNG... maybe I am just not used to it but the quality of both files seems to be different... I will get use do it - but still wait for an update to start working as I am used to ;-)

          thanks - Frederic

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