I'd like to introduce FM Studio, currently a Mac-only app I built for my own photography. I now use it exclusively to get photos off my cameras, and I'll keep updating it as I use it, so it keeps getting better for everyone.
Why it exists
It started as a handful of command line scripts for my Leica cameras. I was tired of importing a whole card just to find out which frames were worth keeping. I wanted to look first, rate the keepers, and copy only those to my computer. I also wanted to know the real shutter count of my M10 and M11 series bodies, and I was able to build that in.
Then I found the same approach worked with my other cameras, so the scripts grew into a full app. It's built from scratch and tested with many cameras along the way.
What it does
Look before you import
⦿ Browse everything on the camera or card with sharp thumbnails and large previews, full metadata, before a single file is copied
⦿ See full shooting info and GPS, with a one-click map link
⦿ Filter by camera, lens, file type, download status or star rating, and select with click, drag or shift-click
Cull and rate
⦿ Rate 1 to 5 stars like in Lightroom, and the ratings carry over to Lightroom automatically
Send files where they belong
⦿ Copy only your keepers to any folder, or into Lightroom-style Year/Date folders
⦿ Load them into Lightroom automatically with the included plug-in
⦿ NEW in 1.1: Rename on import. Name your photos as they download, for example 2026-10-18_Wedding_0001.DNG. Build the name from the date, camera, your own text and a counter, with ready-made presets and a live preview. A DNG and JPEG shot together always keep matching names, nothing is overwritten, and nothing is renamed unless you turn it on.
Always know what’s already on your computer
⦿ ON DISK badges show what you've already downloaded, so you never copy the same photo twice
⦿ A DNG and its JPEG travel together
⦿ If two cameras number their files the same way (a Leica M-D and a Q3, for example), FM Studio tells them apart instead of mixing them up.
Fix metadata before it lands
⦿ Edit all metadata fields, including lens and camera names, which helps a lot with adapted and uncoded lenses
Delete and format safely
⦿ Delete from the camera only after FM Studio confirms a verified copy is on your Mac
⦿ Format a card or the camera’s internal memory only when every photo on it is safely downloaded
Extras
⦿ True shutter actuation count on Leica M10 series (Wi-Fi) and M11 series (USB)
⦿ Tethered shooting on selected cameras in PTP mode
What it works with
⦿ Most cameras in "USB" mass storage mode, and any SD or CFexpress card in a reader on your Mac, including Leica SL and Q, Sony, Nikon, Canon, Fujifilm, Panasonic, OM System and Hasselblad. Leica M10 and M11 bodies also work over Wi-Fi, and the M11 series over USB. iPhones and iPads connect over USB too.
Coming next: Windows (PC) support
⦿ A Windows version is in development now.
Get it
https://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/fm-studio.php
(Signed and notarized by Apple, so it installs like any other Mac app.The "What’s new" section on that page lists every update so far.)
User manual (PDF)
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I would love to hear how it works with your cameras and what you'd like to see added. Questions, bugs and suggestions are welcome in this thread.
