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Digital Negative (file format)
Encyclopedia
Digital Negative is an open
raw image format
owned by Adobe
used for digital photography
. It was launched on September 27, 2004. The launch was accompanied by the first version of the DNG specification, plus various products including a free of charge DNG Converter utility. All Adobe photo manipulation software (such as Adobe Photoshop
and Adobe Lightroom
) released since the launch supports DNG.
DNG is based on the TIFF/EP
standard format
, and mandates significant use of metadata. Exploitation of the file format is royalty free; Adobe has published a license allowing anyone to exploit DNG, and has also stated that there are no known intellectual property encumbrances or license requirements for DNG. Adobe stated that if there was a consensus that DNG should be controlled by a standards body
, they were open to the idea. Adobe has submitted DNG to ISO for incorporation into their revision of TIFF/EP.
s, Adobe's creation of DNG as a competing format implies that DNG is unusual and satisfies objectives that other raw image formats do not. These objectives and the associated characteristics of DNG, as well as assessments of whether these objectives are met, are described below. Increasingly, professional archivists and conservationists, working for respectable organizations, variously suggest or recommend DNG for archival purposes.
Although it is possible to verify that DNG has a given characteristic, it is difficult to demonstrate that no other relevant format offers the same. Therefore, anyone who is concerned about a particular objective/characteristic can check the status of DNG here, but should also check the status of alternatives elsewhere. (There is further reading at the articles on raw image formats, dcraw
, and reverse engineering
).
DNG conforms to TIFF/EP
and is structured according to TIFF
. DNG supports various formats of metadata, (including Exif metadata
, XMP metadata
, IPTC metadata
), and specifies a set of mandated metadata.
DNG is both a raw image format and a format that supports "non-raw", or partly-processed, images. The latter (non-raw) format is known as "Linear DNG". Linear DNG is still scene-referred and can still benefit from many of the operations typically performed by a raw converter, such as white balance, the application of a camera color profile, HDR compositing, etc. All images that can be supported as raw images can also be supported as Linear DNG. Images from the Foveon X3 sensor
or similar, hence especially Sigma
cameras, can only be supported as Linear DNG.
DNG can contain raw image data from sensors with various configurations of color filter array (CFA)
. These include: conventional Bayer filter
s, using 3 colors and rectangular pixels; 4 color CFAs, for example the RGBE filter
used in the Sony DSC-F828; rectangular (non-square) pixels, for example as used in the Nikon D1X; and offset sensors (for example with octagonal pixels) such as Super CCD
sensors of various types, as used in various Fujifilm
cameras. (Or combinations of these if necessary). DNG specifies metadata describing these individual parameters; this is one significant extension to TIFF/EP
.
When used in a CinemaDNG
movie clip, each frame is encoded using the above DNG image format. The clip's image stream can then be stored in one of two formats: either as video essence using frame-based wrapping in an MXF file, or as a sequence of DNG files in a specified file directory.
Counts of products and companies that use DNG in some way are provided primarily for illustration. They are approximate, and include products that are no longer sold. The purpose is mainly to demonstrate that such products and companies exist, and to show trends. Convertible raw image formats (camera models whose raw images can be converted to DNG) only include official support by Adobe DNG converters; not unofficial support by Adobe products (sometimes reaching about 30), nor support by other DNG converters.
During the first 5 years when about 38 camera models were launched that wrote DNG, Adobe software added support for about 21 Canon models, about 20 Nikon
models, and about 22 Olympus
models. Camera models that write DNG are almost certainly launched at a much higher rate than camera models that support any other individual raw image format, including NEF, CR2, and ORF.
A few software products supported DNG within 5 months of launch. Many more added support after this. A few software products only support DNG from cameras that write DNG, and/or from cameras that they support via their native raw image formats.
OpenRAW
was an advocacy and lobby group with the motto "Digital Image Preservation Through Open Documentation". They became opposed to DNG.
, which might be a DNG file, and generating some other type of output from it). DNG conversion is one of the sources of DNG files, the other being direct output from cameras and digital backs.
Several software products are able to do DNG conversion. The original such product is Adobe DNG Converter or DNG Converter, a freely available stand-alone utility from Adobe. Other Adobe products such as the ACR plugin to Photoshop or Lightroom can also generate DNG files from other image files.
Most DNG converters are supplied by companies other than Adobe. For example:
The process of DNG conversion involves extracting raw image data from the source file and assembling it according to the DNG specification into the required TIFF format. This optionally involves compressing it. Metadata as defined in the DNG specification is also put into that TIFF assembly. Some of this metadata is based on the characteristics of the camera, and especially of its sensor. Other metadata may be image-dependent or camera-setting dependent. So a DNG converter must have knowledge of the camera model concerned, and be able to process the source raw image file including key metadata. Optionally a JPEG preview is obtained and added. Finally, all of this is written as a DNG file.
DNG conversion typically leaves the original raw image file intact. For safety, many photographers retain the original raw image file on one medium while using the DNG file on another, enabling them to recover from a range of hardware, software, and human, failures and errors. For example, it has been reported in user forums that some versions of the Adobe DNG Converter don't preserve all the raw data from raw images from some camera models.
on September 27, 2004. It converts different camera raw format files into the Digital Negative (DNG) standard. It also supports lossless data compression
when converting. The program is free of charge, but not open source
. It can be downloaded at Adobe's site (Win and Mac).
Here are examples of digital camera
s that supported DNG.
Some of the Canon cameras can shoot as DNG using additional free software named CHDK.
The majority of raw handling software products support DNG. Most provide generic support, while a few support it only if it output directly from a camera. The type of support varies considerably. There appear to be very few third party software products that process raw images but don't support DNG. This may reflect the difficulty of discovering all of those that don't.
1.0.0.0, published September 2004: This version accompanied the launch of DNG and related products. It was a rare, possibly unique, example of a raw image format specification published by its owner. It was adequate for representing typical images, but it had a few errors and deficiencies (specifically the lack of support of "masked pixels" and an inadvertent deviation from the JPEG specification) that required it soon to be replaced by the next version.
1.1.0.0, published February 2005: This version corrected the flaws in the first version. It has proved capable of representing raw images for a large variety of cameras (both when written in-camera or via conversion from other raw image formats) for a few years, and it is the version still typically written in-camera.
1.2.0.0, published May 2008: This version was based on experience and feedback from other companies about DNG since its launch. It introduced many new features, especially several new options for color specification under the general heading of "Camera Profiles". These are mainly of value to software products wanting their own flavor of color handling. This version permits administrative control of Camera Profiles, including calibration signatures and copyright information.
