excellent Capture One

[fredjeang]

As I'm sort of slow and resistant to follow the latest upgrades, I still had my "old" C1 5 and Ps CS4 suite. When I bought the GH2 for movies I started to make stills also with it but was stucked with the Silkypix Raw dev because C1 5 and CS4 don't recognise the raw files.
Silkypix is as expected not exactly at the level.

Today I downloaded a trial version of C1 #6 just to see how it handles a Raw file from another manufacturer, and yes...big difference! I feel home again.

first crop is how Silkypix reads the GH2 raw

second crop is the same file but read in C1 6

No comments...

Both softwares in default and right-out-the-box without grading. This pic 100% crop was taken without strobes with the Panasonic GH2 in available light (it was night time so the roof lights) at the beginning of the shooting to warm up. Lens at f 4

I really like C1 6, it's a major upgrade to me. Bravo Phase One, it's serious software.

[Graham Mitchell]

It's a bit meaningless to compare default settings. I believe you will find that C1 applies sharpening and noise reduction by default (it did for me when I first installed it).

I did notice that the Silkypix image had some moiré in the hair which is not visible in the C1 shot so that's something. (Or is the moiré filter also applied by default?) Best to check all the settings and compare on more equal ground. I wouldn't be surprised if C1 came out ahead anyway, but it's the only way to really find out.

[fredjeang]

Yes, the default sharpening is way to strong in C1, all versions. This is legendary and it does not change here as you see, they had to keep the tradition.

So I took it into account and not judge on the sharpening but as you point, the moiré (the talent had a product in the hair that exacerbatred it) is much more under control (there is a removal tool in Silkypix but it's one more intervention). Then the skin tone, the background grey is much more reliable to what it was and the exposure render and WB is more precise.

In short, C1 does make it easy while you need to correct more in Silkypix and it's time consuming. Also, I've noticed that the Silkypix behave unconsistently when it comes to apply correction in batch and you know that the series are the same so  it's being back on almost each shot to refine the settings wich made me crazy. That's why I tried the C1 6.

So while you could fix all that in Silkypix, in C1 you are working already on the look and not in fixing those issues...except the default sharpening.

[JV]

I have a GH2 as well.  I use Phocus for my images.  It is OK.  I would expect C1 to be better though.

[fredjeang]

I like Phocus, but there is just a little prob. I'm on Windows because of all the Avid and Nuke bazar and because of costs. On Windows, Phocus does not work with third-party Raw files, that's Mac exclusive. Too bad.

[fredjeang]

It's a bit meaningless to compare default settings. I believe you will find that C1 applies sharpening and noise reduction by default (it did for me when I first installed it).

I did notice that the Silkypix image had some moiré in the hair which is not visible in the C1 shot so that's something. (Or is the moiré filter also applied by default?) Best to check all the settings and compare on more equal ground. I wouldn't be surprised if C1 came out ahead anyway, but it's the only way to really find out.

No default moiré, I checked the moiré removal on C1 and was at zero so I guess this is the software engine that interpretes better.

[Graham Mitchell]

No, I checked the moiré removal on C1 and was at zero so I guess this is the software engine that interpretes better.

ok, good to know. I have yet to do a thorough test of all the raw processors on my new Leaf back's files. I suspect Leaf Capture or C1 will come out on top but I'll try LR3 as well, just for comparison. Will post the results here.

[JV]

I like Phocus, but there is just a little prob. I'm on Windows because of all the Avid and Nuke bazar and because of costs. On Windows, Phocus does not work with third-party Raw files, that's Mac exclusive. Too bad.

I didn't know that.  I tried C1 but I believe I have already done the time trial thing once in the past and I don't believe you can do it a second time...
As said I would expect C1 to be better but Phocus is not bad either and free...

[fredjeang]

ok, good to know. I have yet to do a thorough test of all the raw processors on my new Leaf back's files. I suspect Leaf Capture or C1 will come out on top but I'll try LR3 as well, just for comparison. Will post the results here.

When I was installing the trial version of C1 64bits, I saw that it was loading a lot of Leaf stuff, so it's a good sign for your new excellent back.

[eronald]

When I was installing the trial version of C1 64bits, I saw that it was loading a lot of Leaf stuff, so it's a good sign for your new excellent back.

i am looking for a way to process my D3x files. Any recommendatiions?

Edmund

[deejjjaaaa]

No comments...

actually comments are necessary... Are you using SilkyPix Developer Studio v3 SE that was supplied w/ GH2 or a 2 versions newer SilkyPix Pro v5 ?

[Bart_van_der_Wolf]

i am looking for a way to process my D3x files. Any recommendatiions?

Hi Edmund,

I'm not sure I follow you, unless you mean what can be recommended besides C1 (which supports the D3x Raws according to the documentation)?

Cheers,
Bart

[JohnBrew]

i am looking for a way to process my D3x files. Any recommendatiions?

Edmund

Edmund, most of the guys on the Nikon forums say that NX2 is the way to go for the D3X files.

