No excuses, please, imaging industry still has homework to do
If somebody rightfully complains, that there is too much delay between camera releases and support in mainstream raw converters (I think there isn't anybody here, that wouldn't count Lightroom as mainstream?), we usually hear the comments like that Adobe releases software when its ready, someone shouldn't buy the camera before the raw processor supports it, and so on.
I think the main reason is, that imaging industry still doesn't get their act together to cooperate in a way the photographers can and should expect.
There are still too many interoperability issues between software vendors, despite the availability of standards, such as XMP, IPTC, EXIF and DNG. To me it is not acceptable, why camera vendors do not provide camera samples early enough, and why raw processing software cannot be developed so modular, that smaller releases, which add camera support only, could be realized. Everybody in software industry talks about to release software in rather small increments, camera support would be a very good occasion to do that. I know, Adobe isn't the worst in this field, but still they could do much better. In fact, Lightroom 2.2 was such an incremental release - I don't want to throw my concerns just only against Adobe, but also against the many forum commenters, who express that the industry couldn't do better.
It still happens too often, that when I assign metadata in Lightroom and send the image to my favorite other raw processor (yes, LR isn't my favorite, see signature), that the metadata LR was so kind to transfer to the TIFF, is erased, after the other raw processor has done its work. Being asked, both vendors claim the fault is with the other, and it turns out that one or both of them does not follow the standard completely (i.e. misusing or not using XMP-Tags). Or a program like LR establishes itself unnecessary limitations (why the hell, can't I send a raw file to an external raw processor as an additional alternative to integrate external programs) or the interoperability interface isn't yet rich enough to do interoperability proper or allows for third party vendor raw editing plugins.
Not to get too far away from the original subject, I think the main reason for all the mentioned problems and the often too late camera support is the industry's inability to work together in the interest of the consumers. There are many technological advances recently (sensors, live view, image processors in cameras, etc.), but it seems that in terms of interoperability and cooperation we are progressing extremely slow.
(There is still even a company making a raw processor, which refuses to publish any release time frames (even estimates!) of when which camera will be supported. I guess this product will not survive much longer - and in this respect, necessarily so).
Best wishes for the next year!
Thomas