1.3.0.0, published June 2009: This version added various improvements, but the major change was to introduce "Opcodes". A Opcode is an algorithm to be applied to some or all of the image data, described in the specification, and (optionally) implemented in the product that reads and processes the DNG file. The DNG file itself holds lists of Opcodes to be executed, together with the parameters to be applied on execution. In effect, the DNG file can contain lists of "function calls" to be executed at various stages in the raw conversion process. For example, the WarpRectilinear Opcode "applies a warp to an image and can be used to correct geometric distortion and lateral (transverse) chromatic aberration for rectilinear lenses". This is an example of an algorithm that cannot be applied to the raw image data itself before it is placed into the DNG file, because it should be executed after demosaicing
. There are 13 Opcodes described in this version, and each Opcode is accompanied by a specification version so that more can be added in future.
CinemaDNG, published September 2009: CinemaDNG
uses DNG for each frame of a movie clip. There are additional tags specifically for movies: TimeCodes and FrameRate. It is not clear whether these tags will be added to a later version of the DNG specification, or will remain separately described only in the CinemaDNG specification.
s and/or standards
and is currently being used by ISO in its revision of TIFF/EP
. Here is a summary of the timeline:
Open format
An open file format is a published specification for storing digital data, usually maintained by a standards organization, which can therefore be used and implemented by anyone. For example, an open format can be implementable by both proprietary and free and open source software, using the typical...
raw image format
RAW image format
A camera raw image file contains minimally processed data from the image sensor of either a digital camera, image scanner, or motion picture film scanner. Raw files are so named because they are not yet processed and therefore are not ready to be printed or edited with a bitmap graphics editor...
owned by Adobe
Adobe Systems
Adobe Systems Incorporated is an American computer software company founded in 1982 and headquartered in San Jose, California, United States...
used for digital photography
Digital photography
Digital photography is a form of photography that uses an array of light sensitive sensors to capture the image focused by the lens, as opposed to an exposure on light sensitive film...
. It was launched on September 27, 2004. The launch was accompanied by the first version of the DNG specification, plus various products including a free of charge DNG Converter utility. All Adobe photo manipulation software (such as Adobe Photoshop
Adobe Photoshop
Adobe Photoshop is a graphics editing program developed and published by Adobe Systems Incorporated.Adobe's 2003 "Creative Suite" rebranding led to Adobe Photoshop 8's renaming to Adobe Photoshop CS. Thus, Adobe Photoshop CS5 is the 12th major release of Adobe Photoshop...
and Adobe Lightroom
Adobe Lightroom
Adobe Photoshop Lightroom is a photography software program developed by Adobe Systems for Mac OS X and Microsoft Windows, designed to assist Adobe Photoshop users in managing large quantities of digital images and doing post production work...
) released since the launch supports DNG.
DNG is based on the TIFF/EP
Tag Image File Format / Electronic Photography
"Tag Image File Format / Electronic Photography" is a digital image file format standard – ISO 12234-2, titled "Electronic still-picture imaging – Removable memory – Part 2: TIFF/EP image data format"...
standard format
Open standard
An open standard is a standard that is publicly available and has various rights to use associated with it, and may also have various properties of how it was designed . There is no single definition and interpretations vary with usage....
, and mandates significant use of metadata. Exploitation of the file format is royalty free; Adobe has published a license allowing anyone to exploit DNG, and has also stated that there are no known intellectual property encumbrances or license requirements for DNG. Adobe stated that if there was a consensus that DNG should be controlled by a standards body
Standards organization
A standards organization, standards body, standards developing organization , or standards setting organization is any organization whose primary activities are developing, coordinating, promulgating, revising, amending, reissuing, interpreting, or otherwise producing technical standards that are...
, they were open to the idea. Adobe has submitted DNG to ISO for incorporation into their revision of TIFF/EP.
Rationale for DNG
Given the existence of other raw image formatRAW image format
A camera raw image file contains minimally processed data from the image sensor of either a digital camera, image scanner, or motion picture film scanner. Raw files are so named because they are not yet processed and therefore are not ready to be printed or edited with a bitmap graphics editor...
s, Adobe's creation of DNG as a competing format implies that DNG is unusual and satisfies objectives that other raw image formats do not. These objectives and the associated characteristics of DNG, as well as assessments of whether these objectives are met, are described below. Increasingly, professional archivists and conservationists, working for respectable organizations, variously suggest or recommend DNG for archival purposes.
Although it is possible to verify that DNG has a given characteristic, it is difficult to demonstrate that no other relevant format offers the same. Therefore, anyone who is concerned about a particular objective/characteristic can check the status of DNG here, but should also check the status of alternatives elsewhere. (There is further reading at the articles on raw image formats, dcraw
Dcraw
dcraw is an open-source computer program which is able to read numerous raw image formats, typically produced by high-end digital cameras. dcraw converts these images into the standard PPM and TIFF image formats...
, and reverse engineering
Reverse engineering
Reverse engineering is the process of discovering the technological principles of a device, object, or system through analysis of its structure, function, and operation...
).
Objectives
These objectives are repeatedly emphasized in Adobe documents:- Digital image preservation (sometimes known as "archiving"): to be suitable for the purpose of preserving digital images as an authentic resource for future generations. Assessment: The US Library of Congress states that DNG is a recommended alternative to other raw image formats: "Less desirable file formats: RAW; Suggested alternatives: DNG". The Digital Photography Best Practices and Workflow (dpBestflow) project, funded by the United States Library of Congress and run by the American Society of Media Photographers (ASMP)American Society of Media PhotographersThe American Society of Media Photographers, abbreviated ASMP, is a trade association of professional photographers, including many photojournalists but also experts in architectural, underwater, culinary and advertising photography and other specialties as well...
, singles out DNG, and states "DNG files have proven to be significantly more useful than the proprietary raw files in our workflow". - Easy and/or comprehensive exploitation by software developers: to enable software to be developed without the need for reverse engineeringReverse engineeringReverse engineering is the process of discovering the technological principles of a device, object, or system through analysis of its structure, function, and operation...
; and to avoid the need for frequent software upgrades and re-releases to cater for new cameras. Assessment: Software could support raw formats without DNG, by using reverse engineeringReverse engineeringReverse engineering is the process of discovering the technological principles of a device, object, or system through analysis of its structure, function, and operation...
and/or dcrawDcrawdcraw is an open-source computer program which is able to read numerous raw image formats, typically produced by high-end digital cameras. dcraw converts these images into the standard PPM and TIFF image formats...
