nex 5n question.

[mrarchi]

Do the lens compensation settings in the 5n menu apply to just jpeg, or to jpeg and RAW?  The manual does not say, but I have seen in other forums that they only apply to jpeg.  Is this correct, and if so, can Sony add in lens corrections for RAW files in a firmware update?

JohnA.

[Mick2011 · Accepted solution]

Hi mrarchi, welcome to the Sony Forums

They don't apply to RAW, only jpeg; I'll explain why.

Lens compensation is normally only available during image editing on the PC, as one of the processing steps (along with sharpening, noise reduction, etc) required before the file is 'finished' and ready for print/publishing.

PC-based image processing is always needed for RAW files, because – by their nature – they are files that the camera has not processed itself. Jpegs, on the other hand, are processed in-camera, so (in theory) all the necessary sharpening, NR, etc will have been done, ready to print. This lets you pull the card out of the camera and straight into a desktop printer, for example.

In practice, a lot of serious users who *don't* shoot RAW still have to use PC software to perform lens corrections. The idea behind the NEX-5n lens compensation is to include this step in the normal processing a finished jpeg file. As RAW files receive no in-camera processing, they are excluded from this step.

Unfortunately this almost certainly means RAW file lens compensation will not be included in a future firmware update. It's not impossible, but it would probably require a slighty modified RAW file format to acommodate, making it unlikely.

Cheers

Mick

[mrarchi]

Thank you for a very helpful answer.  I would still like to have lens compensation for RAW files, but recognise that it is unlikely to happen.  If it were available in Lightroom, that would be just as good.

[Mick2011]

Lightroom 3.0 has a lens correction module that does much the same stuff as the NEX-5n. I'm pretty sure the NEX e-series 18-55 and 16mm lenses are supported, possibly others, along with some compatible Sigmas and Tamrons.

The LR module works really well with a single click and can be included as part of the default processing a file gets on import into LR workspace, which is almost as good as happening in-camera

Cheers

Mick

[mrarchi]

Brilliant!  Thank you very much indeed.

JohnA

[Jason_H]

Keep in mind that only LR 3.5 and higher supports the raw files from the NEX-5n and no other versions before this will recognize their files. Version 3.5 also recognizes the 16 and 18-55 lenses, if not all Sony E series lens to date.

Message was edited by: Jason_H

Message was edited by: Jason_H