C1 LE 3.6 vs. 4.? ??

[ron ritcher]

Have had Capture One LE 3.5 for quite a while, maybe 4 years or more, and it's worked nicely with a Canon 10D and my current 20D.  As the camera upgrade festers, I'm more aware than ever about the relative merits of RAW conversion programs.

As a hobbyist with very modest aspirations, should I contemplate an update to a more current C1 iteration?  I use PS2 for editing, and haven't yet fallen in love with the workflow of ACR, but fear that technology may have rendered my 3.5 version "old news," less able to deal with the current camera advances.

Anyone worked up through the C1 changes enough to share your experiences and observations?  I don't want or currently need lots of bells and whistles, but DO desire to treat my pixels to quality conversion.  Any suggestions???

Thanks!

--Ron

[Paul Sumi]

Have had Capture One LE 3.5 for quite a while, maybe 4 years or more, and it's worked nicely with a Canon 10D and my current 20D.  As the camera upgrade festers, I'm more aware than ever about the relative merits of RAW conversion programs.

As a hobbyist with very modest aspirations, should I contemplate an update to a more current C1 iteration?  I use PS2 for editing, and haven't yet fallen in love with the workflow of ACR, but fear that technology may have rendered my 3.5 version "old news," less able to deal with the current camera advances.

Anyone worked up through the C1 changes enough to share your experiences and observations?  I don't want or currently need lots of bells and whistles, but DO desire to treat my pixels to quality conversion.  Any suggestions???

Thanks!

--Ron

Are you a Windows or Mac user?  If the latter some of my comments may not apply.

3.77 appears to be the latest version of LE.  Does your license extend to upgrading to this version?  It would certainly be useful to have support for the newer model of cameras this later version would have.  Also, are you using the Magne profiles for your cameras?

I'm currently using C1 Pro version 3.77 alongside C1 Pro version 4.51 for Windows and still working my way through the changes and settings in the new edition.  As you may have read, the interface is much different and the workflow has changed significantly.

This jury is still out on which version makes the best conversions (Canon 1Ds2 and 1D2, plus legacy 10D files).  I'm also waiting for C1 Pro to support the Canon G10.

At the default settings, the most obvious difference is that my v4.51 conversions are a bit darker than those from 3.77.  I haven't had a chance to seriously pixel peek other differences.

You may want to test the version 4 30-day trial version to evaluate on your own files.  Don't hold me to it, but it should run side-by-side with your current version of LE.

Best,

Paul

[francois]

Have had Capture One LE 3.5 for quite a while, maybe 4 years or more, and it's worked nicely with a Canon 10D and my current 20D.  As the camera upgrade festers, I'm more aware than ever about the relative merits of RAW conversion programs.

As a hobbyist with very modest aspirations, should I contemplate an update to a more current C1 iteration?  I use PS2 for editing, and haven't yet fallen in love with the workflow of ACR, but fear that technology may have rendered my 3.5 version "old news," less able to deal with the current camera advances.

Anyone worked up through the C1 changes enough to share your experiences and observations?  I don't want or currently need lots of bells and whistles, but DO desire to treat my pixels to quality conversion.  Any suggestions???

Thanks!

--Ron

Ron,
You might want to download a trial version of Capture One 4 and see how it feels. You can DL them here:  http://www.phaseone.com/Content/Downloads/CO4.aspx

I can't offer any helpful advice about Capture One 4. I tried it when it was still in beta and it was dog slow and crashed. Things have without any doubt improved since the non-beta release but I changed my workflow.

As alternatives, if you feel that you want/need to upgrade, Photoshop Element 7 (which includes ACR), Bibble, DXO and others all offer compelling functions. Most are also available as demo or trial downloads.

Edit: I tried Capture One 4 on a Mac and as Paul wrote above, if you're using a Windows PC then things might be different.

[ron ritcher]

Paul and Francois--

Thank-you for your time and expertise!  A trial download is the way to go, for sure.  I'm working on Windows XP by the way, so may avoid potential hassles??? (the 3.5 version has run flawlessly for years)

Again, I'm a neophyte and just need a very basic RAW converter, but was concerned that a 4 year-old program might lack some image quality capability when compared to what's more current.  Guess I'll go ahead and try C1 4 and find out!  Thanks again . . .

--Ron

[francois]

Paul and Francois--

Thank-you for your time and expertise!  A trial download is the way to go, for sure.  I'm working on Windows XP by the way, so may avoid potential hassles??? (the 3.5 version has run flawlessly for years)

Again, I'm a neophyte and just need a very basic RAW converter, but was concerned that a 4 year-old program might lack some image quality capability when compared to what's more current.  Guess I'll go ahead and try C1 4 and find out!  Thanks again . . .

--Ron

Ron,
Take a few days before taking a final decision. Mastering the basic features really takes some time.
I found that Capture One 4 was delivering excellent conversions but I never got used to the new interface. If you have the time, try Bibble as it offers a good and solid set of features.