; DNG makes it easier, and many software products can handle, via DNG, images from cameras that they have no specific knowledge of. An unresolved restriction is that any edit/development settings stored in the DNG file by a software product are unlikely to be recognized by a product from a different company. (This problem is not specific to DNG). - In-camera use by camera manufacturers: to be suitable for many camera manufacturers to use as a native or optional raw image formatRAW image formatA camera raw image file contains minimally processed data from the image sensor of either a digital camera, image scanner, or motion picture film scanner. Raw files are so named because they are not yet processed and therefore are not ready to be printed or edited with a bitmap graphics editor...
in many cameras. Assessment: About 12 camera manufacturers have used DNG in-camera. About 38 camera models have used DNG. Raw image formats for more than 230 camera models can be converted to DNG. - Multi-vendor interoperability: to be suitable for workflows where different hardware and software components share raw image files and/or transmit and receive them.
Characteristics
All of the above objectives are facilitated or enabled by most of these characteristics:- Freely-available specification: this can be downloaded from the Adobe website without negotiation or needing justification.
- Format based on open specifications and/or standards: DNG is compatible with TIFF/EPTag Image File Format / Electronic Photography"Tag Image File Format / Electronic Photography" is a digital image file format standard – ISO 12234-2, titled "Electronic still-picture imaging – Removable memory – Part 2: TIFF/EP image data format"...
, and various open formatOpen formatAn open file format is a published specification for storing digital data, usually maintained by a standards organization, which can therefore be used and implemented by anyone. For example, an open format can be implementable by both proprietary and free and open source software, using the typical...
s and/or standardsOpen standardAn open standard is a standard that is publicly available and has various rights to use associated with it, and may also have various properties of how it was designed . There is no single definition and interpretations vary with usage....
are used, including Exif metadataExchangeable image file formatExchangeable image file format is a standard that specifies the formats for images, sound, and ancillary tags used by digital cameras , scanners and other systems handling image and sound files recorded by digital cameras...
, XMP metadataExtensible Metadata PlatformThe Adobe Extensible Metadata Platform is a standard, created by Adobe Systems Inc., for processing and storing standardized and proprietary information relating to the contents of a file....
, IPTC metadataIPTC Information Interchange ModelThe Information Interchange Model is a file structure and set of metadata attributes that can be applied to text, images and other media types...
, CIE XYZ coordinatesCIE 1931 color spaceIn the study of color perception, one of the first mathematically defined color spaces is the CIE 1931 XYZ color space, created by the International Commission on Illumination in 1931....
, ICC profileICC profileIn color management, an ICC profile is a set of data that characterizes a color input or output device, or a color space, according to standards promulgated by the International Color Consortium...
s, and JPEGJPEGIn computing, JPEG . The degree of compression can be adjusted, allowing a selectable tradeoff between storage size and image quality. JPEG typically achieves 10:1 compression with little perceptible loss in image quality....
. - Self-contained file format: a DNG file contains the data (raw image data and metadataMetadataThe term metadata is an ambiguous term which is used for two fundamentally different concepts . Although the expression "data about data" is often used, it does not apply to both in the same way. Structural metadata, the design and specification of data structures, cannot be about data, because at...
) needed to render an image without needing additional knowledge of the characteristics of the camera. - Version control scheme: it has a version scheme built into it that allows the DNG specification, DNG writers, and DNG readers, to evolve at their own paces.
- Freely-available source-code-based software development kit (SDKSoftware development kitA software development kit is typically a set of software development tools that allows for the creation of applications for a certain software package, software framework, hardware platform, computer system, video game console, operating system, or similar platform.It may be something as simple...
): there are 3 aspects - there is an SDK; it is source-code-based (as can be verified by examination); and it can be downloaded from the Adobe website without needing justification. - Documented to have no known intellectual property encumbrances or license requirements: there is both a "Digital Negative (DNG) Specification Patent License" which says that anyone can exploit DNG, and a statement that there are no known intellectual property encumbrances or license requirements for DNG.
Technical summary
A DNG file always contains data for one main image, plus metadata, and optionally contains at least one JPEG preview. It normally has the extension "dng" or "DNG".DNG conforms to TIFF/EP
Tag Image File Format / Electronic Photography
"Tag Image File Format / Electronic Photography" is a digital image file format standard – ISO 12234-2, titled "Electronic still-picture imaging – Removable memory – Part 2: TIFF/EP image data format"...
and is structured according to TIFF
Tagged Image File Format
TIFF is a file format for storing images, popular among graphic artists, the publishing industry, and both amateur and professional photographers in general. As of 2009, it is under the control of Adobe Systems...
. DNG supports various formats of metadata, (including Exif metadata
Exchangeable image file format
Exchangeable image file format is a standard that specifies the formats for images, sound, and ancillary tags used by digital cameras , scanners and other systems handling image and sound files recorded by digital cameras...
, XMP metadata
Extensible Metadata Platform
The Adobe Extensible Metadata Platform is a standard, created by Adobe Systems Inc., for processing and storing standardized and proprietary information relating to the contents of a file....
, IPTC metadata
International Press Telecommunications Council
The International Press Telecommunications Council, based in London, United Kingdom, is a consortium of the world's major news agencies and news industry vendors...
), and specifies a set of mandated metadata.
DNG is both a raw image format and a format that supports "non-raw", or partly-processed, images. The latter (non-raw) format is known as "Linear DNG". Linear DNG is still scene-referred and can still benefit from many of the operations typically performed by a raw converter, such as white balance, the application of a camera color profile, HDR compositing, etc. All images that can be supported as raw images can also be supported as Linear DNG. Images from the Foveon X3 sensor
Foveon X3 sensor
The Foveon X3 sensor is a CMOSimage sensor for digital cameras, designed by Foveon, Inc. and manufactured by National Semiconductorand Dongbu Electronics....
or similar, hence especially Sigma
Sigma Corporation
is a Japanese company founded in 1961, manufacturing cameras, lenses, flashes and other photographic accessories. All Sigma products are produced in the company's own Aizu factory in Bandai, Fukushima, Japan...
cameras, can only be supported as Linear DNG.
DNG can contain raw image data from sensors with various configurations of color filter array (CFA)
Color filter array
In photography, a color filter array , or color filter mosaic , is a mosaic of tiny color filters placed over the pixel sensors of an image sensor to capture color information....
