Adobe has just announced that the Release Candidate version of Camera Raw 8.7 and the standalone DNG Converter 8.7 are now available via Adobe Labs. Note, you won’t see this as an automatic update, and unless you need the new camera support listed below it is fine to wait until the final release version comes out.

New Camera Support

That said, this is great news for any Photoshop user who has just purchased a Nikon D750 (like me), but also for any new owners of the following cameras:

  • Casio EX-100PRO
  • Fujifilm X30
  • Leaf Credo 50
  • Leica V-Lux (Typ 114)
  • Nikon D750
  • Panasonic DMC-GM1S
  • Sony ILCE-5100
  • Sony ILCE-QX1

Adobe is still making this Camera Raw update available to Photoshop CS6 and Photoshop CC users, in addition to the latest version; Photoshop CC 2014. So while this Camera Raw update will support the previously mentioned new cameras in Photoshop CS6 and CC (along with new lens profiles and bug fixes) the new features of Camera Raw 8 are not exposed in these older versions of Photoshop. To get access to the newer Camera Raw 8 features like Upright, improved Spot Removal Brush, the Radial Filter, etc., you need to upgrade to Photoshop CC 2014.

New Lens Profiles

Speaking of new lens profiles, the following were added in this update:

Canon Mount

  • Tokina AT-X 116 PRO DX-II 11-16mm f/2.8

Fujifilm X Mount

  • HandeVision IBELUX 40mm F0.85

Leica M

  • SLR Magic 50mm T0.95 Hyperprime Cine Lens

Leica S

  • Leica SUMMICRON-S 100 mm f/2 ASPH

Nikon F (DX)

  • Tokina AT-X 116 PRO DX-II 11-16mm f/2.8

PENTAX 645

  • HD PENTAX-DA 645 28-45mm F4.5ED AW SR

Sony Alpha

  • Sony DT 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 SAM
  • Sony DT 18-70mm F3.5-5.6
  • Sony 75-300mm F4.5-5.6
  • Sony 300mm F2.8 G SSM
  • Sony 500mm F4 G SSM

Sony E

  • HandeVision IBELUX 40mm F0.85
  • SLR Magic 50mm F0.95 Hyperprime Lens
  • Sony FE 16-35mm F4 ZA OSS

Voigtlander VM

  • Voigtlander VM 12mm F5.6 Ultra Wide Heliar
  • Voigtlander VM 75mm F1.8 Heliar

What about Lightroom?

We’ve seen a new trend emerge since Lightroom Mobile came on the scene in that the Release Candidate of Camera Raw (and the standalone DNG converter) come out before the final version of the comparable update for Lightroom is released. This update seems to follow that same trend. So, if you are a Lightroom user and you have one of the new cameras supported by this update you can either wait until the next update for Lightroom comes out or you can download the Release Candidate of the DNG Converter 8.7, convert your raw photos to DNG, and then import the DNG files into Lightroom 5.6. It seems to follow that the final release of these updates isn’t that far down the road after the RC comes out.

Bug Fixes

No update would be complete without a few bug fixes, so please take note of the following:

  • Fix crash when rapidly adding corrections with the Spot Removal tool.
  • Fix bug that prevented the Filter Brush cursor from displaying while changing brush size when the Graduated and Radial Filter overlay is turned off.
  • Improve quality of Camera Matching color profiles for the Nikon D810.
  • Fixes visible banding issues with the Camera Standard, Camera Vivid, Camera Landscape, and Camera Monochrome profiles.

If you run into any problems or have specific questions about this release be sure to post them in the Camera Raw forum.