Here are the results of the recent poll:

Based on those results, here's are some things coming soon to the blog:

• GR Digital II review
• Multipart shootout with the LX3/D-LUX 4, G10, and GRD II
• More on the Panasonic G1 to follow

Thanks to all for voting!

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Third party RAW support for the Sigma DP1 remains absent. Thomas Knoll suggested in the Adobe forums that the lack of DP1 support in ACR/Lightroom is "due to issues beyond Adobe's control". Eric Chan of Adobe said the following: "Unfortunately, the matter is currently is out of our hands. We have to wait for some non-technical issues to be resolved before we can proceed with DP1 support. Please be patient."

The implication is that Sigma is responsible for the absence of third party support for Sigma DP1 files. The Sigma SD14 DSLR, which shares the DP1 sensor, is supported by Adobe and others. It stands to reason that Sigma could facilitate outside DP1 RAW file support, and it is certainly in the interest of DP1 owners for them to do so. I hope Sigma isn't intentionally preventing third party support!

If you use a DP1, please take a moment to vote in the following poll and leave a comment below. Hopefully we can get Sigma's attention.

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Björn's recent post "What Makes A Compact Camera Serious?" really drives home the fact that RAW mode is uncommon in the compact camera market. If one wants a compact camera with a sharp lens, manual exposure controls, and manual focus, there are many choices. Add RAW to the list of requirements, and the number of compacts on the list drops precipitously.

You might be able to guess, based on this post I wrote after Canon dropped RAW from the G7, how important RAW is to me. Nikon still doesn't have RAW in its high end compacts, and I know that they conduct regular user polls. Maybe the majority amongst even "serious" users don't care very much about RAW in their compact cameras.

How important is RAW to you? Please participate in the poll to the right, and let us know.

Addendum: The results are in. More than half of those participating consider RAW an absolutely necessary feature for an advanced compact. Thanks to all who responded!

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