Nikon: silence is NOT golden

PSGimages · Nov 5, 2009

OK, so Snow Leopard is two-plus months old and the only thing Nikon Support site says is that they are "testing". We already know the View NX 1.5 fails miserably on SL. And while I'm on 10.5.8 and NX 2.2.2 and theoretically I could try the upgrade because some folks say "it works if you upgrade NX2 to 2.2.2 before going to SL" , I'm not going to take that risk.

No, it's not mandatory for me to go there right now and I will wait, but I find it interesting that Capture One 5 is out already for SL and other apps work on SL and new Mac buyers (e.g those whose machines come with SL loaded) cannot use NX2 at all .

So, while I'm an NX2 fan (yes they do exist), Nikon's silence and sluggishness compared to other vendors is starting to make me wonder if they are serious enough about software to be a real contender. It appears they want to stay on the fringe.... If nothing else, at least communicate so we can form realistic expectations. In the meantime, I keep reading how great Capture One Pro 5 RAW conversions are and it looks very tempting.....

--
P. Guyton
http://www.pbase.com/corsairvelo

photoad · Nov 5, 2009

I am on Snow Leopard and the latest version of NX does not work with it. (I had to remove NX and start again)

I too am a fan of NX, and coupled with NIK colour FX Pro, it can be very productive.
I use it with a D3 (it was far faster with a D200) to bring in the money.
If NX didn't exist I would be using Capture 1 and then Photoshop.

My other converter of choice is the even less loved (in Forums) DXO, the geometry correction is fantastic, plus fast lighting correction. Terrible interface though.

As NIK is updating some of its software at the moment I suspect a new version of NX is on the way. Keep holding your breath...

antonoat · Nov 5, 2009

Have to agree on this, it's frustrating to say the least.

I have been using, Nikon transfer, which works fine with SL but the other two apps(ViewNX + Capture NX2) which I used almost exclusively are filing miserably.

I only hope Nikon/ Nik software are working on solutions, it does seem a long time coming though!

cheers
Tony

hmac · Nov 5, 2009

I don't use Transfer, but I rely on NX2 and I too find Nikon's lack of attention to Snow Leopard to be irritating.

Nikon was seeded with SL betas just the same as everyone else. Capture NX2 is the only program I run that wasn't upgraded or isn't compatible.

gefrorenezeit · Nov 5, 2009

I hapen to like Capture NX very much also. But i am using Canon in parallel to my Nikon Body - an i can tell you that i have trouble with their software on SL also.

They are so slow - betas of SL were available month after month..... So i have to use LR (the beta of version 3 that is) at the moment.....

Andy

--
whatever you do - do it with passion.

http://www.gefrorene-zeit.de

Adman222820 · Nov 8, 2009

I feel your pain.

Do you think Nikon could release something as simple as a codec to view NEFs in Vista Ultimate x64? NO!

Philistines.

They do make a good proSLR though.

Mauro.B · Nov 9, 2009

I updated NX2 to 2.2.2 and ViewNX to 1.5, than updated both a Tiger and a Leopard system to SL: each and every app works (including CS4 and LR2), the only exception being some Java-Cocoa based utils.

Before jumping to SL, I tested the upgrade on an external HD, on which I had copied both Tiger and Leopard systems.

My personal concerns are on further non-SL compliant NX2 updates, but I hope Nikon will fix the installer.

Different is the case of a new machine with SL pre-installed: Nikon software could be unlikely to get through, at least according to reports and warning.

Since I am in the process to replace a MBP, if Nikon does not fix their software, either I will postpone the replacement or first make a clean Leopard installation as to install software I need, then upgrade to SL.

(according to last week's Business Week, SL compatibility issues are likely to impact on year-end Apple sales, also given that, in their views, Windows 7 seems a quite good performer)

Cogset said:
OK, so Snow Leopard is two-plus months old and the only thing Nikon Support site says is that they are "testing". We already know the View NX 1.5 fails miserably on SL. And while I'm on 10.5.8 and NX 2.2.2 and theoretically I could try the upgrade because some folks say "it works if you upgrade NX2 to 2.2.2 before going to SL" , I'm not going to take that risk.

No, it's not mandatory for me to go there right now and I will wait, but I find it interesting that Capture One 5 is out already for SL and other apps work on SL and new Mac buyers (e.g those whose machines come with SL loaded) cannot use NX2 at all .

If SL compatibility was the only NX2 issue Nikon had to fix, I would be in heaven. Expect ZERO benefits on NX2 performance under SL.

