Apple Mac 10.5.8-10.6.1 rendering G10 raw sunburst wrong?

I've noticed that when my Mac (via Aperture 2.1.4, Finder, or iPhoto) displays my underwater Canon G10 RAW pictures of sunbursts, the sunbursts look like they are rendered wrong - dark ring around burst and really blown out. See linked photos as it's easier to see than describe.

Both photos use default settings, the "aperture214_g10RAW.jpg" was exported using Aperture 2.1.4 while the "photoshopCS4_g10RAW.jpg" was exported with Adobe Photoshop CS4.

Anyone have problems with this? Is there a setting I need to change to get it right because I tried tweaking the settings and it still looks bad.

I've also tried converting the original .cr2 files into Adobe DNG files but still get the same blown out wrong look.

Thanks!

jason

The link below goes to the bad rendering and the next photo in the gallery is from Photoshop CS4.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/59309989@N00/4033681365/

Wondering if anyone using a Canon on Mac OS X has same issue? I'm trying to figure out the source of the problem. Thanks!

Jason -

This is a common problem with digital cameras. The reason that the sunball is blown out is because it IS blown out. Some converters, like Aperture, also seem to be heavy on cyan saturation, which certainly doesn't help.

I did a comparison of RAW converters some time ago:

http://wetpixel.com/i.php/full/the-mystery...rters-take-two/

http://wetpixel.com/i.php/full/the-mystery...raw-converters/

I tend to use DPP for sunballs because for Canon cameras, it produces the best result.

Eric,

Thanks for the prompt response! I will take a look at the articles. I didn't realize the RAW converters can very SO much. I even tried converting the G10 RAW file into DNG and then reimporting it but it was the same result.

Do you know if RAW converter quality varies between different camera models? For example, RAW converter "A" is good for the Canon G10 but not for the Canon G11?

Regards,

Jason

Jason -

 

This is a common problem with digital cameras. The reason that the sunball is blown out is because it IS blown out. Some converters, like Aperture, also seem to be heavy on cyan saturation, which certainly doesn't help.

 

I did a comparison of RAW converters some time ago:

 

http://wetpixel.com/i.php/full/the-mystery...rters-take-two/

http://wetpixel.com/i.php/full/the-mystery...raw-converters/

 

I tend to use DPP for sunballs because for Canon cameras, it produces the best result.

Eric,

Question on workflow. Do you routinely convert in DPP, and then import as TIFFS for storage, retrieval etc in Aperture?

I convert occasionally in NX2 for similar reasons, but have wondered whether I should just routinely add the NX2 RAW conversion step.

I'm still not certain that there's no downside to then storing those images in Aperture, are the exact same color properties maintained on reexport? As much as I like the workflow aspect, layout etc of Aperture, the color management issues still frustrate me.