Which editing software is the best?Inquiry regarding Nikkor lens!

Anirudhbani · Oct 20, 2012

Hi Guys,

I recently brought Nikon d7000 with 18-105mm lens.

Really enjoying it.

I have got couple of questions.Firstly,which editing software is better ,to work on raw files.

I need editing software just to make colour correction,WB correction and it should be able to save raw files after corrections.

Adobe raw7 or adobe photoshop or any other brand?

I am getting trouble in lightroom. After editing i am not able to save it as Raw files and even i dont like the interface.Though i am using it from past 2 years.

Secondly,I have 18-105 vr lens,i am planning to buy 50mm 1.8 afs..It it worth buying 50mm 1.8 or i should save more and go for 50mm 1.4.And also can you recommend a standard wide lens which can be used for street photography as well as portrait.

Suggestions will be appreciated.

Thank you.

Deleted1929 · Oct 20, 2012

Adobe's ACR is very good, but no software will save as a RAW image. Can't be done. Only cameras write RAW image files.

Leonard Migliore · Oct 20, 2012

Anirudhbani said:
Anirudhbani wrote:

Hi Guys,

I recently brought Nikon d7000 with 18-105mm lens.

Really enjoying it.

I have got couple of questions.Firstly,which editing software is better ,to work on raw files.

I need editing software just to make colour correction,WB correction and it should be able to save raw files after corrections.

Adobe raw7 or adobe photoshop or any other brand?

I am getting trouble in lightroom. After editing i am not able to save it as Raw files and even i dont like the interface.Though i am using it from past 2 years.

Lightroom, or Photoshop or, for that matter, any other editing software, does not save RAW files because it does not change the file when you edit. What it does is write a "sidecar" file with an .xmp extension. This file records all the editing changes that you might make. Lightroom reads this file and applies the changes to show the image. At least for me, Lightroom writes the .xmp file in the same directory as the RAW file.

If you want an image file that shows the changes, you have to export as .jpg or .tiff.

If you don't like Lightroom's interface, you'll have to try other RAW editing software like Nikon Capture and see how you like that.

Anirudhbani said:
Secondly,I have 18-105 vr lens,i am planning to buy 50mm 1.8 afs..It it worth buying 50mm 1.8 or i should save more and go for 50mm 1.4.And also can you recommend a standard wide lens which can be used for street photography as well as portrait.

Well, what do you want the 50mm for? The only real use I know of for a 50 on a crop sensor camera is as a portrait lens but I find it a bit short. The 50mm f/1.8G is a very good lens so the only reason to get the f/1.4 is if you want to shoot at f/1.4 and only you know that.

I don't know what you mean by a "standard wide lens". Do you mean a wide prime? Those are hard to come by for crop sensors. Your kit lens goes to 18mm, which is pretty wide. I have a Nikkor 10-24 zoom, which is really wide and quite good.

One typically does not do portraits with a wide lens due to unflattering perspectice effects. Some people use a 50mm but 85mm is, I believe, more popular.

Anirudhbani · Oct 20, 2012

Thanks for your reply.I really appreciate.

Yes it is producing xmp files but those files can only be opened in lightroom and not in Picture preview window.So what i understand that no way i can do that.

If i make changes then i can save as jpeg or tiff(anyway's that's what i was doing).

I want to buy 50mm for portraiture and street photography,night photography.

18-105 covers a good range.What i was thinking is to get lens with better optical quality. between 15-85 or something similar.Any recommendations.

Leonard Migliore · Oct 20, 2012

Anirudhbani said:
Anirudhbani wrote:

Thanks for your reply.I really appreciate.

Yes it is producing xmp files but those files can only be opened in lightroom and not in Picture preview window.So what i understand that no way i can do that.

That's correct. RAW files can only be opened by software that reads RAW files. In fact, the software has to be able to read your camera's RAW files since they're all different.

Anirudhbani said:
If i make changes then i can save as jpeg or tiff(anyway's that's what i was doing).

Yes, that's what you must do.

Anirudhbani said:
I want to buy 50mm for portraiture and street photography,night photography.

It will work well for all those things. If you are doing night photography, the f/1.4 will be slightly better.

Anirudhbani said:
18-105 covers a good range.What i was thinking is to get lens with better optical quality. between 15-85 or something similar.Any recommendations.

The 18-105 is pretty good. A good prime like the 50mm f/1.8 or the 35mm f/1.8 will be a little bit better and, of course, much faster. The heavy and expensive 17-55 f/2.8 zoom is better throughout its range. But I don't believe you will find many situations where your picture is suffering because of the 18-105's quality.

Joseph S Wisniewski · Oct 20, 2012

Deleted1929 said:
sjgcit wrote:

Adobe's ACR is very good, but no software will save as a RAW image. Can't be done. Only cameras write RAW image files.

