(An up-to-date list of supported RAW cameras can be found here)

Essentially every camera on the market has a unique RAW file format, meaning that every time there’s a new model released, software manufacturers like Adobe and Apple have to write new code to support those files. And unfortunately it’s not as easy as just plugging in the data that the camera makers send them. The fact is, often the software engineers have to reverse-engineer the new RAW formats to make them work with their software, and more importantly, to work at their best with their software. Since the camera manufacturers don’t always send pre-release cameras to the software companies, the folks at Apple and Adobe quite often have to wait until a camera is on the market to start working on support for it.

Sucks, doesn’t it? But that’s the way it is. So when your brand new 78 Megapixel Canikon EOD 21 Mark Pi isn’t getting RAW support the moment it hits the shelves, now you know why. Sometimes Adobe supports a new camera first, sometimes Apple does.

So how long do I have to wait?

There’s no telling, to be honest. Usually it’s only a matter of weeks or in some cases months before a new camera is supported. The more popular a camera is (or is likely to be), the more likely it is that Aperture will have support for it sooner rather than later. But you have to keep in mind that supporting that hot new camera may not be the most important thing going on at the moment behind the scenes, and since Apple doesn’t tell us what they are doing, sometimes we just have to wait. Not ideal, but rest assured that if it’s a camera from a manufacturer like Canon or Nikon, support will come. If it’s a more obscure camera… well, read on.

Support for new cameras comes via RAW support updates, and there’s no schedule to them. Some updates support many new cameras at once, and sometimes an update is just for one or a few cameras.

But Aperture isn't in development any more… does that mean new cameras will stop getting support?

RAW camera support is not in Aperture; it's in the operating system. There have been many, many updates for RAW support over the years, as you can see by searching the Digital Camera RAW Update keyword. So you can rest assured that your new camera will likely be supported in the near future, just as it always has.

Should I tell Apple that I want support for my camera?

If it’s by a major manufacturer, then no, there’s no point. They know. However if it’s some obscure, or less popular camera, you certainly can make your voice heard. Go to the Aperture Feedback page and let them know there. If you know anyone else with the same camera, encourage them to do the same thing. Talk about it on the forums here or on apple.com and Apple will see that.

What can I do in the meantime?

The good news is, all is not lost. All cameras shoot JPEG, so you can still shoot JPEG and view your photos in Aperture. In fact, you can shoot RAW+JPEG so that you have your RAW files already in Aperture when support comes. All those photos will suddenly become viewable.

If you shoot RAW+JPEG, when you import, under RAW+JPEG Pairs select “Both (JPEG as Master)”.

This will bring in both files, but they will appear as one. If you want to switch to the RAW file, just choose the menu Photos > Set RAW as Master and the RAW will pop on top (look for the telltale J for JPEG or R for RAW on the thumbnail to know which is currently active). 

What’s especially cool is if you make any adjustments to the JPEG file, when you switch to RAW, the adjustments are automatically copied over. Yes you may need to make some tweaks to the adjustments, but at least most of your work is already done.

How about DNG?

That can work too. Aperture supports DNG, so if Adobe is supporting the camera before Apple, you can download the DNG Converter from Adobe and convert the RAW file to a DNG. This doesn’t always give great results though, and it’s NOT the same as working in RAW in Aperture. But, it’s a solution worth considering.