Moving to Capture One Pro

DenverShooter

Hi Folks,

I am seriously cogitating on making the jump to Capture One Pro. The demo software readily imports my Aperture files and its pretty easy to get my head around using (unlike LR or PS: Can you say user hostile interface? I can.).

Any words to the wise from someone who has done it? Did you signup for the yearly maintenance agreement? How's the support?

Denver Shooter

Rx4Photo

Can't speak much to using it but I've actually downloaded it twice with good intentions. Just never had the time to wrap my head around it. I have always heard that it was better than LR with skin tones.

nek4life

I switched a little over a year ago. I purchased out right. I'm still on version 9. It's $99 to upgrade to 10, but all minor versions 9.1, 9.2 etc... are free. The interface is super customizable so you can customize panels to your workflow. Remove the ones you don't need or setup a B+W workspace for instance. Support has been good when I've used it. Usually answer within a few hours if I put in my ticket in the morning (I'm in the US, I think they are in EU.)

I switched because of LR performance with my D810 files. LR was so slow to bring up the 1x1 full sized zoom view. Also had a bug and started taking 10 minutes to open the program up before I could do anything. The RAW editor is better IMO and working with color is spectacular in C1.

If you still have the trial I would consider watching some of their webinars. They are long, but teach you how to use the program. They have a ton of them on their Youtube channel.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJgJWICGMzzvXk2wIgqxVEQ

spraynpray

Interesting. I hate PS with a passion for its chaotic GUI but LR I find easy-peasy except for the early part of getting my head round the file handling.

My PS expert friend dismissed Capture One when he compared it to PS, but he is young...

I will be watching this thread with interest.

DenverShooter

So far I have been impressed with Capture One. I have been able to successfully import my existing Aperture libraries and the workflow with its RAW import hasn't made me nuts. Tools are intuitive and the layout is understandable. They have a workshop in Albuquerque, NM in June which I might check out.

Denver Shooter

TriShooter

Capture One has the superior raw conversion to Photoshop for me and uses layers with probably the best color tweaking capability on the planet. The only noticeably better raw converter is Nikon's own which is time-consuming to use. I use Phase One's catalog system all the time which is lighting fast for importing as compared to most the catalogs. It does not slow down like LR / adobe bridge.

DenverShooter

So I went to the Capture One training in Santa Fe on Thursday this week and it was really worth the drive.

The software is very powerful and Zac at MegaPixels (the PhaseOne local representative) did a great job explaining how to properly setup the file system and catalog images.

The Keyword sorting is incredible and you can setup keywords with "parents and children". So if you took a picture of a keyboard on a desktop with a red surface you could set up a search for "keyboard, desktop, red" and it would find just that image.

I kept thinking about sorting all of the car images I have by that method. Porsche, GT3, green, front strait away, high plains raceway. Obviously you need to have keywords assigned to your images to make all of that happen. Which is why you want to start off on the right foot with how you setup and use the file system.

Image processing is easy to use and amazingly powerful and has some really nice tricks/features. Way beyond what I expecting.

I had an opportunity to do some shooting with both the IQ3 50M and IQ3 100M PhaseOne backs using the Schneider Kreuznach LS 75-150mm f/4.0-5.6 "blue ring" high resolution zoom lens and compare them to my D800E on the same subject (using both the Nikon 85mm F/1.4 and the 24mm to 70mm F/2.8).

The PhaseOne camera hardware is amazing with dual touch screens, great menu layout, very intuitive to use with incredible fit and finish.

There are shutters in all of the "Blue Ring" lenses and a focal plane shutter in the body and an electronic shutter in the IQ3 100M back. Viewfinder was bright and had all of the details I wanted in it. Exposure was indicated in stops over or under (nice).

Just like shooting any medium format camera it gives you the "contemplative space" to think though what you are doing and why. Which was why I shot medium format for more than 40 years.. Its a different shooting method, one that for me is highly seductive.

The Schneider Kreuznach lens was typical German engineering and build quality (think Porsche): Immaculate and perfect. The zoom rack on was silky smooth with zero detectable lash and you can lock it by just pushing the ring forward (nice). It will give you a nice "click" to let you know its locked. And it was unbelievably sharp compared to either the Nikon '85 or 24/70..

So lets talk about image quality. I shot both the PhaseOne IQ3 50M, IQ3 100M backs along my D800E at ISO 400 1/250 at F/11 outdoors on the same subject and then compared the RAW images in Capture One. I used both the Nikon 85mm F 1.4 and 24mm to 70mm F/2.8 on the D800E.

Forgetting about the resolution differences for a moment, the color rendition and shadow detail made my D800E images look broken regardless of which lens I was using on the 800E. It appears to have an easy stop to stop and a half better dynamic range than the '800E. Toss the resolution difference into the mix and it was awe inspiring.

Of course its insanely expensive. Nothing that delivers that kind of State of the Art image performance is cheap (think Porsche 918 performance in a camera).

The Schneider Kreuznach LS 75-150mm f/4.0-5.6 "blue ring" lens is $6K.. And the IQ3 50M back with body with a fixed lens of your choice runs about $29K and the IQ3 100M is $49K in the same configuration. IQ3 back versions all have a 5 year warranty and uptime guaranty with overnight loaner should you have a failure.

Cost aside, the images the PhaseOne system produces are to die for and for me it was like going home again to the contemplative shooting style of medium format that I left when the film all went away.

The PhaseOne gear is not recommended for the faint of heart or light of pocketbook.

Denver Shooter

Capt_Spaulding

Gentle People,

Any more feedback on Capture 1. I am getting tired of pay tribute (if not homage) to Adobe for LR. If Cap 1 is "all of that and chips" I may jump.

tia

jim

DenverShooter

I am really happy with it. Fast, easy and powerful. The color controls are outstanding.

Highly recommended.

Denver Shooter

Capt_Spaulding

Thanks DS.

Msmoto

Laughing my ... off....

As a Lightroom user, I am thinking of going to Photoshop.... that is after I listen to about five hours of tutorials....

And, my images have from ten to twenty minutes of post processing... old habit.

Thanks Mike

vtc2002

@DenverShooter I am frustrated with LR and to some degree Photoshop. One of the things that has kept me using LR is the cataloging and tagging functionality. I have separate personal and multiple work LR and Photoshop accounts. Being able to search and find photos using tags and catalogs by date or subject is very helpful. I haven't look at Capture One in a long time, is there similar functionality or do you have a workflow that you use to achieve these functions? I tried DXO OpticsPro 11 and for some functions I still had to use LR or Photoshop. It does not have the ability to tag photos except with accept or reject that I find pretty useless. Have you tried DXO?

snakebunk

I am a Lightroom user but thinking about alternatives. I don't like the performance and it is somewhat buggy. Capture One is one of my alternatives, but I have also started looking at ON1 Photo RAW. ON1 is fairly new as a standalone product but it seems promising and there are a lot of things happening.

paulr

Well guess I will have to start learning again another software Capture One. Got fed up of waiting for a D850 and bought a Phaseone XF Q160 doesn't look too complicated.