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Lightroom 3.4 sneaks in Nikon D5100 support

The raw-image editing and cataloging software supports Nikon's newest SLR, adds tethering options, and automatically corrects problems with 18 Pentax lenses.

Stephen Shankland Former Principal Writer
Stephen Shankland worked at CNET from 1998 to 2024 and wrote about processors, digital photography, AI, quantum computing, computer science, materials science, supercomputers, drones, browsers, 3D printing, USB, and new computing technology in general. He has a soft spot in his heart for standards groups and I/O interfaces. His first big scoop was about radioactive cat poop.
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Nikon's D5100
Nikon's D5100 Nikon

Adobe Systems released Lightroom 3.4 last night, formalizing support for the cameras listed in the beta version but also slipping in the ability to decode raw photos from Nikon's new D5100.

Lightroom, along with the related Camera Raw plug-in for Photoshop CS5, is geared for handling the unprocessed raw images from higher-end cameras. This is an option that offers better quality but more hassle than JPEG. For Adobe and others such as Apple in the same position, it means adding support for a constant parade of new cameras, each with its own proprietary format.

Lightroom 3.4 and Camera Raw 6.4 both support Nikon's new D5100, a $900, 16.2-megapixel SLR with a high-sensitivity sensor and 1080p video support. The Adobe products also support Canon's two most mainstream SLRs, the Rebel T3i (aka 600D) and Rebel T3 (aka 1100D).

The other cameras now supported are the Fujifilm FinePix S200 EXR, F550 EXR, FinePix HS20 EXR, FinePix X100; the Hasselblad H4D-40; the Kodak EasyShare Z990; the Olympus E-PL1s, E-PL2, and XZ-1; and the Samsung NX11.

One feature that separates Lightroom from Apple's competing Aperture is automated correction of lens optical shortcomings such as vignetting and distortion. Lightroom 3.4 adds support for 18 Pentax lenses and a number of others from various manufacturers.

Lightroom's tethering option, which lets a computer control some aspects of a camera connected by a cable and automatically import its photos, has expanded, too. It now can control Canon's 60D and 550D as well as Nikon's D7000.

Last, there are dozens of mostly minor bug fixes. For a full list, check product manager Tom Hogarty's blog.