Adobe ACR 6.7 RC (CS5 only) and Nikon updates add support for the D4, D800/800E. Nikon software now also x64 native.
On March 6, Adobe Labs released the Camera Raw and DNG Converter Release Candidate v.6.7. The RC indication means this software may still undergo changes before final release; however, I have never observed any problems with previous release candidates.
Apart of the support for recently launched cameras (see below) the program also adds a slew of new lens profiles for F-Mount, mostly for our beloved Tokinas: 11-16, 12-24, 16-50 and 50-135, amongst others.
Keep in mind that lens profiles are only supported in ACR 6 and above, and therefore only compatible with Lightroom 3 & 4 and Photoshop / Bridge CS5.
PSE users are out of luck with this RC; they will have to wait a while for the final release to come out.
Apart of the Nikon D4, D800 and D800E, the Camera RAW and DNG Converter 6.7 RC adds support for the following cameras:
• Canon: EOS 1DX and 5D Mark III; PowerShots G1X and S100V
• Fuji: FinePixes F505EXR, F605EXR, HS30EXR and X-S1.
You can download ACR 6.7 and the DNG Converter 6.7 here (separate downloads).
See also: Adobe publishes Camera RAW and DNG Converter 6.7 final releases. The last for CS5.
After the break:
Nikon updates View NX2, Capture NX2 and Camera Control Pro. All include D4, D800/800E and native x64 support.
Nikon updated their View NX2 (v.2.3.0) and Capture NX2 software halfway February, including support for their new cameras.
View NX2 now comes in both 32 and 64-bit versions, and although the x64 version is supposed to work only on Vista and Win7, on my XP x64 Pro system it now finally runs smoothly and fairly fast, even though it is still impossible to add external editing programs in the Options > Open with Application menu.
Starting with this latest release, on x64 systems both the program and the Picture Control Utility run as native 64-bits applications, which is a considerable improvement over previous versions and – even only for that – a good reason to upgrade.
Although View NX2 is still not perfect, users who ditched previous versions because they froze or even crashed their system (see this article), may want to take a second look.
The program can be downloaded here, and is available for Win and Mac 32/64, in English and Spanish.
The latest updates of Capture NX (v.2.3.0 and 2.3.1), include a number of bug-fixes, while 2.3.1 adds support for the D4, D800/D800E.
The latter also features a redesigned user interface and a number of new tools such as Selection Control Points, Auto-Retouch Brush and Shadow/Highlight Adjustment.
Furthermore, the program now runs as a native x64 application on Vista and Win7 64-bits, while NIK software has also released a x64 compatible version of its tools.
The Capture NX 2.3.0 full version must be installed before applying the 2.3.1 update. The 2.3.0 version can be downloaded here, the 2.3.1 update here; both are available for Win and Mac, in English and Spanish.
Unlike View NX2, there are no separate downloads available for 32/64-bits.
The installer determines which version will be set up and – interestingly – installed the program in the native x64 folder on my XP Pro system, even though Nikon states it is only compatible with 32-bits XP.
However, the update refused to install at all, which is bad news indeed for XP x64 users who need support for their latest cameras...
As usual in these cases, the only way around this is getting the DNG Converter 6.7, which is compatible with every version of Photoshop since CS1.
Remember that the amount of adjustment options available during conversion depends on the ACR version you are running. Still, at least you will be able to open your NEF's.
Since I already installed the Capture 60-day-trail to see if it would balk, I will give the program a run for its money to see if the “What is the best RAW converter” article is due for an update as well.
Last but not least, Nikon has published the Camera Control Pro update 2.11.0, which upgrades all previous versions since 2.8.0 including support for the D800/D800E.
The app is available for Win and Mac 32/64, in English and Spanish, while there are no separate downloads available for 32/64-bits.
The update can be downloaded here, the full 2.8.0 (30-day trial) here.
Just like Capture the program is supposed to be only compatible with 32-bits XP, but if you really need it on x64 you might still give it a try.