PSGimages said:
So, while I'm an NX2 fan (yes they do exist), Nikon's silence and sluggishness compared to other vendors is starting to make me wonder if they are serious enough about software to be a real contender. It appears they want to stay on the fringe.... If nothing else, at least communicate so we can form realistic expectations. In the meantime, I keep reading how great Capture One Pro 5 RAW conversions are and it looks very tempting.....

A lot of pressure on developers, particularly in a sluggish economy and with little or no revenues prospects from the SL updates, is not going to give results in a short time. BTW, is Adobe less sluggish ? I do not think they are offering any fix on CS2 or CS3 and no fix is yet out on the very few CS4 issues.

Capture One actually is a very fine piece of software, even though it falls behind NX2 due to lack of U-points and, if I am correct, sensible highlights management. It is very expensive, though, and its developers proved to be a bit on the greedy side over time.

Kind regards,

M

PSGimages said:
--
P. Guyton
http://www.pbase.com/corsairvelo

--
Mauro

Rome (& sometimes New York)

AxelR · Nov 9, 2009

Adman said:
I feel your pain.

Do you think Nikon could release something as simple as a codec to view NEFs in Vista Ultimate x64? NO!

There are other solutions, e.g:

http://www.fastpictureviewer.com/codecs/

Henri Leuzinger · Nov 9, 2009

I cannot confirm what is written here.

On my MacPro with OSX 10.6.1 SL CaptureNX2.2.2 work fine and fast as does ViewNXv1.5.0

Both apps were already installed in former versions when i upgraded from OSX 10.5.8 to OSX 10.6 and then 10.6.1 SnowLeopard. Then i updated the Nikon apps to the latest versions. No problems all around!
Greetings, Henri

Blakar · Nov 9, 2009

If Apple isn't capable of providing proper backwards compatibility do you really expect each and every software creator in the world to jump and fix it for them? If this is the new tendency for computer users Microsoft is going to be very happy given it's what they've also been bashed for repeatedly.

Blakar · Nov 9, 2009

WalterH · Nov 9, 2009

Blakar said:
If Apple isn't capable of providing proper backwards compatibility do you really expect each and every software creator in the world to jump and fix it for them? If this is the new tendency for computer users Microsoft is going to be very happy given it's what they've also been bashed for repeatedly.

How do you know it is the fault of the new OS?
Funny thing is whenever one calls for problems Nikon yells "here we go".

Lord of the Badgers · Nov 9, 2009

Why not read Nikon's support pages.

I don't condone the slowness of sorting out their software of course - it's rather frustrating I agree, but it's a bit unfair to accuse them of silence/blindness/etc (or as in another thread, accusing them of deciding not to bother with Apple anymore because of the PC's market share)..

Quote:

from

http://nikoneurope-en.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/45011/c/241/r_id/127673

"We are currently testing the compatibility of the Macintosh versions of our software products with Mac OS X 10.6 (Snow Leopard). Until this testing is complete we can not ensure compatibility of our software with Mac OS X 10.6 (Snow Leopard).

To maintain a functioning version of your Nikon software, we recommend waiting until we can confirm compatibility of our software before you upgrade to Mac OS X 10.6 (Snow Leopard). We will announce our findings in due course once testing is complete.

We plan to provide compatibility with Mac OS X 10.6 (Snow Leopard) for the following products and their applicable software applications (excluding some older applications).

Cameras
D-series DSLR cameras
COOLPIX cameras that support USB connection (excluding some older models)

Software
Capture NX 2
View NX
Nikon Transfer
Camera Control Pro 2
Nik Color Efex Pro
WT-4 Setup Utility
Thumbnail Selector

We do not plan to provide compatibility for SCSI or serial connection products."

PSGimages · Nov 9, 2009

Blakar said:
If Apple isn't capable of providing proper backwards compatibility do you really expect each and every software creator in the world to jump and fix it for them? If this is the new tendency for computer users Microsoft is going to be very happy given it's what they've also been bashed for repeatedly.

Well, eventually backward compatibility has to stop or you overburden your platform with piles of legacy stuff that gets used less and less. Apple is wisely stopping support for PowerPC based versions of OS X. And SL is a big step with Grand Central dispatch and all that.

From what I've read, the problem for Nikon is mostly around the "installation" process. Users who install NX2 prior to upgrading to SL have reported success (not all, but some users). And there are some workarounds. But other vendors don't have the same problems with their install routines as Nikon, why is that? Apple may have missed some stuff but SL was a major upgrade and for the most part, the machines I've upgraded have been flawless. I just can't upgrade my main machine because I need NX2 to work.