. These include: conventional Bayer filter
Bayer filter
A Bayer filter mosaic is a color filter array for arranging RGB color filters on a square grid of photosensors. Its particular arrangement of color filters is used in most single-chip digital image sensors used in digital cameras, camcorders, and scanners to create a color image...
s, using 3 colors and rectangular pixels; 4 color CFAs, for example the RGBE filter
RGBE filter
In digital photography, the RGBE filter is an alternative color filter array to the Bayer filter . It similarly uses a mosaic of pixel filters, of red, green, blue and "emerald" , and so also requires demosaicing to produce a full-color image...
used in the Sony DSC-F828; rectangular (non-square) pixels, for example as used in the Nikon D1X; and offset sensors (for example with octagonal pixels) such as Super CCD
Super CCD
Super CCD is a proprietary charge-coupled device that has been developed by Fujifilm since 1999. The Super CCD uses octagonal, rather than rectangular, pixels...
sensors of various types, as used in various Fujifilm
Fujifilm
is a multinational photography and imaging company headquartered in Tokyo, Japan.Fujifilm's principal activities are the development, production, sale and servicing of color photographic film, digital cameras, photofinishing equipment, color paper, photofinishing chemicals, medical imaging...
cameras. (Or combinations of these if necessary). DNG specifies metadata describing these individual parameters; this is one significant extension to TIFF/EP
Tag Image File Format / Electronic Photography
"Tag Image File Format / Electronic Photography" is a digital image file format standard – ISO 12234-2, titled "Electronic still-picture imaging – Removable memory – Part 2: TIFF/EP image data format"...
.
When used in a CinemaDNG
CinemaDNG
CinemaDNG is the result of an Adobe-led initiative to define an industry-wide open file format for digital cinema files. CinemaDNG caters for sets of movie clips, each of which is a sequence of raw video images, accompanied by audio and metadata. CinemaDNG supports stereoscopic cameras and multiple...
movie clip, each frame is encoded using the above DNG image format. The clip's image stream can then be stored in one of two formats: either as video essence using frame-based wrapping in an MXF file, or as a sequence of DNG files in a specified file directory.
Timeline
This provides a mixture of the dates of significant events (such as "the first X") and various counts of usage at the anniversaries of the launch (each 27 September).Counts of products and companies that use DNG in some way are provided primarily for illustration. They are approximate, and include products that are no longer sold. The purpose is mainly to demonstrate that such products and companies exist, and to show trends. Convertible raw image formats (camera models whose raw images can be converted to DNG) only include official support by Adobe DNG converters; not unofficial support by Adobe products (sometimes reaching about 30), nor support by other DNG converters.
- 2003, late: Adobe started work on the DNG specification.
- 2004, early: Adobe started talking to other companies about DNG.
- Launch, 2004, 27 September: Adobe launched DNG. Specification version 1.0.0.0 published. Convertible raw image formats: 60+
- 2005, February: Specification version 1.1.0.0 published.
- 2005, June: First digital back to write DNG, the Leica DMR (Digital Modul R) back for the R8Leica R8The Leica R8 is a manual focus 35 mm single-lens reflex camera produced by the German firm of Leica as part of their R series of cameras. Development began in 1990:...
and R9Leica R9The Leica R9 is a manual focus 35 mm single-lens reflex camera produced by the German firm of Leica as part of their R series of cameras. It was released in 2002, replacing the very similar Leica R8, upon which it improved in several aspects...
. - 2005, July: First camera manufacturer to provide a DNG converter for its own raw file formats - HasselbladHasselbladVictor Hasselblad AB is a Swedish manufacturer of medium-format cameras and photographic equipment based in Gothenburg, Sweden.The company is best known for the medium-format cameras it has produced since World War II....
's FlexColor. - 2005, July: First genuine digital SLR camera to write DNG, Hasselblad H2D.
- 1st anniversary, 2005, 27 September: Camera manufacturers: 4. Camera models: 7. Software products: 70+. Convertible raw image formats: 70+.
- 2005, October: First compact camera to write DNG, Ricoh GR DigitalRicoh GR DigitalThe Ricoh GR Digital is a compact digital camera. Its distinguishing feature is its fixed focal length lens . First announced at Photokina 2004, it went on sale in Japan on 21 October 2005 at the price of ¥80,000. The GR Digital is Ricoh's digital successor to their popular 35 mm GR series film...
. - 2006, July: First monochrome digital back to write DNG, MegaVisionMegaVisionMegaVision is an American company that manufactures high-end digital photographic equipment. It was founded in 1983 to create a state-of-the-art image processing computer...
E Series MonoChrome. - 2006, September: First rangefinder camera to write DNG, Leica M8Leica M8The Leica M8 is the first digital camera in the rangefinder M series introduced by Leica Camera AG on 14 September 2006. It uses a 10.3-megapixel Kodak KAF-10500 CCD image sensor.As of 15/07/2011, the most recent firmware version is 2.014.-Features:...
. - 2006, September: First camera to offer the user a choice of proprietary raw or DNG, Pentax K10DPentax K10DThe Pentax K10D and similar Samsung GX-10 are 10.2 megapixel digital single-lens reflex cameras launched in late 2006. They were developed in a collaboration between Pentax of Japan and Samsung of Korea....
. - 2nd anniversary, 2006, 27 September: Camera manufacturers: 8. Camera models: 9. Software products: 120+. Convertible raw image formats: 110+.
- 2007, May: First raw converter & photo-editor whose first raw-handling release only supported DNG, PixelmatorPixelmatorPixelmator is a graphic editor developed for Mac OS X, by Pixelmator Team Ltd built upon a combination of open source and Mac OS X technologies...
. - 2007, July: First underwater camera to write DNG, Sea&Sea DX-1G. (Based on Ricoh Caplio GX100Ricoh Caplio GX100The Ricoh Caplio GX100 is a compact digital camera. It has a wide angle zoom lens equivalent to 24–72 mm and can take photos in Raw image format, using the Adobe DNG format...
). - 3rd anniversary, 2007, 27 September: Camera manufacturers: 10. Camera models: 13. Software products: 170+. Convertible raw image formats: 160+.
- 2007, October: First digital scan back system and first 360-degree panorama system to write DNG, Seitz 6x17 Digital and Seitz Roundshot D3 with D3 digital scan back.
- 2008, February: First software on a mobile phone to write DNG, Tea Vui Huang's "DNG Phone Camera" for Nokia.
- 2008, April: Adobe announces CinemaDNGCinemaDNGCinemaDNG is the result of an Adobe-led initiative to define an industry-wide open file format for digital cinema files. CinemaDNG caters for sets of movie clips, each of which is a sequence of raw video images, accompanied by audio and metadata. CinemaDNG supports stereoscopic cameras and multiple...
initiative, using DNG as the basis for the individual raw images of a movie. - 2008, May: Specification version 1.2.0.0 published.
- 2008, September: First movie camera to use DNG as a raw image format, Ikonoskop A-cam dII.
- 4th anniversary, 2008, 27 September: Camera manufacturers: 13. Camera models: 29. Software products: 200+. Convertible raw image formats: 180+.
