When acquiring a new camera or even using many smartphones, photographers face a fundamental choice: shoot in JPG or RAW? JPGs offer immediate usability, processed and compressed for easy sharing. RAW files, conversely, are unprocessed behemoths, capturing significantly more sensor data, which unlocks far greater flexibility during post-processing. While the concept of a RAW file is widely understood, the camera industry has surprisingly failed to coalesce around a single, universal RAW format. Instead, most major manufacturers utilize their own proprietary formats – think Canon's CR3, Nikon's NEF, or Sony's ARW. This fragmentation creates a persistent landscape of compatibility challenges. Photo editing software must be constantly updated not just for each brand's file type, but often for every new camera model released, causing frustration for software developers and photographers, particularly early adopters who expect seamless integration with their preferred editing tools. Recognizing this issue years ago, Adobe introduced the Digital Negative (DNG) format, an open-source, universal RAW specification intended to standardize the field. While some camera makers have embraced DNG, the industry giants largely remain committed to their proprietary systems, with little indication of a shift towards universal adoption.The appeal of DNG for the manufacturers who have adopted it, such as Leica, Pentax, Ricoh, and more recently Sigma and Apple (with ProRAW), lies in its inherent flexibility, ease of use, and potential for future-proofing. As an open, royalty-free standard developed in 2004 by Photoshop co-creator Thomas Knoll and based on the venerable TIFF specification, DNG offers broad compatibility. It's designed to embed extensive camera metadata directly within the file itself. This contrasts with many proprietary RAW formats that often rely on separate XMP 'sidecar' files to store metadata, making the DNG workflow slightly more streamlined with a single file containing both image data and non-destructive edit information. The longevity and open nature of DNG aim to ensure that images remain accessible and editable long into the future, regardless of specific software or hardware obsolescence.Regardless of whether a camera outputs a proprietary file or a DNG, the fundamental RAW editing workflow remains consistent: capture the image, transfer it to a computer, open and manipulate the file using specialized software, and finally export a processed, shareable file like a JPG or TIFF. The primary point of friction emerges with software compatibility. Standard photo viewing applications or basic editors, including widely used options like Apple Photos and Google Photos, offer limited and often unreliable RAW support. Editing RAW files effectively necessitates dedicated software such as Adobe Lightroom or Photoshop (part of Creative Cloud), Capture One, Photo Mechanic, or open-source alternatives like Darktable. While some camera manufacturers provide their own free RAW processing software, these are often criticized by photographers for being unintuitive or less powerful than third-party solutions. Herein lies a significant advantage for DNG: its open standard fosters wider and often faster support across third-party applications. This makes DNG a more 'turnkey' solution, particularly attractive to smaller camera companies or those like Apple with strong ties to Adobe, simplifying the process for both the manufacturer and the end-user.So why do the major players like Canon, Nikon, and Sony persist with their proprietary formats? These larger companies operate with the knowledge that software developers will prioritize supporting their popular cameras and unique file types, mitigating the immediate need for an open standard. A proprietary RAW format grants the manufacturer complete control over the entire image pipeline, from the moment light hits the sensor to the final data structure processed by editing software. Representatives from several major brands echoed this sentiment. Sony representatives Michael Bubolo and Ryoko Noguchi stated their ARW format is used "to maximize performance based on device characteristics such as the image sensor and image processing engine." Similarly, Panasonic's Masanori Koyama noted, "A proprietary format enables better optimization and supports unique camera functions." Canon's Drew MacCallum explained their format "allows our proprietary information to be added to RAW without being restricted by the standardization, and data can be handled freely, enabling optimum processing." Sigma acknowledged that proprietary data allows camera information to be conveyed more accurately, though it reduces versatility. Even Pentax, which uniquely offers users a choice between its proprietary PEF format and DNG, highlighted the advantage of independent evolution for proprietary formats, while acknowledging the potential lack of third-party support as a drawback. The common thread is the desire for optimization, control, and the ability to embed unique features or data specific to their hardware and software ecosystem. Common proprietary formats include:Canon: CR3 (superseding CR2, CRW)Nikon: NEFSony: ARWPentax: PEF (with DNG option)Fujifilm: RAFThis control allows manufacturers to implement unique features accessible only through their own software. Sony, for example, mentioned that its ARW format facilitates advanced functions like Composite RAW and Pixel Shift Multi-Shooting within its Imaging Edge software suite. However, as previously noted, first-party software like Sony's Imaging Edge, Canon's Digital Photo Professional (DPP), or Nikon's NX Studio is often considered cumbersome and unintuitive by the broader photography community. Their use is typically reserved for specific scenarios, such as processing files from unique multi-shot modes or, more commonly, when a new camera is released before third-party software developers like Adobe have updated their applications to support the new model's specific RAW files. This delay creates a significant point of frustration, particularly impacting early adopters, professional reviewers, and content creators who need immediate RAW editing capabilities. Getting new camera profiles and format variations supported requires considerable effort, as Adobe's Eric Chan described, involving analysis of new compression methods, capture modes, and detailed sensor characterization for color and noise. Until that support rolls out, users face an undesirable choice: shoot in the technically inferior JPG format or grapple with the often-clunky manufacturer software.The complexity surrounding RAW formats can seem baffling, especially when considering that multiple camera brands might utilize the exact same image sensor (often manufactured by Sony). Despite shared core hardware, the image processing pipeline – the complex algorithms that interpret sensor data, handle noise reduction, and render color – remains highly proprietary. This processing is what defines a brand's characteristic 'look' or color science, famously exemplified by Fujifilm. However, the argument persists that this level of control and brand identity could still be achieved within an extensible open format like DNG. Ben Sandofsky, developer at Lux Optics (makers of the Halide camera app), stated, "I have yet to hear a good reason for using proprietary RAW formats. The underlying data is the same... the [DNG] format is extensible enough that a camera manufacturer can throw it in there, anyway." This suggests that manufacturer preference for proprietary formats may stem more from a desire for absolute control and perhaps inertia, rather than strict technical necessity. Photographers are ultimately subject to the choices made by these manufacturers, navigating a landscape divided between guarded proprietary systems and the more open DNG alternative.While the current situation is far from ideal, causing periodic compatibility headaches, it remains largely manageable for most photographers, most of the time. The established workflow relies heavily on the continued cooperation between camera manufacturers and major software developers like Adobe to ensure timely updates and broad support for the myriad of proprietary formats. Although a universal standard like DNG offers compelling advantages in terms of compatibility and potentially long-term accessibility, the entrenched positions of industry leaders mean that formats like Canon's CR3, Nikon's NEF, and Sony's ARW are unlikely to disappear soon. This reality leaves early adopters perpetually hoping for swift software updates upon a new camera's release, and poses a potential long-term risk for all users should support for older or less common proprietary formats eventually wane.
