A few weeks ago I discovered Nikon had released a new version of their Nikon RAW Codec for download - Version 1.4.0. This new version adds support for Windows Vista SP1. The Nikon RAW Codec is for users shooting in the RAW photo format with Nikon cameras to view Nikon's RAW .NEF files in using Windows Live Photo Gallery.

Download: Nikon RAW Codec Version 1.4.0

I discovered a hidden "gem" with this new release however. It runs on PCs running 64-bit versions of Windows Vista.  Apparently, this version of Nikon's RAW Codec takes advantage of Windows Vista's built in 32-bit emulation feature called WOW64. I've got it installed on my Windows Vista 64-bit PC and am able to import and view RAW images (.NEF files) off my Nikon D40 into Windows Live Photo Gallery and view them just fine. I've confirmed this works with a few friends of mine who also use Nikon cameras and running a 64-bit version of Windows Vista.

If you shoot photos with a Nikon digital camera, use the RAW file format and run a 64-bit version of Windows Vista - definitely give this version of the Nikon RAW Codec a try. It worked for me, I'm

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Natively, Windows Vista supports a wide range of formats and standards, allowing users to streamline file management to a maximum. But, there are scenarios in which Vista, in the configuration it ships by default, is unable to handle some file formats. Case in point: camera RAW file formats. Professional photographers will tell you that universal standards, such as JPEG, do not even come close to satisfying the need of capturing and having available as much information as possible in a single digital photography. This is where RAW comes in. The RAW file formats are proprietary standards, intimately connected with SLR cameras (varying with make and model) that offer superior image quality to mainstream formats. (more…)

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