I know we Linux users are in a vast minority, especially photographically, but I have had an incident lately that might be of real interest to those interested in purchasing new cameras. I originally bought a Pentax K100 because I had Pentax lenses, and they were backwards compatible, and I've never been a rich man.
I started off in Linux for the same reason - because I simply couldn't afford Photo Processing programs when they came out. Linux was free, but we all know the problems. In the beginning, it didn't even have a RAW converter, so Linux users had to buy Bibble Pro (now Corel Aftershot Pro), or some other like program. After years of tinkering, I finally came to a system that worked for me.
Fast forward to 6 months ago. I have a Kx and a K10, and really wanted to upgrade to a K3. I borrowed a friends, and shot off a card with RAW+ and PEF which is default on the Pentax cameras. When I loaded the card into a card loader, the new Corel Aftershot Pro wouldn't open the PEF files. So I held off buying until Corel updated their product to open the PEF files on the K3. Well, even though it opened PEF files from my Kx and K10, it stubbornly wouldn't accept them from my friends K3.
Then I discovered that PEF was default, and DNG was available. Guess what? Not only Corel, but Linux freeware such as UFO RAW, and also RAW Therapee, opened the DNG just fine. So I've moved the camera settings on both of my DSLRs to DNG.
In addition, Gord's also going to get a new K3. And they're $300 cheaper than when they were introduced!
Who says there's no God?
I simply had no idea of the DNG option within the camera because I'd always used the default PEF. Thus, I held off buying a needed upgrade through sheer ignorance. This post is to help those few that might be in a similar situation.
I'm a bit of a maverick with respect to processing - I use GIMP, and because my DSLRs are always shot manually and exposures calculated by a Sekonic Spotmeter (I shoot a lot of film still, so I go the same way), I feel no need for more elaborate photoshopping programs. I can do everything I want in GIMP, and very, very seldom ever have to resort to RAW files for processing - my exposures are usually bang on and the JPEGs just fine. Because 35%+ of my work is in film (all of my B&W), my system, admittedly a bit crippled by today's standard, works for me.
Last edited by gord lucas; 01-17-2015 at 03:23 AM.