macOS Monterey Displaying some DNG Files with massive Color Smearing / Desaturation
Related: Apple, Apple Core Rot, Apple macOS, Apple macOS Monterey, Leica, Leica M, Leica M11, rangefinder
More Apple Core Rot? Or Leica issue?
UPDATE March 23 2022, Stefan Dietrich writes:
Apple seems to have fixed it with the OSX 12.3 release on March 14. I didn’t get an acknowledgement about my bug reports, but it’s now working fine. I just got around to test it.
I’ve also confirmed the fix with macOS Monterey 12.3.
...
Reader Stefan Dietrich writes:
Just as an FYI, please feel free to use images attached for your blog if you think it’s worthwhile.
I just want people to know that DNG files don’t show correct when using Apple Preview or Apple Photo in Monterey. It least it’s the case for my Leica M-P Typ 240 camera’s DNG files. It’s something really weird with the color Chanels.
Please see attached the original DNG file and the DNG file after it ran through Adobe DNG converter (both converted for email compression only). If you zoom into the airplane, you see it blurred in the original, but the converted one is sharp and the colors are back
It happens with Apple Preview, but it also happens when you import the image into Apple’s photo app. The original is blurry, the converted one is correct. Not sure if you see the same with DNGs from other Leica, e.g. the new M11.
I have reported this to Apple months ago, but haven’t received a response. In my opinion, it’s probably a bug in Monterey, but somehow doesn’t get attention.
...Just realized, my old MacBook Air runs still High Sierra. No issue there, seems to be a Monterey issue.
[followup] I downloaded some sample DNG files from the web that I could find, and it looks like it’s really only happening with the DNGs from M (Typ 240). It’s definitely not an issue with the firmware of the M240. I have the latest, and the DNGs on the web were done with older versions, all show the same problem on Monterey. But I did not see it happening with Leica DNG files from the Q, Q2, SL or M10 that I found. Highly mysterious.
DIGLLOYD: I have verified the issue on my 2019 Mac Pro running macOS Monterey. It applies to Preview or Finder preview or most anything, it seems.
Also confirmed that if the original DNG is run through Adobe DNG Converter, then the converted DNG (DNG to DNG!) is previewed properly. A godawful solution, because it destroys both creation and modification dates.
I am not seeing the issue with Leica M11 DNG. I haven’t gone and checked any older/other M-camera files.
There is smearing, removal of most colors, and wide haloes around things—out of control noise reduction and massively heavy-handed image processing? Yes, it seems. The one below looks like a monochrome image with a blue overlay, as if one of the “artistic” modes effects were being applied. The 2nd image with bright oranges shows similar effects with a wide smearing of color, . Accordingly, I don’t think it is a color channel thing leaving out colors.
Toggle to compare.
LEICA M (Typ 240) + Leica 90mm f/4 Macro-Elmar-M
[low-res image for bot]
LEICA M240 + Leica 35mm f/2 Summicron-M ASPH
[low-res image for bot]
