UKH

I've just been out to play with my new Panasonic GH6 camera today and when I got home I soon discovered that I can't use the RW2 files it created.

I have a copy of Lightroom 5.7 that will not recognise the RW2 files which is why I need to convert them to DGN files. My Panasonic GH5 creates RW2 files and I use Adobe RAW Converter to change those files to DGN files.

For some reason the latest version of Adobe RAW Converter 14.2.0.1028 does not recognise these new RW2 files.

I can see the RW2 files with Windows Photo, but only for a few seconds before I get an error screen saying that the file can't be opened because its not supported.

I can also see the RW2 files in Darktables but I can not open them or export them. And to be honest, I haven't got a clue about Darktables other than how to instal it and turn it on.

Any ideas on how to use the files RW2 created by a new camera?

I presume you didn't get any useful software from Panasonic? If DNG Converter can't handle them then your options narrow. I'd try if LibRaw* can decode them, but that's not a simple option - can you put a sample RW2 file somewhere public?

Alternatively, what did reviewers use?

* GH5s seems the most recent, but who knows?

I guess Adobe DGN coverter will soon support also pics from GH6 (I’n envious of ya). But for the meantime, howabout switching the settings to simply output DGN out of the camera. My older Panasonics had that feature, so I’d assume also GH6 has it. 

First problem to crack this nut wins a year's supply of my unending devotion. 😀

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1BN3eDt_jxd7r4YLEKQHsPYPTq_pLKdnJ/view?usp=...

If I find that feature, then I'm gona use it for ever. 😀

Well, there's good new and bad news: LibRaw quite happily open and processed your RW2, but the output just looks like noise with some banding. RawTherapee also flashes up a seagull (jpg preview I assume) and then can't make sense of the raw data.

Sorry!

The only two other thing I can think of are...

1. Check you're not using high-res mode, and

2. The GH6 can output 14 bit RAW unlike earlier models (12 bit). Any menu item to output 12 bit?

Both are unlikely, but worth checking.

Similar but different.  Does your camera have in camera editing option? If so does it then (in theory after editing but doesn’t have to be any changes) have an option after “editing” to save as a jpeg to the sd card? Essentially an in camera conversion albeit to jpeg. If it can be done I would save the raw files to external hdd first so they can be used later once supported software is available. JPEGs meantime would allow some use.

My Olly can do that all in camera and so, wild speculation, maybe Panny might do it as well! No doubt a long short and only really for temp use as in the Olly it has to be separately done on each file so takes time.

In due course Adobe will up date cameras supported, but that can take months. For your next photos you could save as raw + jpeg to sd card until your camera is supported (assuming DNG in camera is not an option).

This is a bit crap. I'm on a MPB Big Sur

Photos opens it but shows a black screen.

Tried RawPower which flashed up a seagull and then suggested it didn't like lossy compressed raws. (this uses the internal macOS photos api so no surprise)

Then tried rawtherapee which also threw up the gull then a black screen.

Found the panasonic s/w Silkypix that announced the photo format unsupported. Not so silky.

Looks like you are so cutting edge nothing supports it yet?

I’m just so lucky. It’s not as if the camera has been delayed for a year to iron out these wrinkles.😥

Ive also tried just about everything mentioned further up the discussion and got the same results. I shall set my camera to RW2 + JPEG and bide my time.

At least the focusing for humans and animals is awesome.

cheers everybody.

crap, I think I mixed my cameras... it's the wife's Oly that had that option... I was on the same boat as you, native RAW too "new" for my LR (5.7 also, iirc).

And with GH4r I needed to convert them to DGN (Adobe Raw or what ever it is called). But I haven't shot all that many stills with that camera (nor with GH5).

I'm sure Adobe will soon'ish step up. But other newer cameras are also taking their time, like the new OM-1, it's still missing official support (seems to open though). And I recall it's been out since late Jan?

I have latest lightroom classic and camera raw 14.2. I can't open your test file either. The release notes for camera raw 14.2 -

https://helpx.adobe.com/uk/camera-raw/kb/camera-raw-plug-supported-cameras.... 

do not list the GH6 as a supported camera. So I guess as others have said it's a matter of being patient, and shooting in RAW + jpeg for now. 

Paul

Yep RAW + JPEG is the way forward.

I have also found the one and only review that touches on the camera’s photo capabilities, and the narrator stated that there was no software available yet to open the files. He also said that the new Olympus OM1 had the same problem.

Why can’t RAW files be standardised across all the brands to something like DGN.

