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Which RAW-Converter do you use and why?

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(nt)
 
I have used Bibble for several years now,partly because of the speed, but mainly because I run various Linux machines.

A few months ago I tried RawTherapee. Apart from being a bit slow, the results have been very good so far.

--
Phil Bishop
http://philbishopsbirdingblog.blogspot.com/
 
Used to it
Speedy enough
Simple and basic operation
very powerful in editing capability as a RAW editor
Supporting the full potentional of the NEF format
Michel

--

~ Disclaimer: Posts written by me are my views, ideas and opinions only, and should not be taken as facts, unless stated otherwise. :-) ~
~ Light is eveything ~

http://www.fotopropaganda.com
http://www.pbase.com/photopropaganda
 
Another question. Would the NX2 users please say what the specific advantages are with this converter that cannot be achieved with others? I'm not supporting one or the other, but want to purchase something new in the near future that offers very good to excellent RAW conversion (for NEFs obviously), is reasonably fast, good editing capability, and offers decent image management and workflow for moderate to large batches. And at a low to moderate price. I'm hoping Bibble 5.0 will be able to do this but am interested in other options, either single application or combos. Smooth, reasonably fast workflow I think in this day and age I should be achievable. I hope this is still in the spirit of the OP's topic.
--
David
 
Adobe Photoshop Lightroom v2.2 , although for the D3X I'll be working with Capture NX2 for awhile.
 
MaxPanther said:
Funny, or maybe depressing that nobody names Capture One 4 Pro. It's
the best RAW converter.
Click to expand...
Maybe - or maybe not - the "best". One thing for sure is that it is incredibly slow, even with fast computers. I have done timing on four converters. (Others have also) D700 file converted to 8 bit (add 50% for 16 bit)

1- Bibble - almost instant. . . . . 1 second
2- ACR . . . . . 2 seconds
3- NX-2 . . . . 4 seconds (vastly improved over earlier versions)
4- Capture One . . . 16 seconds

"Your mileage will vary".

Detail resolution ever so slightly favors NX-2, then Bibble, with Capture One and ACR about equal. If you read the reports on THIS site you will find a lot of this information. With resolution, etc being very close it usually boils down to features you need - or like - as well as work flow. Hence, I currently use ACR.
MaxPanther said:
Yes NX2 also do a great job with NEF-files.

Nobody here use Capture One???????

Michael
http://www.michaelhermansen.com

--
Click to expand...
--
Steve Bingham
http://www.dustylens.com
http://www.ghost-town-photography.com
 
Anthony said:
I had the same dilema as you. I ended up getting PS 7.0, with the ACR
5.2 update.
Click to expand...
PS 7 won't run ACR 5.2. Nor will PS CS, PS CS2, or PS CS3. Unless you have discovered something that no one else knows. You need CS4 in order to use ACR 5.0 and later. That is the very reason that some good folks are switching to NC 2. They simply don't like Adobe's forced upgrade. (Check out Adobe's latest stock prices)

Now, if you are talking PS Elements 7, that is a different story. Perhaps that is what you meant. However, Elements 6 or 7 simply do not support ALL the features provided with the ACR 5.2 plug-in when used with CS4. This of course detracts from ACR 5.2 usability. And yes, Camera Profiles are usable - and highly desired. Choose one, modify it slightly if needed, and set it as default.

From Adobe: "The Camera Raw 5.2 plug-in is not compatible with versions of Photoshop earlier than Photoshop CS4, versions of Photoshop Elements earlier than Photoshop Elements 6, or versions of Adobe Premiere Elements earlier than 4.0."

This allows you to open NEF files directly into PS, while
Anthony14707 said:
allowing you the use of all its picture profiles.

You can also use the supplied Nikon View software to convert, or you
can purchase Capture NX2 after your trial expires in 60 days.

Many people use PS lightroom for converting and organizing.
Click to expand...
--
Steve Bingham
http://www.dustylens.com
http://www.ghost-town-photography.com
 
DxO delivers for me the best picture quality without any (manual) adjustment!

I also have ACR, Lightroom 2.2, PhaseOne 4.5 (closest in picture quality but only on low ISO), Capture NX2 and I removed Bibble from my PC.

It's by far not the best editor and it cannot manage your libraries but it can convert RAWs. Give it a try.

If corrects Lens distortions and vignetting, CA',s Noise and even dead pixels without any manual involvement as long as you have a Camera/Lens combination it understands.

I rarely do more than cropping or white balance myself.
--
Greetings
Franz
An amateur using a D700 with several nice Nikon lenses
http://einscherz.smugmug.com/
 
Steve Bingham said:
Maybe - or maybe not - the "best". One thing for sure is that it is
incredibly slow, even with fast computers. I have done timing on four
converters. (Others have also) D700 file converted to 8 bit (add 50%
for 16 bit)

1- Bibble - almost instant. . . . . 1 second
2- ACR . . . . . 2 seconds
3- NX-2 . . . . 4 seconds (vastly improved over earlier versions)
4- Capture One . . . 16 seconds
Click to expand...
I don't think we have the same Capture One version. Is it an old version you testet?