- 2008, September: First DNG converter running on LinuxLinuxLinux is a Unix-like computer operating system assembled under the model of free and open source software development and distribution. The defining component of any Linux system is the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released October 5, 1991 by Linus Torvalds...
(among several other things), digiKamDigiKamdigiKam is an image organizer and editor using KDE Platform. It runs on most known desktop environments and window managers if the required libraries are installed. It supports all major image file formats, and can organize collections of photographs in directory-based albums, or dynamic albums by...
. - 2009, spring/summer: First digiscope with built-in camera to write DNG, Zeiss Photoscope 85 T* FL.
- 2009, June: Specification version 1.3.0.0 published.
- 5th anniversary, 2009, 27 September: Camera manufacturers: 14. Camera models: 38. Software products: 220+. Convertible raw image formats: 230+.
- 2009, November: First "interchangeable unit" camera to write DNG, Ricoh GXRRicoh GXRThe Ricoh GXR is a compact digital camera first announced by Ricoh Company, Ltd, Tokyo on November 10, 2009. Unlike conventional cameras which either have a fixed lens and sensor or interchangeable lens and a fixed sensor, the GXR takes interchangeable units, each housing a lens, sensor and image...
. - 2010, February: First 3D movie camera to write DNG, Ikonoskop A-cam3D.
- 2010, March: First medium format camera to offer the user a choice of proprietary raw or DNG, Pentax 645D.
- 6th anniversary, 2010, 27 September: Camera manufacturers: 14. Camera models: 47. Software products: 240+. Convertible raw image formats: 290+.
During the first 5 years when about 38 camera models were launched that wrote DNG, Adobe software added support for about 21 Canon models, about 20 Nikon
Nikon
, also known as just Nikon, is a multinational corporation headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, specializing in optics and imaging. Its products include cameras, binoculars, microscopes, measurement instruments, and the steppers used in the photolithography steps of semiconductor fabrication, of which...
models, and about 22 Olympus
Olympus Corporation
is a Japan-based manufacturer of optics and reprography products. Olympus was established on 12 October 1919, initially specializing in microscope and thermometer businesses. Its global headquarters are in Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan, while its USA operations are based in Center Valley, Pennsylvania,...
models. Camera models that write DNG are almost certainly launched at a much higher rate than camera models that support any other individual raw image format, including NEF, CR2, and ORF.
Reception
The reaction to DNG has been mixed. A few camera manufacturers stated their intention to use DNG at launch. The first supported DNG about 9 months after launch. Several more niche and minority camera manufacturers added support after this. The largest camera manufacturers have apparently never indicated an intention to use DNG.A few software products supported DNG within 5 months of launch. Many more added support after this. A few software products only support DNG from cameras that write DNG, and/or from cameras that they support via their native raw image formats.
OpenRAW
OpenRAW
OpenRAW was an initiative to raise awareness of a serious problem with top-end digital photography and to help solve that problem. The problem concerns long-term access and viewing of the raw images often used by professional and experienced amateur photographers...
was an advocacy and lobby group with the motto "Digital Image Preservation Through Open Documentation". They became opposed to DNG.
DNG conversion
"DNG conversion" refers to the process of generating a DNG file from a non-DNG image. (This is in contrast to "raw conversion", which typically refers to reading and processing a raw fileRAW image format
A camera raw image file contains minimally processed data from the image sensor of either a digital camera, image scanner, or motion picture film scanner. Raw files are so named because they are not yet processed and therefore are not ready to be printed or edited with a bitmap graphics editor...
, which might be a DNG file, and generating some other type of output from it). DNG conversion is one of the sources of DNG files, the other being direct output from cameras and digital backs.
Several software products are able to do DNG conversion. The original such product is Adobe DNG Converter or DNG Converter, a freely available stand-alone utility from Adobe. Other Adobe products such as the ACR plugin to Photoshop or Lightroom can also generate DNG files from other image files.
Most DNG converters are supplied by companies other than Adobe. For example:
- The software that PentaxPentaxPentax is a brand name used by Hoya Corporation for its medical-related products & services and Pentax Ricoh Imaging Company for cameras, sport optics , etc. Hoya purchased and merged with the Japanese optics company on March 31, 2008. Hoya's Pentax imaging business was sold to Ricoh Company, Ltd...
supply with all their dSLR cameras can convert PEF raw image files from Pentax cameras into DNG files. - Flexcolor and Phocus from HasselbladHasselbladVictor Hasselblad AB is a Swedish manufacturer of medium-format cameras and photographic equipment based in Gothenburg, Sweden.The company is best known for the medium-format cameras it has produced since World War II....
can convert 3FR raw image files from Hasselblad cameras and digital backs into DNG files. - Capture One from Phase One is a raw converter that can process not only raw image files from Phase One digital backs, but also raw image files from many other cameras too. Capture One can save images from many of those cameras to DNG.
- KDE Image Plugin InterfaceKDE Image Plugin InterfaceKDE Image Plugin Interface is an API that allows creation of application-independent image processing plugins in the KDE project.- Host applications :* Digikam* KPhotoAlbum...
is an APIApplication programming interfaceAn application programming interface is a source code based specification intended to be used as an interface by software components to communicate with each other...
, that can save the images it is processing to DNG. It can be used standalone or with any image processing applications of the KDEKDEKDE is an international free software community producing an integrated set of cross-platform applications designed to run on Linux, FreeBSD, Microsoft Windows, Solaris and Mac OS X systems...
desktop environment under LinuxLinuxLinux is a Unix-like computer operating system assembled under the model of free and open source software development and distribution. The defining component of any Linux system is the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released October 5, 1991 by Linus Torvalds...
and Windows. - A number of DNG converters have been developed by "amateurs" to enable raw images from their favored camera or digital back to be processed in a large range of raw converters. These include cases where cameras have been hacked to output raw images that have then been converted to DNG.
The process of DNG conversion involves extracting raw image data from the source file and assembling it according to the DNG specification into the required TIFF format. This optionally involves compressing it. Metadata as defined in the DNG specification is also put into that TIFF assembly. Some of this metadata is based on the characteristics of the camera, and especially of its sensor. Other metadata may be image-dependent or camera-setting dependent. So a DNG converter must have knowledge of the camera model concerned, and be able to process the source raw image file including key metadata. Optionally a JPEG preview is obtained and added. Finally, all of this is written as a DNG file.
DNG conversion typically leaves the original raw image file intact. For safety, many photographers retain the original raw image file on one medium while using the DNG file on another, enabling them to recover from a range of hardware, software, and human, failures and errors. For example, it has been reported in user forums that some versions of the Adobe DNG Converter don't preserve all the raw data from raw images from some camera models.