Of course it can be done.Several regulars here have written raw writers. I wrote one that could do Nikon raws about 8 years ago. No commercial software does it, simply because it's hard to write a writer for all the camera brands. Canon writers are more common.

Joseph S Wisniewski · Oct 20, 2012

Anirudhbani said:
Anirudhbani wrote:

Hi Guys,

I recently brought Nikon d7000 with 18-105mm lens.

Really enjoying it.

I have got couple of questions.Firstly,which editing software is better ,to work on raw files.

I've used them all, and I prefer Lightroom. It definitely has the best user interface.

Anirudhbani said:
I need editing software just to make colour correction,WB correction and it should be able to save raw files after correction

I read elsewhere that you want this because you want to see your edits in some other picture viewer, not sure which one. A raw file has several "parts". The biggest part is the actual raw data from the sensor. No commercial raw editing program changes that, and there are very good reasons why. But that doesn't matter, because preview programs don't read the actual raw data, they read another part of the raw file that contains an "embedded" JPEG preview image. Several raw editors can edit that preview image. Nikon Capture does this better than any other program. But that one feature isn't enough to get me using Nikon Capture, because there are just too many other things that Lightroom does better. Lightroom never touches a raw file's embrdded JPEG, it makes its own preview image, and stores it in a central database called the "catalog".

The last part of the raw file is the recipe for cooking the raw data into a final picture. This can be simple instructions that the camera adds, like "color temperature 3200k, sharpening 3", or it can be complicated stuff like "fix a 12 pixel blemish at coordinates 241,1137, then turn it to sepia toning". Every raw program does this differently, and none can read each other's recipes. Lightroom and Photoshop do use the same raw engine, and can read each other's recipes, so that's handy. Nikon capture puts a new recipe into the raw file. Lightroomputts it into the XMP sidecar mentioned elsewhere in this thread, and also stores a copy of the recipe in the Lightroom catalog.

That's one of the things that I like about Lightroom, it never rewrites your raw file, so your raw is always raw. Nikon Capture can make such huge chages to a raw file that some other raw programs won't even open it after Nikon capture has been working on it.

Anirudhbani said:
Adobe raw7 or adobe photoshop or any other brand?

I am getting trouble in lightroom. After editing i am not able to save it as Raw files and even i dont like the interface.Though i am using it from past 2 years.

Get a newer version. Seriously. And if Photo shop is important to you, stick with Lightroom.

Anirudhbani said:
Secondly,I have 18-105 vr lens,i am planning to buy 50mm 1.8 afs..It it worth buying 50mm 1.8 or i should save more and go for 50mm 1.4.And also can you recommend a standard wide lens which can be used for street photography as well as portrait.

No. My street style is a normal or wide, and I prefer a 50mm f1.4 nikkor on a FF camera, and a 30mm f1.4 Sigma on a DX camera like yours, or sometimes a 24mm or 20mm. My portrait style is a 58mm, 75mm, or 85mm on DX. I pretty much never shoot a 50mm on DX...

Anirudhbani said:
Suggestions will be appreciated.

Lightroom. 30mm f1.4 Sigma or 24mm Nikon. 85mm f1.8 Nikon. Shoot a lot. Have fun.

Billx08 · Oct 20, 2012

Anirudhbani said:
Anirudhbani wrote:

. . .
I want to buy 50mm for portraiture and street photography,night photography.
18-105 covers a good range.What i was thinking is to get lens with better optical quality. between 15-85 or something similar.Any recommendations.

A dilemma. Thom Hogan is a reliable reviewer and has written that the optical performance of the 18-105mm and 16-85mm Nikkors are very good and gave them the same rating. But that's how they performed on Nikon's previous generation of DSLRs. He delved a little deeper in his D7000 review :

Anirudhbani said:
The 18-105mm kit lens is not quite as good a performer as the 16-85mm DX lens. You can't tell that on the 12mp cameras, but on the D7000 there is a small, but discernible difference. That's not to say the 18-105mm is bad on the D7000. It isn't. It's just that the 16-85mm delivers a tiny bit more performance (as does the 17-55m). I've got a couple of cheap third-party lenses still hanging around, and they look cheap on the D7000 ;~). So I'll just put it this way: don't buy the D7000 for it's resolution and then wimp out on lenses.