Microsoft? I doubt they'll be happy because they are getting hammered for Windows 7 upgrade issues, especially for XP users.

--
P. Guyton
http://www.pbase.com/corsairvelo

rlopes · Nov 9, 2009

Hi,

Cogset said:
"it works if you upgrade NX2 to 2.2.2 before going to SL" , I'm not going to take > that risk.

I am on Snow Leopard and id upgraded to 2.2.2 before upgrading to Snow Leopard. All is working working well...

The latest version of View NX does not work on Snow Leopard, probably due to the fact tat it was installed after the upgrade to Snow Leopard...Had to uninstall it...

Regards

--
Renato

http://www.renato-lopes.com
http://www.renatolopesblog.com

PSGimages · Nov 9, 2009

Lord of the Badgers said:
Why not read Nikon's support pages.

I did and I mentioned that all Nikon said was that they were "testing"

Lord of the Badgers said:
I don't condone the slowness of sorting out their software of course - it's rather frustrating I agree, but it's a bit unfair to accuse them of silence/blindness/etc (or as in another thread, accusing them of deciding not to bother with Apple anymore because of the PC's market share)..

Quote:

from

http://nikoneurope-en.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/45011/c/241/r_id/127673

"We are currently testing the compatibility of the Macintosh versions of our software products with Mac OS X 10.6 (Snow Leopard). Until this testing is complete we can not ensure compatibility of our software with Mac OS X 10.6 (Snow Leopard).

To maintain a functioning version of your Nikon software, we recommend waiting until we can confirm compatibility of our software before you upgrade to Mac OS X 10.6 (Snow Leopard). We will announce our findings in due course once testing is complete.

That's exactly what I read but now it's almost 2.5 months and that's all we've gotten? I use Photomechanic and their discussion forum is full of compatibility postings, workarounds, etc. Nikon? we've gotten very little. Don't get me wrong, I actually like CNX2 a lot, but the transparency of some other companies is very welcome (to me at least) ... Nikon's kind of inability to say much but "we're working on it" is a pain and they are hurting their own sales to new Mac owners.

I'd think that they could say "... we expect the SL compatible release to be available within two months" or whatever date they pick. Don't promise it but let us know: do I have a 1 to 2 month wait or a 6-9 month wait.

--
P. Guyton
http://www.pbase.com/corsairvelo

Adman222820 · Nov 9, 2009

AxelR said:
Adman said:

I feel your pain.

Do you think Nikon could release something as simple as a codec to view NEFs in Vista Ultimate x64? NO!

Click to expand...

There are other solutions, e.g:

http://www.fastpictureviewer.com/codecs/

Hey cool - thanks Axel. Will try it out this evening. I was using a 3rd party codec which was brilliant (but would now have to pay for it - which is crazy because Nikon/Msoft should really provide a solution. How hard would it be for them?

Cheers
AJ

hmac · Nov 10, 2009

Nikon was seeded with all the developer builds of Snow Leopard, just like every other developer for the Mac platform. The fact that Nikon didn't do anything to make sure their program was functional is their fault, not Apple's.

NX2 is the only incompatible program I have. Any others were immediately updated simultaneously with the SL release. Nikon isn't a software company. It shows in their interface, their program reliability, and how seriously they keep their programs updated.

deant · Nov 10, 2009

I had NX2 and View NX installed on 10.5.8 then upgraded to Snow Leopard. When I upgraded Capture and View, they were broken. They will not work. It's not an installer problem (I've taken the package apart and installed everything piece by piece and still have the same problems), it's a software problem.

Nikon and one other piece of software are what's preventing me from upgrading my studio Mac to Snow Leopard. I use SL at home with everything else and it works great. Just not NX and View.
--
DeanT
http://www.tomasulastudio.com

Nicolas Dumont · Nov 10, 2009

Henri Leuzinger said:
I cannot confirm what is written here.

On my MacPro with OSX 10.6.1 SL CaptureNX2.2.2 work fine and fast as does ViewNXv1.5.0

Both apps were already installed in former versions when i upgraded from OSX 10.5.8 to OSX 10.6 and then 10.6.1 SnowLeopard. Then i updated the Nikon apps to the latest versions. No problems all around!
Greetings, Henri

Same here, my "pre-installed" Capture NX 2.2.2 works perfectly. I don't use ViewNX though, I use Photo Mechanic.

Nikon: silence is NOT golden

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