Summary of products that support DNG in some way
This section summarizes other more comprehensive lists.Adobe products
All raw image file handling products from Adobe now support DNG. Adobe DNG Converter was published by Adobe SystemsAdobe Systems
Adobe Systems Incorporated is an American computer software company founded in 1982 and headquartered in San Jose, California, United States...
on September 27, 2004. It converts different camera raw format files into the Digital Negative (DNG) standard. It also supports lossless data compression
Lossless data compression
Lossless data compression is a class of data compression algorithms that allows the exact original data to be reconstructed from the compressed data. The term lossless is in contrast to lossy data compression, which only allows an approximation of the original data to be reconstructed, in exchange...
when converting. The program is free of charge, but not open source
Open source
The term open source describes practices in production and development that promote access to the end product's source materials. Some consider open source a philosophy, others consider it a pragmatic methodology...
. It can be downloaded at Adobe's site (Win and Mac).
Digital cameras and related software
Use by camera manufacturers varies; there are about 15 camera manufacturers that use DNG, including a few that specialize in movie cameras:- Niche camera manufacturers typically use DNG in new cameras. (Niche cameras include a digiscope, panorama cameras, and at least one movie camera). The article on raw image formatRAW image formatA camera raw image file contains minimally processed data from the image sensor of either a digital camera, image scanner, or motion picture film scanner. Raw files are so named because they are not yet processed and therefore are not ready to be printed or edited with a bitmap graphics editor...
s illustrates the complicated relationship between new raw image formats and third-party software developers. Using DNG provides immediate support for these cameras by a large range of software products. - Some camera manufacturers with low market share but conventional cameras use DNG in new cameras. Camera manufacturers that don't supply their own software for processing raw images typically, but not always, use DNG.
- One company, PentaxPentaxPentax is a brand name used by Hoya Corporation for its medical-related products & services and Pentax Ricoh Imaging Company for cameras, sport optics , etc. Hoya purchased and merged with the Japanese optics company on March 31, 2008. Hoya's Pentax imaging business was sold to Ricoh Company, Ltd...
, offers users the option of whether to use Pentax's own raw image format, or DNG. For example, the digital SLR Camera Pentax K-x does offer the ability to save PEF or DNG or even DNG+ which saves two files, a DNG and a separate JPEG file at the same time. - If a camera uses DNG, and that camera manufacturer supplies software, it will support DNG. It may support DNG only from their own cameras, or support it more generically.
- Except Pentax, no camera manufacturer with a large market share of dSLRsDigital single-lens reflex cameraMost digital single-lens reflex cameras are digital cameras that use a mechanical mirror system and pentaprism to direct light from the lens to an optical viewfinder on the back of the camera....
, such as Canon, NikonNikon, also known as just Nikon, is a multinational corporation headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, specializing in optics and imaging. Its products include cameras, binoculars, microscopes, measurement instruments, and the steppers used in the photolithography steps of semiconductor fabrication, of which...
, SonySony, commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues....
, PanasonicPanasonicPanasonic is an international brand name for Japanese electric products manufacturer Panasonic Corporation, which was formerly known as Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd...
, OlympusOlympus Corporationis a Japan-based manufacturer of optics and reprography products. Olympus was established on 12 October 1919, initially specializing in microscope and thermometer businesses. Its global headquarters are in Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan, while its USA operations are based in Center Valley, Pennsylvania,...
, FujiFujifilmis a multinational photography and imaging company headquartered in Tokyo, Japan.Fujifilm's principal activities are the development, production, sale and servicing of color photographic film, digital cameras, photofinishing equipment, color paper, photofinishing chemicals, medical imaging...
, SigmaSigma Corporationis a Japanese company founded in 1961, manufacturing cameras, lenses, flashes and other photographic accessories. All Sigma products are produced in the company's own Aizu factory in Bandai, Fukushima, Japan...
and some others, use DNG in their cameras. (However, raw images files from those cameras can be converted to DNG). If a camera manufacturer's cameras don't use DNG, their software is unlikely to support DNG unless that software is also sold independently of the cameras.
Here are examples of digital camera
Digital camera
A digital camera is a camera that takes video or still photographs, or both, digitally by recording images via an electronic image sensor. It is the main device used in the field of digital photography...
s that supported DNG.
- CasioCasiois a multinational electronic devices manufacturing company founded in 1946, with its headquarters in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan. Casio is best known for its electronic products, such as calculators, audio equipment, PDAs, cameras, musical instruments, and watches...
supports DNG in their Exilim PRO EX-F1 and Exilim EX-FH25. - Leica's Digital Modul R for the Leica R8Leica R8The Leica R8 is a manual focus 35 mm single-lens reflex camera produced by the German firm of Leica as part of their R series of cameras. Development began in 1990:...
or Leica R9Leica R9The Leica R9 is a manual focus 35 mm single-lens reflex camera produced by the German firm of Leica as part of their R series of cameras. It was released in 2002, replacing the very similar Leica R8, upon which it improved in several aspects...
and the Leica M8Leica M8The Leica M8 is the first digital camera in the rangefinder M series introduced by Leica Camera AG on 14 September 2006. It uses a 10.3-megapixel Kodak KAF-10500 CCD image sensor.As of 15/07/2011, the most recent firmware version is 2.014.-Features:...
or Leica M9Leica M9The Leica M9 is the second digital camera in Leica Camera AG's rangefinder M series. It was introduced on 9 September 2009 and uses an 18.5-megapixel Kodak KAF-18500 Full Frame CCD image sensor....
natively support the DNG format. - MegaVisionMegaVisionMegaVision is an American company that manufactures high-end digital photographic equipment. It was founded in 1983 to create a state-of-the-art image processing computer...
E Series Monochrome back. - Panoscan MK-3 digital panoramic camera.
- PentaxPentaxPentax is a brand name used by Hoya Corporation for its medical-related products & services and Pentax Ricoh Imaging Company for cameras, sport optics , etc. Hoya purchased and merged with the Japanese optics company on March 31, 2008. Hoya's Pentax imaging business was sold to Ricoh Company, Ltd...
supports DNG in their K10DPentax K10DThe Pentax K10D and similar Samsung GX-10 are 10.2 megapixel digital single-lens reflex cameras launched in late 2006. They were developed in a collaboration between Pentax of Japan and Samsung of Korea....
, K20DPentax K20DThe Pentax K20D and its clone, the Samsung GX-20, were 14.6 megapixel digital single-lens reflex cameras manufactured by Pentax that were announced on January 23, 2008. The K20D was available in the U.S...
