Nikon Z8 Raw files not readable by ventura

Lois Erlacher wrote:

I can open them in lightroom and photoshop.o

Adobe uses their own Raw support code. That code is completely separate from the macOS-level code.

Adobe – Cameras supported by Camera Raw

Here is an AppleScript that depends upon the free, third-party EXIFtool utility to extract a JPG image (with EXIF metadata) from a camera raw image, whether that camera model is supported or unsupported by the operating system.

Whether Apple Silicon or Intel Mac, the ExifTool installer places the executable in /usr/local/bin/exiftool as the script indicates.

Once EXIFTool is installed, one performs a shift+cmd+U in the Finder, and then double click the Script Editor found there to launch it. Click New Document and select Desktop since it is handy.

Copy the following code into the Script Editor, click the hammer icon, and then run it, where it will only look for camera raw type files in the File Chooser.

(*
 raw2jpg.applescript
 
 Extract the JPG image with EXIF data from the camera RAW content into the same filesystem
 location. The original RAW image remains unchanged. Output file will have the RAW
 extension appended to the base filename such as DSC_4313.NEF => DSC_4313_NEF.jpg.
 
 Version: 1
 Requirement: EXIFTool, https://exiftool.org
 Tested: macOS Sequoia v15.3.1, Nikon Z8 Raw Image (NEF)
 VikingOSX, 2025-03-03, Apple Support Communities, no warranties expressed or implied
 *)

use scripting additions


set thisImage to POSIX path of (choose file of type {"public.camera-raw-image"} default location (path to desktop)) as text

my makeRawAsJPG(thisImage)
return

on makeRawAsJPG(image)
	try
		return (do shell script "/bin/zsh -s <<'EOF' - " & image's quoted form & " >& /dev/null" & "
#!/bin/zsh
/usr/local/bin/exiftool -m -q -if '$jpgfromraw' -b -jpgfromraw -w %d%f_%ue.jpg \\
-execute -if '$previewimage' -b -previewimage -w %d%f_%ue.jpg \\
-execute -tagsfromfile @ -srcfile %d%f_%ue.jpg -overwrite_original \\
-common_args --ext jpg \"${1}\"
exit 0
EOF")
	end try
end makeRawAsJPG

Servant of Cats wrote:

VikingOSX wrote:

This site has Nikon Z8 NEF Lossless Compressed and these show up in the Finder.

In general, you can't assume that Raw formats are identical, even when two files have the same file extension and come from cameras made by the same manufacturer.

How ungodly obvious…

But maybe here, the Z8 NEF Lossless Compressed format is the same as a previous format – or close enough that code written for the older format doesn't get too confused.

There is a Nikon Z8⁴ footnote in Apple's Raw Support documentation that specifies the Lossless format only for this camera. That is why a Z8 lossless compression image displays in macOS and one with Z8 High Efficiency* compression does not. Nothing to do with the format age.

Lois Erlacher wrote:

I like apple photos app. I was hoping they would support it. I don't want to downgrade to shooting jpeg just to use apple photos

You might be able to use the Adobe Digital Negative Converter to prepare .DNG versions of the Z8 Raw files, and then import the DNG files into Photos. I believe there are settings within the DNG converter as to what version of DNG to use for the output.

The question then might be what information / features, if any, is lost in the conversion.

Just to add, Sonoma was the first version of macOS to support Nikon Z8 RAW files (Lossless only).

You might be able to convert them using Adobe DNG Converter

Well, according to Apple the Z8 is not supported.

Digital camera RAW formats supported by iOS 16, iPadOS 16, and macOS Ventura - Apple Support

If you can open them in other apps there's no need to convert them.

I don't know if you got your Z8 RAW images from DPReview, but Exiftool is showing mine as Nikon NEF Compressed with NEF Compression of High Efficiency. These NEF images have a generic Finder icon in Sequoia v15.3.1.

VikingOSX wrote:

This site has Nikon Z8 NEF Lossless Compressed and these show up in the Finder.

In general, you can't assume that Raw formats are identical, even when two files have the same file extension and come from cameras made by the same manufacturer.

But maybe here, the Z8 NEF Lossless Compressed format is the same as a previous format – or close enough that code written for the older format doesn't get too confused.

Nikon is correct. Ventura does not support Z8 RAW files. Perhaps you were shooting JPGs when it worked?

FWIW, we still have a 2017 iMac running Ventura 13.7.4. I downloaded some sample Z8 RAW files and they do not show in the Finder, Quick Look, or Preview.

Lois Erlacher wrote:

I like apple photos app. I was hoping they would support it. I don't want to downgrade to shooting jpeg just to use apple photos

Understood. Apple is not going to retroactively support Z8 files in Ventura.