Capture One 4 Pro is very fast, and much faster than NX2. It's build to convert very big files from Phase Ones 60 Megapixel camera. I can't remember how big the Raw files are but the camera produces a 360 Mb 16 bit TIFF file. And Capture One is build for one primary option to convert P65+ files from Raw to Tiff's: http://www.phaseone.com/camera/ So it simply have to be fast :)

Michael
http://www.michaelhermansen.com
 
And Nikon doesn't make you upgrade TO NX2 to process your D700 files? They all play that game.
--
Rosco
My Advise is always free. So take it at it's face value :-)
http://www.pbase.com/roscot
 
ACR/LR for portraits/studio if you like the smooth "plasticy" looking.

For film look and output 200%:

RAW Developer (Mac only)

For great/ultimate per pixel sharpness at 100% (but does not upsample very well):

DxO Elite Pro

Pay the much deserved $30 and subscribe to the DAP to read the comparisons. RAW developer turns the D3/D700's 6MP (ACR/LR) to 9MP (NX) resolution into 14+MP.

http://diglloyd.com/diglloyd/2008-10-blog.html#_20081019RealWorldSharpness

--
LEPING ZHA
4x5 film / 6x7 film / Canon 5D-IR / Nikon D700 & D300
http://www.lepingzha.com
 
sidelight said:
Another question. Would the NX2 users please say what the specific
advantages are with this converter that cannot be achieved with
others?
Click to expand...
I think all RAW editors can give good results and achieve similar good basic output files. However, with NX2, all the camera/image settings are taken over. This is not done by all the other converters. A lot of difference is in the details (handling noise, WB, color etc)

Why people choose a RAW converter over an other one is also a lot related to personal preference. speed, GUI, ease of use etc.

Im used to use Nikon Capture since the beginning of version 4, program changed a lot and my personal opinion is that it gives the best output one can get from NEF files (clarity, colour and noise handling)

Michel

I'm not supporting one or the other, but want to purchase
sidelight said:
something new in the near future that offers very good to excellent
RAW conversion (for NEFs obviously), is reasonably fast, good editing
capability, and offers decent image management and workflow for
moderate to large batches. And at a low to moderate price. I'm
hoping Bibble 5.0 will be able to do this but am interested in other
options, either single application or combos. Smooth, reasonably
fast workflow I think in this day and age I should be achievable. I
hope this is still in the spirit of the OP's topic.
--
David
Click to expand...
--

~ Disclaimer: Posts written by me are my views, ideas and opinions only, and should not be taken as facts, unless stated otherwise. :-) ~
~ Light is eveything ~

http://www.fotopropaganda.com
http://www.pbase.com/photopropaganda
 
Been using this converter for a long time now, and like it very much. I gave up with Nikon Capture because of the lack of speed. I used to like the colours that Nikon's software produced, but you can easily get the same using Phase One, and it's a lot quicker when working with multiple files.
--
Regards
Dave Midi
 
MaxPanther said:
Steve Bingham said:
Maybe - or maybe not - the "best". One thing for sure is that it is
incredibly slow, even with fast computers. I have done timing on four
converters. (Others have also) D700 file converted to 8 bit (add 50%
for 16 bit)

1- Bibble - almost instant. . . . . 1 second
2- ACR . . . . . 2 seconds
3- NX-2 . . . . 4 seconds (vastly improved over earlier versions)
4- Capture One . . . 16 seconds
Click to expand...
I don't think we have the same Capture One version. Is it an old
version you testet?
Click to expand...
Yes! However, I have seen other timed tests on the new 4 Pro that seem to say the same thing.
MaxPanther said:
Capture One 4 Pro is very fast, and much faster than NX2.
Click to expand...
Now that would be great news for all. Can you give your times? Perhaps it handles P65 files a lot differently than NEF files?

It's build
MaxPanther said:
to convert very big files from Phase Ones 60 Megapixel camera. I
can't remember how big the Raw files are but the camera produces a
360 Mb 16 bit TIFF file. And Capture One is build for one primary
option to convert P65+ files from Raw to Tiff's:
http://www.phaseone.com/camera/ So it simply have to be fast :)

Michael
http://www.michaelhermansen.com
Click to expand...
--
Steve Bingham
http://www.dustylens.com
http://www.ghost-town-photography.com
 
...don't know, if there are many difference between these both in use and IQ?

I checked the online video tutorial by Adobe TV. Photoshop CS4 seems very good for me, but what are the most advantages of Lightroom?

Bridge CS4 also looks very usable. No import of files is required, for me a huge advantage over Lightroom.

Greetings from Germany...
Marco
 
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