OK. Please understand that we have at this point made no official statements about the release date of a cataloging solution provided by us.
Completely understood and agreed? I have never been told there was a "date" only that someone "is working on it".
That is very unlikely.
I'm not sure what is unlikely, but Adobe IS pushing for their own standard the DNG format and until they start playing nice, they are only hurting the photography community.
All of the other camera manufacturer's software do not modify the embedded JPEG when their photos are adjusted (for instance Canon) and their users find Photo Mechanic immensely useful for their workflow. In fact, only Nikon's software and tools will change their RAW file to update or add an embedded JPEG. Nikon users find that PM's ability to use the adjusted preview very useful indeed, but they're the only users that benefit from that feature.
I agree and that is exactly why I am pushing for a catalog from PM! You guys have it going on! You are the fastest and most efficient way for any photographer to ingest, tag and browse images - hands down. And Yes, because NX2 DOES update the JPEG, it only makes sense to have a software browser/catalog that reads the embedded JPEG! Why throw that away because the other camera manufactures software’s are inferior?
Here's an analogy: Canon's new 7D is the first of Canon's bodies to incorporate optical wireless technology into the on board flash. Nikon has had this for 4 or 5 years now. Does that mean that Nikon owners should have ignored that technology and not used it until Canon got caught up? Of course not. And if Nikon had the foresight to build software that works with their propriety RAW files to give Nikon owners an edge of the competition, and incorporates features that other brands don't have, should we ignore them as well? Of course not. So most of the industry is ignoring Nikons attempt to help make better photographers out a lot of us - you guys have not - you embraced that sweet feature? Adobe can - look at an image when it first loads, both LR & Bridge see it embedded JPEG then dump it?
What is the 'way we are'? What have we done wrong?
Absolutely nothing! It's not what's wrong it's what's missing - the catalog feature. Look, it is a fact (read the boards) that most people go to Lightroom for the cataloging features. Even Adobe will tell you that it is the single most sought after feature in LR. The rest is gravy for the user. Users of Lightroom and Photoshop (and others) are willing to sacrifice quality for convenience. It is also a fact that because Nikon/Nik Software is the only application out there that can FULLY read the proprietary Nikon RAW file it will ALWAYS be a better converter - period. This is not disputable from a technical standpoint.
I don't shoot Canon, but a lot of my friends do. And when they see what NX2 does, they flip out. The lens corrections alone make this converter invaluable to a Nikon shooter. Canon user don't complain much because they don't know any better. Like you said, Nikon is the only one doing it right now. Even Nikon shooters that are not familiar with NX2 don't know any better - but the instant the light comes on (for most) - they fight LR & PS for a while and then quite - a few wind up keeping them the rest, well they start looking for other solutions. Photo Mechanic is the ONLY true player in this market - your just lacking the catalog! The ability to find a single photo amongst 30-40 thousand is critical. Somewhere I heard that the Pro Shooter (any brand) makes up 2% of the total photographers, and of the 98% left, 85% of those consider themselves serious shooters?
Here is a little note: InfoTrends Research Group did a study on digital camera sales and for 2004 say 52 million units were sold and 82 million for 2008 and an increase of 15% per year thereafter is expected. In 2004, 1.9 Billion images were taken. Kodak states that 2007 saw 10.7 Billion (yes with a B) photos! All those images have to cataloged in some form or fashion?
It isn't really all that possible. Unfortunately NX2 will only recognize embedded XMP and won't read or update an XMP sidecar file if present, so edits will get out of sync from the NEF and the sidecar file. And on the other end, Adobe's apps have an issue where they only update XMP sidecar files but are tripped up by embedded XMP.
That's what I was afraid of - in these early days it's all about trade off's and right now NX2 has my best interest at heart.
If all you're going to use LR for is cataloging, I'd suggest looking at another solution. What OS do you run?
I am running Windows (Vista 64) now.
I have looked at Expressions Media (old iViewMedia Pro - that I have) and it is a mess and there are rumors that it is going to be discontinued.
I have also have Extensis Portfolio 8 and unless you opt for the server addition performance falls apart after about 5,000 images.
