Apple has released an update to let Mac users view and edit raw files from several new high-end cameras, including the new $800 PowerShot G1 X, Canon's answer to the parade of high-end mirrorless compact cameras with interchangeable lenses.
Also supported is Nikon's new flagship SLR, the D4.
Raw photo formats, taken directly from the image sensor without in-camera processing into a JPEG, permit greater flexibility and quality for editing. But they require manual processing with software, and this update means Apple's iPhoto and Aperture can handle the shots. The proprietary raw formats aren't standard, so software makers such as Apple and Adobe Systems must test each camera to provide support.
Also supported in the update are these models:
• Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX1
• Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ35
• Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ38
• Samsung NX200
• Sony Alpha NEX-7
• Sony NEX-VG20
The cameras aren't supported in Mac OS X 10.7.3, the latest version of the Mac's operating system. But to try to keep up with the market better, Apple releases camera updates sooner than full OS updates. Apple typically rolls that camera support updates into future OS updates afterward.