, K200DPentax K200DThe Pentax K200D is a 10.2 megapixel digital single-lens reflex camera, announced on January 24, 2008 along with the higher-end K20D. It was discontinued in December 2008, giving it the distinction of being one of the shortest-lived DSLR cameras....
, K2000Pentax K2000The Pentax K-m is a 10.2 megapixel digital single-lens reflex camera, announced on September 22, 2008 at the 2008 Photokina trade show along with the DA-L series of lightweight, inexpensive lenses. It was discontinued in November of 2009, being replaced by the more recent Pentax K-x.The K-m is...
, K-7Pentax K-7The Pentax K-7 is a 14.6-megapixel digital single-lens reflex camera, announced on 20 May 2009. This is the first new flagship model released by Pentax since its merger with Hoya Corporation on 31 March 2008.- Features :...
, K-xPentax K-xThe Pentax K-x is a 12.4 megapixel digital single-lens reflex camera, announced on September 16, 2009. Pentax K-x uses an Exmor, Sony-made sensor . In some cases it even approaches the quality produced by full-frame DSLRs like the Nikon D700 and the Canon 5DMkII, both with larger sensors...
, K-rPentax K-rThe Pentax K-r is a 12.4-megapixel digital single-lens reflex camera, announced on September 9, 2010. The K-r is available in 3 body colors in North America, with other colors available only in the Japanese market. The K-r introduces a new SAFOX IX autofocus system and has a 3-inch...
and K-5Pentax K-5The Pentax K-5 is a 16.3-megapixel digital single-lens reflex camera, announced on 20 September 2010. It began shipping in mid-October 2010.Externally, the camera body is almost unchanged from the Pentax K-7...
DSLR cameras. - RicohRicohor Ricoh, is a Japanese company that was established in 1936 on February 6th, as , a company in the RIKEN zaibatsu. Its headquarters is located in Ricoh Building in Chūō, Tokyo....
supports DNG in the Ricoh Digital GR, considered a professional compact, and the Ricoh Caplio GX. - Ricoh GXRRicoh GXRThe Ricoh GXR is a compact digital camera first announced by Ricoh Company, Ltd, Tokyo on November 10, 2009. Unlike conventional cameras which either have a fixed lens and sensor or interchangeable lens and a fixed sensor, the GXR takes interchangeable units, each housing a lens, sensor and image...
is the latest, new and solely system of mirrorless interchangeable lens cameraMirrorless interchangeable lens cameraA mirrorless interchangeable-lens camera is an emerging class of digital system cameras, intermediate between compact digital cameras and digital single-lens reflex cameras . They are characterized by a no-mirror design and an interchangeable lens mount...
unit use also DNG. - SamsungSamsungThe Samsung Group is a South Korean multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Samsung Town, Seoul, South Korea...
supports DNG in their Pro815Samsung Pro815The Samsung Pro815 was a digital camera made by the Samsung Group and released in 2005. At the time, it was notable for having a large 3.5 inch LCD, a 15x zoom, and a large capacity battery. However it was criticised for slow focussing and excessive shutter "lag", and for a lack of image...
"prosumerProsumerProsumer is a portmanteau formed by contracting either the word professional or less often, producer with the word consumer. For example, a prosumer grade digital camera is a "cross" between consumer grade and professional grade...
" camera and GX-10 and GX-20 DSLR cameras. - Sea&Sea DX‐1G underwater camera.
- SeitzSeitz- A :* Adalbert Seitz , German doctor and natural scientist* Adolf Seitz* Alexander Maximilian Seitz , German painter* Andy Seitz- F :* Florian Seitz , German athlete* Franz Seitz , German physician...
Roundshot D3 digital back, used in cameras such as the 6×17. - Silicon ImagingSilicon ImagingThe Silicon Imaging is a 2K digital video camera based around a single 16mm-sized CMOS sensor. It can record direct to disk in the compressed CineForm RAW format, and is notable for its tiny detachable camera head, which can be positioned up to 100m from the recording unit...
Silicon Imaging Digital Cinema SI-1920HDVR. - SinarSinarSinar AG is a Swiss company producing medium format and large format cameras.The name SINAR is explained as an acronym for "Studio, Industrie, Natur, Architektur, Reproduktion", though in , the acronym is explained as "Sach-, Industrie-, Natur-, undArchitekturfotografie sowie Reproduktion"...
now uses DNG as the rawRAW image formatA camera raw image file contains minimally processed data from the image sensor of either a digital camera, image scanner, or motion picture film scanner. Raw files are so named because they are not yet processed and therefore are not ready to be printed or edited with a bitmap graphics editor...
file standard for their eMotion series of digital backs.
Some of the Canon cameras can shoot as DNG using additional free software named CHDK.
Third party software
Support by software suppliers varies; there are of the order of 200 software products that use DNG.The majority of raw handling software products support DNG. Most provide generic support, while a few support it only if it output directly from a camera. The type of support varies considerably. There appear to be very few third party software products that process raw images but don't support DNG. This may reflect the difficulty of discovering all of those that don't.
Versions of the specification
All versions of the specification remain valid, in the sense that DNG files conforming to old versions should still be read and processed by DNG readers capable of processing later versions. DNG has a version scheme built into it that allows the DNG specification, DNG writers, and DNG readers, to evolve at their own paces. Each version of the specification describes its compatibility with previous versions.1.0.0.0, published September 2004: This version accompanied the launch of DNG and related products. It was a rare, possibly unique, example of a raw image format specification published by its owner. It was adequate for representing typical images, but it had a few errors and deficiencies (specifically the lack of support of "masked pixels" and an inadvertent deviation from the JPEG specification) that required it soon to be replaced by the next version.
1.1.0.0, published February 2005: This version corrected the flaws in the first version. It has proved capable of representing raw images for a large variety of cameras (both when written in-camera or via conversion from other raw image formats) for a few years, and it is the version still typically written in-camera.
1.2.0.0, published May 2008: This version was based on experience and feedback from other companies about DNG since its launch. It introduced many new features, especially several new options for color specification under the general heading of "Camera Profiles". These are mainly of value to software products wanting their own flavor of color handling. This version permits administrative control of Camera Profiles, including calibration signatures and copyright information.
1.3.0.0, published June 2009: This version added various improvements, but the major change was to introduce "Opcodes". A Opcode is an algorithm to be applied to some or all of the image data, described in the specification, and (optionally) implemented in the product that reads and processes the DNG file. The DNG file itself holds lists of Opcodes to be executed, together with the parameters to be applied on execution. In effect, the DNG file can contain lists of "function calls" to be executed at various stages in the raw conversion process. For example, the WarpRectilinear Opcode "applies a warp to an image and can be used to correct geometric distortion and lateral (transverse) chromatic aberration for rectilinear lenses". This is an example of an algorithm that cannot be applied to the raw image data itself before it is placed into the DNG file, because it should be executed after demosaicing
Demosaicing
A demosaicing algorithm is a digital image process used to reconstruct a full color image from the incomplete color samples output from an image sensor overlaid with a color filter array...
