Davethehiker Loc: South West Pennsylvania

I have three good camera's that I use:

1) Sony A900 (Full frame)
2) Sony A77 II (APSC)
3) Sony RX100M2 (smaller sensor yet)

Each of these camera's have their own advantages and charm. PhotoShop CS5.1 is only able to open the RAW files from my old A900. When I try to open a RAW file from the other two cameras I get the following message:

Could not complete your request because the file appears to be from a camera model which is not supported by the installed version of Camera Raw.
Please visit the Camera Raw help documentation for additional information.

Must I now pay to update to a new (cloud monthly payments version of PS) or is there another way to get Adobe's more modern RAW converter(s)?

I have work around solutions i.e. Aperture or DxO. I'm curious why Adobe PS is the only program giving me a problem with 2 of my 3 cameras?

Is there a way I can upgrade the RAW converter(s) to my current version of PS?

-----Edit-----
I contacted Adobe and asked this same question. Attached is part of the correspondence:

No thanks

Davethehiker Loc: South West Pennsylvania

This is like Obama-care, where my monthly payments just increased by $250 per month!!!!!!

Only now if I like CS5.1, I can at least keep CS5.1.

$9.99 per month did not sound like much, but my first year of Obama-care did not cost me much. I was only this year that I went up. God only knows what Abobe will decide to charge me, once they get those cloud hooks in me!

Morning Star Loc: West coast, North of the 49th N.

Have you ever updated the ACR part of your CS5?
Give me a few minutes and I'll look up what version you need.
In the meantime you can check yourself what version you have. Open the program, click on Help on the menu line, and there should be something about Adobe Camera Raw there.

I'm back!
ACR is only compatible with CS5 through version 6.7
Your A900 wants ACR version 5.1 - those raw files will open in CS 5.
Your A77II wants version 8.5 and your RX100 wants version 8.2 - CS5 will not open them.

Did those cameras come with their own software? If so, check to see if it can convert those files to .dng files, then open the .dng file with CS5.
Or you could download and install the dng-converter program from Adobe - I believe it is free.

Is there anything you do in CS5 that cannot be done in Photoshop Elements? If you don't know, PM me with what you use CS5 for, and I'll be happy to check and see if it can be done in PSE. It will probably take a number of PM's back and forth, but I have no problem with that.
In any case, where this suggestion is going, is to buy PSE 13 instead of upgrading CS5. PSE 13 was released about a month ago, and if tradition continues, you will probably be able to purchase that program for around $50 in the coming weeks. PSE is not a cloud-based program, and regardless of the negative things some people have to say about it, it is a powerful program that you can most of your editing with.

lightcatcher Loc: Farmington, NM (4 corners)

Get the DNG convertor it's free. You still have the raw file if you want to keep it, I do.

Billyspad Loc: The Philippines

You can download Camera Raw all versions here for free -

http://www.adobe.com/support/downloads/product.jsp?product=106&platform=Windows

They call it a DNG converter for some reason. Not sure what version will install on CS5 but try the latest Camera Raw 8.5 and see what happens,

Regards

Billyspad

Davethehiker Loc: South West Pennsylvania

Thank you it looked like it was going to work, but then I discovered this was for windows, not Apple OS that I use. :-(

Morning Star Loc: West coast, North of the 49th N.

Here's the info for Mac's, but for now you'll have to flip through it yourself I'm afraid, couple of things I have to do before coming back to the computer.
http://www.adobe.com/cfusion/search/index.cfm?term=ACR+for+Mac&loc=en_us

Billyspad Loc: The Philippines

Try this

http://www.adobe.com/support/downloads/detail.jsp?ftpID=5824&promoid=DTEHQ

This is for Mac

Davethehiker Loc: South West Pennsylvania

Sure, but they are not user friendly like the Converters made by DxO or Apple. DxO's converter is actually much more powerful than the one that Adobe provides but I was looking for a more seamless work flow. I already have patches that work.

Davethehiker Loc: South West Pennsylvania

blank page

Davethehiker Loc: South West Pennsylvania

I'm downloading it now. This looks promising! Thank you.
----------edit---------
I finished downloading it and installed it. I even rebooted my computer. It's a DNG converter and worth having but still does not convert my more recent RAW (ARW extension). Maybe one will soon be made?

bsprague Loc: Lacey, WA, USA

Confusion reigns!

A RAW file is only data that can be turned into a viewable picture by something like CS5 or Lightroom.

As new cameras are made, their specifications or "recipe" for the RAW file changes. In other words, each and every camera's raw data file must be translated. CS5, Ligtroom, etc have to have to have the translation recipe baked in for each and every camera made.

The three acronyms that count here are RAW, ACR and DND.

DNG is a raw data file recipe that Adobe provided to the public domain in 2004. If all camera makers used it, instead of their own recipes, we wouldn't be confused. All of Adobe's products can process DNG, including CS5 and older versions of Lightroom. DNG means "Digital Negative".

In addition to making the DNG raw recipe public domain, Adobe began providing the "DNG Converter" for free and continually update it as camera makers provide their proprietary raw data file recipes. DNG converter simply translates from the camera company's raw data file to Adobe's raw data file DNG format. It does it losslessly and will do it in batches for convenience.

ACR (Adobe Camera Raw) is an interface from raw data files to pictures used by Photoshop, including CS5. For inconvenience the same code is built into Lightroom, but hidden so that it doesn't look like its there.

As new cameras march out, Adobe releases updated version sets of DNG Converter, ACR (for Photoshop users) and Lightroom.

Adobe does not try to make all the older versions work with newer cameras. That would be an impossible task. Instead it is expected of new camera model buyers that they will upgrade something to get the new raw recipe for that new camera.

Today it can be the free DNG converter, the $10 per month subscription to Photoshop CC 2014, a $135 for Lightroom 5.6 or $90 for Photoshop Elements (that will included the same ACR version as the 'pro' CC 2014).

Davethehiker Loc: South West Pennsylvania

Arrrgh! I found one named:
"Camera Raw 6.7.1 Update"

I did download and install it, no luck yet.

bsprague Loc: Lacey, WA, USA

If you don't want to spend $$ to upgrade your software, you want "Adobe DNG Converter". It is free to download and runs by itself. You will batch process your "raw" files into "DNG" files that will function perfectly in the Adobe software you own.

The Camera Raw 6.7.1 Update is not new enough to cover your new cameras. And, your older version of Photoshop will not accept the newer versions of Camera Raw updates.

Davethehiker Loc: South West Pennsylvania

I do have a work-around. We hoggers can't go this long without posting a photo. Attached is a photo taken by my wife using my tiny Sony RX100M2. I used DxO to convert the RAW file to a TIFF then exported it into PS CS5.1 (non-cloud). I optimized using the tools available within PS and exported it as a JPG to post it here.

This a mountain cabin in the woods owned by a friend of mine.

No need to toss my money monthly up into the Adobe cloud.

This was just a random photo to show I'm not a victim of a Adobe's get rich quick scheme.

Lou's cabin

(Download)