Nikon Z9 High Efficiency files

Is there any new information on the support for Nikon Z9 High Efficiency Raw files, it had been suggested by another forum user that there would be an update by the end of 2022?

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If the support is introduced and it works without bugs and limitations by the end of 2023, I’ll be impressed. Based on past performance.

I suggest we plan to continue to shoot without HEF for medium-term. Thanks for asking though, Eugene. The squeaky wheel gets the oil. Unless of course it’s support for iPhone and Android DNG.

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Hi Alec,

for your last sentence…bring some more oil to Support any DNG file :tractor: :auto_rickshaw:

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On more than one occasion, here in the forums and in an email reply response received from DxO support, support for HE and HE* files was stated to be released before the end of 2022. Then in December, again in these forums, it was changed to “early 2023”. Then today I received an email from DxO touting "1,693 new Optics modules and supports for sever new cameras; nothing for Nikon on either front. It’s disappointing, particularly since DxO promises one thing and then falls silent without further updates on the status of when HE and HE* will finally be supported and when we can expect to see more support for Z mount lenses.

Hopefully it won’t take that long Alec, I’m fairly happy with the speed of innovation in PhotoLab and I appreciate that Z9 users are probably in a minority but it would be great to be able to take advantage of the new file formats and save some disk space!

The support for Nikon optics and cameras is pretty good (I’m almost all Nikon at this point, although I still have a tiny Canon M6 with 22mm f2 in silver to wear with evening dress). Nikon doesn’t release so many pointless duplicate awful kit lenses or so many tiered lenses at crazy prices (f1.2, 1.4, f2, f2.8 versions in Canon for instance of a lens which only exists in Nikon Z as a perfect f1.8 at a reasonable though not cheap price). Hence since Nikon is releasing less junk, we won’t get as many updates.

I don’t have high hopes for the HE and HE* files as the technology for the instance is Nikon specific (exclusive mass market licensee as far as I know) and I believe intoPIX is charging a fee to allow software developers to license the SDK. On the other hand, apparently On1, C1 and Adobe have all integrated TicoRAW support. How long can DxO afford to sit on the sidelines when the major players all support HE and HE*?

Well if iPhone/Android DNG support is any indication, a decade is not out of the question.

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next update - no support of HE* :slightly_frowning_face:

This update - really support is included! Nice!

Andreas

What a surprise. It can’t really be true. Have you tested all versions of the alternative Z9 RAW file formats?