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  • Raw processing software

    I got a new DSLR and now I need to up my raw processing. With Fuji X100 the jpegs were generally as good or better than what I was able to do myself so I only needed raw processing for specialty like flash or long exposure. I was experimenting with Darktable first and while it does the job the defaults are not so good and it's not good to integrate with Photoshop workflow.

    For example the Canon CR2 is 14-bit so I exported 16-bit Tiff which I then retouched and did some further editing. The skin tones got a bit of red and it appears like there was some dithering going on. It's not as bad when I change color back to 8-bit and jpeg. Bonus is Darktable works on Linux although there is also Digikam on Linux. Haven't tried Digikam but KDE software is generally good, but little talked about.

    Next I tried Phase One Capture Pro and reedited an image I did in Darktable and the colors and results are much better as it has default camera profiles and you start with what camera would have done. You can also export .psd which you can then retouch and then continue processing in Capture One.

    I know Transformix is using Alien Skin Exposure and he seemed happy with it although it's not supporting yet his GX9.

    Why not just Lightroom? Here subscription costs 15€ a month while Phase One costs 279€ for one time purchase. The reviewers will tell you how Lightroom is cheap and Phase One is expensive but you break even within 1.5 years. I was buying new digital cameras about once every ~5 years, so if i get newer than current body I can repurchase. Another problem with subscription model is that there is a probability of price increase, which you have to price in Generally I hate and avoid fixed costs. While I'm doing well now I was not liquid during crisis a few times 2012-2014. Photography for me is a hobby and is being funded by extra earnings from my freelancing. While once I become better at it I, will try to do some freelance photo jobs (the Japanese woman visit gig was also partially photography - I took 500 pictures of wine makers and wineries) I cannot justify subscribing until most of my income comes from photography (which will likely never happen - most of my income comes from IT work).

  • #2
    IIRC, you have a Nikon?

    Have you tried the Nikon Capture NX-D?

    pixar
    Dream as if you'll live forever. Live as if you'll die tomorrow. (James Dean)

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    • #3
      No, I bought a Canon 80D for tilty flippy touchscreen, dual pixel autofocus and video capabilities and Canon glass (Nikon glass is good, Sony and Fuji are playing catchup). 80D is a kind of jack of all trades and master of none. Better for stills than micro 4/3 cameras but not as good as full frames and better for video than most full frames in same price range, you need to go to d850 or 5Dmk4 but still not as good as 4k capable Sonys, Olympuses, Fujis and Panasonics. The d500 and d7500 are OK for video but their video autofocus is not as good as the Canon. I was leaning towards Nikon first but I wanted to be able to do video which swayed me over to Canon land. Also the Canon Camera Connect android app is great - you can see live view and control everything from your phone as well as take pictures. Finally I can take decent selfies with 85mm (like 136mm on FF).

      The Nikon SB700 works as optical slave to Canon flip-up flash.

      I did extensive research over winter so:
      - for stills Nikon d750 is very attractive. Also d810e and d610. D7200, D7500 and D500 are also awesome cameras as well as the flagship d850
      - for people photos that need to be published quick (good enough out of camera results) and video (if you don't need 4k) Canon is good (6D mk2, 80D). Also used good Canon lens cost a bit less than their Nikon counterpart, so assembling a 4-5 lens Canon setup is cheaper than a Nikon one. Example: Nikon 85mm 1.8 costs 540€, while the Canon 85mm 1.8 costs 330€ new. They have worse dynamic range than Nikons
      - starting from scratch, good quality, stills, videos and provided lens cover what you need Fuji is awesome now
      - For mostly video and if you need 4k: Sony A7, 6500, Olympus OMD EM1 mk2 (have at work - very good, also quality build), Panasonic GH5, GH5s are good. Sony is ironing out their quirks and becoming acceptable to pros. Of the micro 4/3 Olympus is slightly better built and more balanced towards stills compared to Panasonics.
      Last edited by UtwigMU; 3 April 2018, 08:50.

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      • #4
        Ah ok... I don't know if Canon has raw software, but for me the Nikon software is quite sufficient. But for sure it is more limited than the tools you mentioned.

        The Canon connect app is indeed great, my father has a compact Canon and it uses the same connect app. It is a very nice app and very functional. And actually makes it a bit disappointing that I don't have any such thing on my D7100. At the time, I decided against the D7200 mainly for the reason that the little difference did not justify the price difference for me (the D7200 has wifi, but from what I could find nothing as nice as the Canon Connect). But it is possible to add wifi to the D7100 using e.g. an eye-fi card (now licensed by Toshiba), albeit with less functionality, but lately I'm more and more tempted by that. Perhaps when there is a nice offer...
        pixar
        Dream as if you'll live forever. Live as if you'll die tomorrow. (James Dean)

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        • #5
          My wife bought me a brand new Panasonic G9, I use Alien Skin Exposure X3 but it's pretty expensive.
          There's Skylum (previously Macfun) Luminar which is considerably cheaper and the license is good for several workstation (both PC and Mac).
          "For every action, there is an equal and opposite criticism."

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          • #6
            There just was an article on a Dutch technology website on raw processing software:
            Als je je foto's vlot en eenvoudig wilt bewerken, kom je al snel bij Lightroom uit. Maar er zijn interessante alternatieven. In deze round-up bespreken we ze.


            Maybe it lists some new ones you did not know...? It is in Dutch, but perhaps google translate can help. For sure I think you would mange the comparison table at the end of the article:
            Als je je foto's vlot en eenvoudig wilt bewerken, kom je al snel bij Lightroom uit. Maar er zijn interessante alternatieven. In deze round-up bespreken we ze.


            If you have questions about pieces of text or so, just ask.
            pixar
            Dream as if you'll live forever. Live as if you'll die tomorrow. (James Dean)

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            • #7
              Thanks I'll take a longer look, since I'm fluent in German, I can understand most of Dutch meaning.

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