. There are 13 Opcodes described in this version, and each Opcode is accompanied by a specification version so that more can be added in future.
CinemaDNG, published September 2009: CinemaDNG
CinemaDNG
CinemaDNG is the result of an Adobe-led initiative to define an industry-wide open file format for digital cinema files. CinemaDNG caters for sets of movie clips, each of which is a sequence of raw video images, accompanied by audio and metadata. CinemaDNG supports stereoscopic cameras and multiple...
uses DNG for each frame of a movie clip. There are additional tags specifically for movies: TimeCodes and FrameRate. It is not clear whether these tags will be added to a later version of the DNG specification, or will remain separately described only in the CinemaDNG specification.
Standardization
DNG is not (yet) a standard format, but is based on several open formatOpen format
An open file format is a published specification for storing digital data, usually maintained by a standards organization, which can therefore be used and implemented by anyone. For example, an open format can be implementable by both proprietary and free and open source software, using the typical...
s and/or standards
Open standard
An open standard is a standard that is publicly available and has various rights to use associated with it, and may also have various properties of how it was designed . There is no single definition and interpretations vary with usage....
and is currently being used by ISO in its revision of TIFF/EP
Tag Image File Format / Electronic Photography
"Tag Image File Format / Electronic Photography" is a digital image file format standard – ISO 12234-2, titled "Electronic still-picture imaging – Removable memory – Part 2: TIFF/EP image data format"...
. Here is a summary of the timeline:
- 2001: The ISO standard raw image format, ISO 12234-2, better known as TIFF/EPTag Image File Format / Electronic Photography"Tag Image File Format / Electronic Photography" is a digital image file format standard – ISO 12234-2, titled "Electronic still-picture imaging – Removable memory – Part 2: TIFF/EP image data format"...
, was ratified and published. (TIFF/EP also supports "non-raw", or "processed", images). TIFF/EP provided a basis for the raw image formats of a number of cameras, but they typically added their own proprietary data. Some cameras have sensors that cannot be described by the current version of TIFF/EP. - 2004, September: Adobe launched DNG based on TIFF/EP. (The DNG specification states "DNG ... is compatible with the TIFF-EP standard"). DNG is an extension of TIFF/EP with considerably more specified metadata. In effect, DNG was TIFF/EP brought up-to-date and made fit for purpose. DNG also exploits various other open formatOpen formatAn open file format is a published specification for storing digital data, usually maintained by a standards organization, which can therefore be used and implemented by anyone. For example, an open format can be implementable by both proprietary and free and open source software, using the typical...
s and/or standardsOpen standardAn open standard is a standard that is publicly available and has various rights to use associated with it, and may also have various properties of how it was designed . There is no single definition and interpretations vary with usage....
, including Exif metadataExchangeable image file formatExchangeable image file format is a standard that specifies the formats for images, sound, and ancillary tags used by digital cameras , scanners and other systems handling image and sound files recorded by digital cameras...
, XMP metadataExtensible Metadata PlatformThe Adobe Extensible Metadata Platform is a standard, created by Adobe Systems Inc., for processing and storing standardized and proprietary information relating to the contents of a file....
, IPTC metadataInternational Press Telecommunications CouncilThe International Press Telecommunications Council, based in London, United Kingdom, is a consortium of the world's major news agencies and news industry vendors...
, CIE XYZ coordinatesCIE 1931 color spaceIn the study of color perception, one of the first mathematically defined color spaces is the CIE 1931 XYZ color space, created by the International Commission on Illumination in 1931....
, ICC profileICC profileIn color management, an ICC profile is a set of data that characterizes a color input or output device, or a color space, according to standards promulgated by the International Color Consortium...
s, and JPEGJPEGIn computing, JPEG . The degree of compression can be adjusted, allowing a selectable tradeoff between storage size and image quality. JPEG typically achieves 10:1 compression with little perceptible loss in image quality....
. Although DNG supports more sensor configurations than TIFF/EP, (for example, cameras from FujifilmFujifilmis a multinational photography and imaging company headquartered in Tokyo, Japan.Fujifilm's principal activities are the development, production, sale and servicing of color photographic film, digital cameras, photofinishing equipment, color paper, photofinishing chemicals, medical imaging...
using Super CCDSuper CCDSuper CCD is a proprietary charge-coupled device that has been developed by Fujifilm since 1999. The Super CCD uses octagonal, rather than rectangular, pixels...
sensors), it still doesn't support all sensor types as raw images, especially those using the Foveon X3 sensorFoveon X3 sensorThe Foveon X3 sensor is a CMOSimage sensor for digital cameras, designed by Foveon, Inc. and manufactured by National Semiconductorand Dongbu Electronics....
or similar, hence especially SigmaSigma Corporationis a Japanese company founded in 1961, manufacturing cameras, lenses, flashes and other photographic accessories. All Sigma products are produced in the company's own Aizu factory in Bandai, Fukushima, Japan...
cameras. - 2006: TIFF/EP began its 5-year revision cycle.
- 2006 to 2007 sometime: Adobe offered the DNG specification to ISO to be part of ISO's revised TIFF/EP standard.
- 2008, September & October: Minutes of ISO/TC 130/WG2 — Prepress Data Exchange, 37th Meeting: "WG 18 is revising the two-part standard (ISO 12234), which addresses digital camera removable memory. The revision of ... Part 2 will add DNG into TIFF/EP." A progress report from ISO about the revision of TIFF/EP stated that the revision "... currently includes two "interoperability-profiles," "IP 1" for processed image data, using ".TIF" extension, and "IP 2" for "raw" image data, ".DNG" extension".
- 2009, September: Minutes of ISO/TC 130/WG2 — Prepress Data Exchange, 39th Meeting: the revision of TIFF/EP "is comprehensive to support many different use cases, including backward compatibility with current TIFF readers and support of Adobe DNG.... Profile 2 (proposed extension .dng, if Adobe is in agreement) is intended for camera raw images, including un-demosaiced images.... This format will be similar to DNG 1.3, which serves as the starting point for development."
- Future?: If ISO's revision of TIFF/EP continues as it has been doing, (this is not guaranteed), there will be an ISO Standard with one of its interoperability profiles based on DNG version 1.3 and used with the file extension ".DNG" or ".dng".