Nikon Capture NX2; now that google has purchased Nik, will CNX2 be discontinued?

[Ligament]

If not, who will continue to produce and update it? If Google, it might become great! If it is dropped, I don't see anybody else picking it up.

[kers]

I am sure Nikon will have some claim on the whole matter making sure it will continue in some way using their raw engine.
If the Raw engine will be packed in a new straight forward interface it may be a lot better.
I like the Nikon engine for it produces very soft and delicate tifs from my d800E nefs that I sometimes need.

[Mark Ogden]

Well, the answer is now known:  Google will NOT support Capture NX.  Apparently, the discovery was made by a user who contacted NIK directly and asked them pointedly.  The report is via Nikon Rumors site.  Any further development will have to come from someone who wants to purchase the license.

What a strange, cursed piece of software this is.  I fooled around with it for awhile, and it seemed clear to me that its processing of NEF and Nikon generated JPEGs was top-notch.  But boy, what a slow, kludgy business it was to work with, even with 8meg RAM and an up-to-date processor.  Not really intuitive, either.

[syncrasy]

I might be wrong, but I think the Nikon Rumors article is based on a false premise. As far as I can tell, Nikon—not Nik Software—owns Capture NX2 (even though Nik contributed to its development). So the question of whether Google will support Capture NX2 is not even a legitimate question since they didn't actually acquire it. Am I missing something? Is there something about the Nikon/Nik relationship that would prevent Nikon from controlling the destiny of Capture NX2?

[Mark Ogden]

Capture NX is a product built by NIK Software to Nikon Specifications.  Nikon may "own" the brand, and it may say Nikon on the box, but all the work, design and coding came from NIK.  Now, Google has announced that they will no longer provide support for the product.  It will be up to Nikon to find another technology partner to keep it going.  They in turn will have to make a deal with Google/NIK to purchase the pre-existing coding, or start from scratch.

[syncrasy]

Is there a link to this Google "announcement"? Or is this all based on rumor?

According to Thom Hogan's post on DPReview and his own blog, Capture existed long before Nik touched it, and while Nik contributed code, Nikon took ownership of that code long before the Google's acquisition of Nik. So the idea that Google "will no longer support" Capture NX2 doesn't make any sense since they don't own it. Which isn't to say that Capture NX2 isn't in trouble (Nikon's programmers apparently could use quite a bit of help), but if Capture NX2 dies on the vine, it wouldn't be Google's or Nik's fault; it's all on Nikon now. Just trying to get the facts straight.

[dralph]

CNX2 has been frustrating. The concept, at least after NIK's contribution, was brilliant. But, the execution was deeply flawed with instability.  The stability improved in the last iteration or two.  I made a major effort in time to completely master all of the options in CNX2, and it is amazing what one can do with the NIK effects.  What I cannot do there, and printing, are the only times I go to PS.  And, then, one still gets bit in the butt by CNX2 in the occasional case where the program hangs up; result one loses the entire effort put into the image.

The CNX2 interface is more powerful and varied as to the effects of the NIK selections which can be accomplished compared to how NIK effects are applied in the plug ins.  Viveza being the most direct comparison. But my bet is that we are going to lose that advantage over the plugins in the future. Lightroom and PS seem to be where processing of RAWs will be. But,  PS does not always do the best rendering of a NEF compared to CNX2. And, PS/Lightroom basically lose the camera settings when the raw file is pulled in, which is an annoyance I still need to get used to.

I'll survive in the PS world, but I am not happy about what appears to me to have been the neglect of the NX2 package by Nikon. 

Curiously, Nikon bought a piece of the NIK company, I believe around 30% if I recall correctly.  So, Nikon would have received some cash if Google bought the entire company.  One would have a thought a major stockholder could have negotiated some future protections for Nikon camera owners who invested substantial time and effort into mastering the product.

I do not not recall ever seeing a published account of who owns the code contained in CNX2, Nikon or NIK, or whether Nikon retains the rights or a license to adapt or use the U-point selection method in the future.

[Schewe]

Capture NX is a product built by NIK Software to Nikon Specifications.  Nikon may "own" the brand, and it may say Nikon on the box, but all the work, design and coding came from NIK.

Yeah, ya know, I don't think so...there was a non-publically disclosed relationship between NIK and Nikon for the development of Capture NX. There are indicators that Nikon pumped some cash into NIK at a time that NIK needed it...but I'm pretty darn sure that Nikon would not have entered into a relationship with NIK for Capture NX and not essentially owned the results. Clearly, the Google purchase essentially takes over NIK assets, but I think it would be foolish to presume those assets included Capture NX code.

[dralph]

Agreed. Nikon would in the ordinary course of business made sure to secure a proprietary interest in CNX code. Anything else would have been less than due diligence.  I still wonder what rights are there for the future, or the competency of Nikon to fulfill the potential of the software technique.  Or, even Nikon's intentions.

The link to the announcement of the undisclosed financial investment into NIK by Nikon, apparently the first ever outside infusion of cash, is below.  So, with apologies, I withdraw my 30% false recollection and now rely on undisclosed sources and common business sense.

http://www.dpreview.com/news/2006/2/15/nikonnik