M8 Uncompressed 14-bit DNG

[mnutzer]

Am I the last user of m8raw2dng?
Most of my landscape pictures are taken in this mode.
In order to prevent activating only the JPG single mode when the M8.2 is switched on the next time, I change to another preset before switching off the camera.

 

[jarski]

Am I the last user of m8raw2dng?

maybe 😛

I remember playing with this tool, but it didn't enter my actual workflow.

 

[taffy]

Am I the last user of m8raw2dng?
Most of my landscape pictures are taken in this mode.
In order to prevent activating only the JPG single mode when the M8.2 is switched on the next time, I change to another preset before switching off the camera.

I've only come across this tool recently so you're not alone. I'd love to learn from you.

 

[Lss]

Am I the last user of m8raw2dng?

Second attempt to answer... the forum software seems to have missed my previous post.

Anyway, I have quit using the software quite some time ago. Due to the hassle, after experimenting with it I only used it for landscapes. The M8 resolution is just not sufficient for me anymore, and convenience has generally trumped stitching for me. Doing it for every photograph is too much.

This software has nevertheless been a great contribution to the M8 community. I just wish Leica had matched that contribution by releasing one more firmware for the enthusiasts.

 

[mnutzer]

Yes, that's absolutely right, but I'm happy writing further about m8raw2dng only from my memory.
After 10 years and about 80,000 camera shutter releases, the M8.2, along with many other parts of Leica, had to help partially fund an M10-P.
The operational readiness increases considerably, if one no longer has to perform first the button dance each time the M8.2 is turned on.
The m8raw2dng droplet I will save in order to be able to process the RAWs generated by the M8.2 together with the JPGs if needed.

 

[jarski]

... I just wish Leica had matched that contribution by releasing one more firmware for the enthusiasts.

perhaps Leica could opensource the old M8 and 9 firmwares. yes camera makers dont usually (never) do such things, but Leica has sometimes done the unexpected 🙂

 

[mnutzer]

perhaps Leica could opensource the old M8 and 9 firmwares. yes camera makers dont usually (never) do such things, but Leica has sometimes done the unexpected 🙂

AFAIK from Wetzlar, the software for M8 and M9 was developed by Zeiss Jena (Jenoptik), who also hold the patents.
For further development or release, Leica would first have to acquire the necessary licenses, which they certainly no longer have any interest in.

 

[jonal928]

New Software Petition

New Software Petition

AFAIK from Wetzlar, the software for M8 and M9 was developed by Zeiss Jena (Jenoptik), who also hold the patents.
For further development or release, Leica would first have to acquire the necessary licenses, which they certainly no longer have any interest in.

Maybe I'm naive, but we can always try. So, as a closed group of Leica M8 users, why not pick up signatures from Leica M8 camera users wherever they are (in the group here and other user groups around the world), and ask directly from Jenoptik and Leica itself, to help and release the license, or even help us write new software, such as, Will make the most of the unique Leica M8.

 

[jarski]

Maybe I'm naive, but we can always try. So, as a closed group of Leica M8 users, why not pick up signatures from Leica M8 camera users wherever they are (in the group here and other user groups around the world), and ask directly from Jenoptik and Leica itself, to help and release the license, or even help us write new software, such as, Will make the most of the unique Leica M8.

complex situation. whereas Leica could get positive press, this third party company would get nothing but expenses by employing someone todo the actual work (preparing old software for open sourcing). methinks lead should come from Leica, before this has chance of progressing.

 

[mnutzer]

... web site: http://m8raw2dng.de ...

"This site has been suspended."

Does anyone know if Arvid has stopped his m8raw2dng project or if it will be continued somewhere else?
For all cases here you might find a download of the droplet and a pdf file at:

https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topi...s-to-dng/page/7/?tab=comments#comment-3910916

Scroll to #128, but it can only be read by members of the LUF.

 

[84Bravo]

Does anyone have a copy of the program for Mac they are willing to share? The site is no longer available.

 

[peterm1]

If the software is to become at all usable for the majority of people it desperately needs a graphic user interface (GUI)built for it as a simple front end for people like me who have never played with old DOS systems stuff for 30 years. I tried multiple times to get the thing working only to find I could not. My main problem I think was the syntax for the command line command, which somehow was all Greek to me. I gave up on it after multiple attempts, not because the other problem - that of the problematic settings routine for the M8 camera and the need to constantly reset the settings but because there was no point if I could not get the software working.

No disrespect intended but the fact that the developer was, from memory, a German speaker meant his instructions were "Greek" to me too even when expressed in English. 🙂 Others with more IT experience than I were more lucky as perhaps they would have an inherent advantage.

 

[former member]

I've been using M8RAW2DNG since Arvid first released it.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/39gdsi55jgpa2h4/LeicaM8_High_ISO.pdf?dl=0

I did a write-up some 5 years ago for using it on a Windows machine.

These days: I copy M8RAW2DNG.exe to the SD card, once inserted into the computer. Run "CMD", change directory to the SD card, type "M8RAW2DNG" at the command prompt. I then copy the DNG files, no longer save the .RAW.

The M8 was crippled with the lossy compression algorithm. With M8RAW2DNG, you can underexpose by 4 Stops and then boost in post-processing to get a much better ISO2500 equivalent image.

 

[raid]

Next time we meet again, Brian, you can show me this part on how to use M8RAW2DNG. I am very careful about not messing up my M8 or M9, so I have never dared making such changes.

 

[former member]

The "Button Dance" on the M8 is completely safe, everything reverts to "normal" once the camera is turned off, or goes to sleep.

Not so on the M9: I had to reload the firmware from the SD card to get it out of Diagnostics mode.

 

[mnutzer]

Does anyone have a copy of the program for Mac they are willing to share? The site is no longer available.

"The website is available on archive.org. Found the help page with the paramters. use it as a command line tool and the first command in the examples section should do the job."

https://web.archive.org/web/20190819224647/http://m8raw2dng.de/help/tool-parameters/

(hint given by tom.w.bn on https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topi...rt-leica-m8-raw-files-to-dng/page/7/#comments)