My only experience with C1 was awful. A 30 day trial version came with my M8 and was ridiculously difficult to work with. Of course this was over four years ago so hopefully the interface has improved. However, everyone who got theirs to work correctly said the color files processed in C1 were superior to PS.

[fredjeang]

actually comments are necessary... Are you using SilkyPix Developer Studio v3 SE that was supplied w/ GH2 or a 2 versions newer SilkyPix Pro v5 ?

Of course. The first thing I did was to download the trial version of V5 pro in Japanese from the Japanese website. Same "issues" except that default settings between both is just giving a slightly different white point.
It logically uses the same engine but V5 is more featured. So I didn't even mention it because the render was the same.

There is nothing wrong with Silkypix, it's basically a good consumer software and some features are truly interesting. to acheive the render of C1 before a basic grading you just need more steps and the software is way too slow compared to Capture one. Time is money.
Just that it is not built and thought for big volumes and fast workflow we use in commercial, there are better options for that. I ingested 500 tiffs from a 16MP camera (wich is very normal and not much) and Silkypix had hard time to follow at my speed while C1 is instant and rock solid. Normal, C1 is made to handle heavy weight MF files. I was expecting C1 to be rock solid, since the version 5 was so. Lightroom should be very good too but I don't work with it.

I haven't bought yet C1, will see what CS5 suite does and will decide if it can ad something special to ACR.
Ps: Silkypix although not being ideal, is truly workable and with a little bit of skills you can truly extract good potential. I tried DxO and it was the worst by far, didn't even want to mention it not to offend the evangelists and enter in a sterile debate "you didn't do that, you should have done this" because I'm doing this everyday in my job and I'm pretty much aware of what to expect in a software (although I've also been wrong many times without doubt). C1 gives room for post process, so as Silkypix by the way, but it does fail in rendering correctly right-out-the-box and need more steps.

But hey, normal, those are not playing in the same league and Silkypix does not pretend so that I know. Again, nothing wrong and expected.

My personal conclusion is: no more exotic softwares, I stay in known and secure land with Capture One and ACR.

[Lester]

You guys knows how it is, the newer the software the more stuff it will do. It is call one up on the competitors. I too like C1 v6 too, I came from LR3.

[fredjeang]

I evaluated also Lightroom 3. Good processing I must say (not stellar) but I still don't end to feel this software.
The default render is in between Silkypix and C1.
It does not ad any significant advantage over the free software except for folder management (messy to understand and messy design).
It's just OK. I really don't get why it has the reputation to be so intuitive, to me it's a mess in the very line of After Effects but it's just me.

I know that once you get used to it, the folder management is very powerfull, but the problem to me for a develloper is the "once you get used to..."
I don't like the ornament leaves, it feels cheap and I'm asking myself if the next version will feature shiny diamond stars, after all with what we see in marketing. Ok, I confess, don't like it at all so I maybe unfair.

The most shocking was to see the direct buttons to Flickr, Facebook and Smugmug! Even the free Silkypix that comes with the GH2 does not feature those stupid gadgets and feels more serious in use.

Control panel/uninstall.

[Steve Hendrix]

I see the color in the hair in SilkyPix mostly removed in C1 by default. That is pretty standard - with default settings, most raw files imported into C1 have had the majority of chromatic noise eliminated automatically, while it often still shows in other raw processors. However, I do not import files into C1 at default settings with the luminance nr or sharpening tools. I have adjusted those sliders and saved them as my new standard default. But the color noise slider is usually pretty good as is.


Steve Hendrix

[fredjeang]

I see the color in the hair in SilkyPix mostly removed in C1 by default. That is pretty standard - with default settings, most raw files imported into C1 have had the majority of chromatic noise eliminated automatically, while it often still shows in other raw processors. However, I do not import files into C1 at default settings with the luminance nr or sharpening tools. I have adjusted those sliders and saved them as my new standard default. But the color noise slider is usually pretty good as is.


Steve Hendrix

That's correct. The default sharpening (like in the previous versions) is way too strong and a new user default has to be created with this softened. I also think that the color noise default parameter is sort of spot-on and would live it as it is.

[MichaelEzra]

Hi Fred, I'd be curious to process this raw with the latest RawTherapee with the floating point engine - could you share the file (PM?)

[fredjeang]

Hi Fred, I'd be curious to process this raw with the latest RawTherapee with the floating point engine - could you share the file (PM?)

Of course. This picture has no commercial nor artistic value, it's a snap before the work. You can publish the results here if you feel like. It would be nice if you could publish first a screen shot of the default to see how it interpretes without processing.

I know that some people are saying that the default does not mean anything. In fact, the right-out-the-box render speaks. It talks about the steps you may need to acheive a good working base, and when you shoot in external studios, it's not rare to use the studio's computers and have to create a session profile from the defaults. It's always informative to see the default processing even if it will not be used practicaly. IMO.  

I send you a link to download today.