Surprised Panasonic don’t have some simple software supplied with the camera to allow support of raw files of their camera when they launch new models.

I learnt the hard way about this problem a few ago when I got my current Olly camera. Already had bought LR, but discovered it didn’t support the camera I then bought which was the then latest model. Had to them buy another later version of Lightroom (LR6) to be able to read the raw files (I had already taken time to learn about LR and so was “committed” somewhat to use it to justify buying it!).

Knowing this is partly why I’m (still!) undecided whether to stick to Adobe or not in future. It seems nobody supports new camera immediately (although to be be fair Olly back then did provide their own software with the camera to allow the raw files to be read immediately). I have the option meantime to consider other 3rd party software for the future. Even if I go Adobe subscription in future they will still not support any new cameras immediately as I see.

I guess you know but Adobe are pretty quick and updating to account for raw files from new cameras. I'd guess that they're quicker (or as quick) than the competition but I don't know that for sure. 

I guess that's one of the benefits of subscription in that you get auto updates as they're released. 

Yes. I’m sure Adobe are as quick as they can be and probably as a guess the quickest in the industry being so large; it’s in their business interest to be so. I was checking yesterday, just for interest, for a camera that came out last year just for the timing - seems to have taken them 3-4 mths for the raw support for that one. Not a big problem really, just disappointing for those that buy a new camera that don’t know this beforehand like the OP.

With my camera I think it seemed to be a few months to get supported by Adobe back then though I can’t really remember now as that was years ago; I just waited till the then LR6 was released that supported it.

What I don’t understand is how professionals deal with this delay; or sponsored photographers, as even during testing there must be software being used to read the raw files all before official release? Also, it must surely be in the manufacturer’s interests to have their equipment supported at launch to get early sales (if only with some basic, even temp, software like Olly at least did with mine albeit years ago).

Just got off the Live Chat with Panasonic and was not happy with the answers I got. 😠

Basically Panasonic do not have or provide any way at the moment to open or use their RW2 files. Their only advice is to buy a copy of Silkpix that costs about $191 (Dollars).

And, as the camera is so new there is no on-line User Guide to download and read.

This camera was delayed for a year, surely they had plenty of time to get two of the most fundamental features sorted before the camera was released to the world?

I'm now stuck with taking JPEGS till this issue is resolved, so I better get the exposure bang on every time.

Having had a poke around DNG (I think 'DGN' was a typo?), TIFF* and RAW files recently (prompted by your thread on DenoiseAI) I don't think DNG would be a good solution either - it's an effing mess of a spec (tries to be all things to all men) and even it semi-acknowledges it by leaving the option to embed the original RAW data in the file for when it makes a mess. It would be better if the camera manufacturers were simply more open about publishing the format of their RAW files.

* RAW and DNG files are just slightly** messed up TIFF files under the bonnet.

** For a given definition of 'slightly'.

Have you run it through your Topaz software to clean up that noise yet?

/s

I can read your rw2 file into the latest version of IrfanView (free!). From there it can be exported to a number of different formats but apparently not DNG. Not sure that gets you any further forward....

Same here, I've opened the RW2 and can export it to a bunch of formats but not DNG.

Since you mention Adobe, a PSD version works:-

https://wormhole.app/JO9Dx#FYAKf7GVrJwLg1atLelUMw

Check the image size - I think you're seeing the jpg preview image, not the RAW image.

Just checked: IrfanView just uses LibRaw to interpret RAW files (or not in this case).

Ditto - All you've opened is the jpg preview not the RAW data.

IrfanView does at least give you the option of providing a bunch of RAW decoding parameters, so if you are desperate you could spend some time trying random combinations in the hope of hitting the ones that are correct for your RW2. You'll need a lot of luck and patience though!

I also just found some info which suggests that Panasonic use a proprietary compression algorithm on their RAW data, in which case the above is likely to be futile:

https://libopenraw.freedesktop.org/formats/rw2/

Ah right, I see, it's ages since I was into this sort of thing. An interesting exercise, I'll have another look.

Quite right. Image reverts to grey mush when you ask to open the raw file.

That made me chuckle out loud. 😀

That’s a bit rich from them as it doesn’t even support your camera yet!

I have a solution! Sort of.

Dave Coffin of dcraw fame says in his FAQ: "Does dcraw work with my camera?

... If it doesn't work perfectly, don't just sit quietly waiting for my next version. Ask me if I need any raw photos, or go ahead and post a photo to your website and e-mail me the URL..."

https://www.dechifro.org/dcraw/

Worth a try?