DNG converter versions/performance

Forum|Forum|8 years ago
January 21, 2018
2 replies
2166 views

Hello. I have a Nikon D810 and its RAW files require a DNG converter 8.6 or higher to read/convert them. Can someone who really knows tell me if there's any discernible difference in appearance/results between the 8.6 and a higher one such as the latest 10.0?

Also, after I convert my RAW files with the 8.6, the file size is considerably smaller, despite my NOT having the lossy compression option engaged. Why is this, and do both versions do this the same way?

Finally, while I was easily able to download the 8.6, the 10.0 version kept saying that it was unable to be downloaded successfully despite my having the Windows 7 O.S. needed.

Thank you for your feed back on my three questions.

This topic has been closed for replies.

michaels13050361Author

Participating Frequently

P.S. I ask this because my original NEF files are 73 MB while the converted DNG versions, with the compression option OFF in Preferences, are a mere 46 MB. Why do they wind up so much less, even with the lossless compression you noted? That's a lot more than you noted it should be.

davescm

Community Expert

Hi

Both lossless and lossy compression are image dependent i.e. some images compress easily e.g. large areas of single flat colour. Some do no not - lots of very fine detail. Therefore any guide to how small a compressed file will be is just a guide.

Lossless compression means that the image can be uncompressed back to its original state - no losses.

Dave

Per Berntsen

Community Expert

As far as I know, version 8.6 and 10 should give you identical results.

The DNG format uses lossless compression (I'm not talking about the lossy compression option), and files converted from my D800E are 10 - 20% smaller than the original NEF files.

The latest version is 10.1 - did you download it from this page? http://supportdownloads.adobe.com/detail.jsp?ftpID=6285

Adobe - Adobe Camera Raw and DNG Converter : For Windows : Adobe DNG Converter 10.1

I just downloaded and installed 10.1 without any problems on my Windows 7 computer.

michaels13050361Author

Participating Frequently

Thanks, Per.

Here's another question: How will choosing "embedding the entire NEF file" vs. having that option off in Preferences compare to each other? I see that the file size is far larger with it engaged. What's in the file that's making it so?

Per Berntsen

Community Expert

The option embeds the original NEF file inside the DNG, so you have two files in one, and I guess the file size would increase by 80 - 90%. You can then use the Extract feature in the converter to extract them later if you want to. I have never embedded the originals, but if I wanted keep the NEFs (which I don't), I would just archive them on an external disk.

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