TIFF is just a container format that is easy to read, and lots of people (and software) understand how to read it. Other people have used it as the container for other kinds of files, including some camera manufacturers' proprietary RAW files.
The point of DNG is what's *inside* the container. DNG specifies how the sensor data is described for RGB Bayer sensors as well as all other current sensor formats, how the sensor color response and camera settings are described, dead pixel and noise data, black subtraction, defective pixels, etc. It specifies the stuff that every camera manufacturer's current raw format has in it and that Adobe has to reverse engineer for every new camera that comes out. This is not a ploy by Adobe to make money. It's pretty much the brainchild of Thomas Knoll, author of Camera Raw. It's an attempt to solve his problems as a photographer and software developer -- and in the process save money for Adobe and everybody else who produces software that reads raw files. And if cameras support it directly, you wouldn't have to wait for a software update for C1, Camera Raw, Bibble, or whatever to support your new camera. There are no plans to derive revenue from it in any way other than the cost savings of not having to revise Camera Raw every time a new camera comes out. There are already cameras whose raw formats are not readable on current operating systems with the camera manufacturer's software, because the software that shipped with the camera doesn't run on the current OS and the manufacturers will never update it to do so. While there may be benefit to C1, Bibble, or Canon in writing better / faster / stronger / sexier raw conversion algorithms, there is no benefit to having everybody figure out afresh for every camera where they stuck the defective pixel data this time, or having to revise their converters because the 700Dx mark VII now saves 15 bits per sample instead of the mark VI's 13 bits. DNG is one of those things that is a good idea for everybody -- especially photographers (though not all the camera manufacturers are convinced of that yet). =============================================================== GO TO http://www.prodig.org for ~ GUIDELINES ~ un/SUBSCRIBING ~ ITEMS for SALE