That said, most photographers that examine their photos aren't as skilled at detecting the tiny differences that Thom is able to, and from experience reading his "Digital Upgrade Path" article, I think that he'd probably say that this wouldn't be a particularly wise upgrade, since is very small and the upgrade cost is significant. If you feel that the 16mm wide end is very desirable, it's probably worth considering getting a wide angle zoom lens that provides some focal length overlap, such as one of the many 12-24mm and 10-24mm lenses. If overlap (which helps reduce lens swapping) wouldn't be an important consideration, Tokina's 11-16mm f/2.8 lens may be worth considering.

http://bythom.com/Tokina11-16mm_lens_review.htm

chopsteeks · Oct 20, 2012

I would recommend Capture One Pro.

Simple enough but everything you need is available.

GodSpeaks · Oct 20, 2012

Joseph S Wisniewski said:
Joseph S Wisniewski wrote:

Joseph S Wisniewski said:

sjgcit wrote:

Adobe's ACR is very good, but no software will save as a RAW image. Can't be done. Only cameras write RAW image files.

Click to expand...

Of course it can be done.Several regulars here have written raw writers. I wrote one that could do Nikon raws about 8 years ago. No commercial software does it, simply because it's hard to write a writer for all the camera brands. Canon writers are more common.

SeeRoy · Oct 21, 2012

I have and have used (not exhaustively in all cases) quite a few RAW converters. At the current price LR4 is a bargain and will do almost anything that you'd require from RAW conversion software; I use it principally for my OMD files. However after years of using Nikon CNX2 I think it's probably as good as anything when it comes to Nikon NEF files. And despite the frequently expressed objections to the application's design, it's straightforward and easy to use with a few unique features. LR4 is obviously more flexible if you're likely to need to use it with other manufacturers' RAW files. Try the evaluation copies thoroughly before you decide.

Roy

JulesJ · Oct 21, 2012

Anirudhbani said:
Anirudhbani wrote:

Hi Guys,

I am getting trouble in lightroom. After editing i am not able to save it as Raw files and even i dont like the interface.Though i am using it from past 2 years.

Thank you.

You made me rush off and test this, because I was sure you could export a RAW file from LR and you can, but as I think you inferred, it does not contain any of the adjustments that you have done to that file in LR. It just exports the original, untouched RAW file.

Jules

JulesJ · Oct 21, 2012

Anirudhbani said:
Anirudhbani wrote:

Hi Guys,

I recently brought Nikon d7000 with 18-105mm lens.

Really enjoying it.

I have got couple of questions.Firstly,which editing software is better ,to work on raw files.

I need editing software just to make colour correction,WB correction and it should be able to save raw files after corrections.

Adobe raw7 or adobe photoshop or any other brand?

I am getting trouble in lightroom. After editing i am not able to save it as Raw files and even i dont like the interface.Though i am using it from past 2 years.

Secondly,I have 18-105 vr lens,i am planning to buy 50mm 1.8 afs..It it worth buying 50mm 1.8 or i should save more and go for 50mm 1.4.

Depending on your budget you could use an old SLR 50mm 1.4. I know you won't get auto focus, but if you are happy using it manually you will get the benefit of these amazing lenses. I have a Canon &D DSLR and I bought an adaptor on eBay for £10 (20$US) and with that I can use my old Nikon 50mm 1.4 and It's great. I'm sure you can pick these up on eBay for not too much.

Anirudhbani said:
Suggestions will be appreciated.

Thank you.

Anirudhbani · Oct 21, 2012

JulesJ · Oct 21, 2012

Anirudhbani said:
TAnirudhbani wrote:

The first i like, it tells a story.The second does absolutely nothing for me.

Anirudhbani · Oct 21, 2012

second one is just about panning nothing else.

Patco · Oct 21, 2012

JulesJ said:
JulesJ wrote:

JulesJ said:

Anirudhbani wrote:

Secondly,I have 18-105 vr lens,i am planning to buy 50mm 1.8 afs..It it worth buying 50mm 1.8 or i should save more and go for 50mm 1.4.

Click to expand...

Depending on your budget you could use an old SLR 50mm 1.4. I know you won't get auto focus, but if you are happy using it manually you will get the benefit of these amazing lenses.

I realize you are probably referring to the manual focus model, but another option is the "AF" Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 that can be bought for quite a bit less than the newer, motorized "AF-S" version (especially in the used market), and will AF on the OP's D7000.

It will not AF on the D40, D60, D3x00, D5x00, but will AF fine on all other Nikon DSLR models.

lionheart57 · Oct 21, 2012

Anirudhbani said:
Anirudhbani wrote:

Hi Guys,

I recently brought Nikon d7000 with 18-105mm lens.

Really enjoying it.

I have got couple of questions.Firstly,which editing software is better ,to work on raw files.

I need editing software just to make colour correction,WB correction and it should be able to save raw files after corrections.

With CNX2 its possible to save several edited versions of your picture plus the original in one raw file. Or you can save a new raw file.

Anirudhbani said:
Adobe raw7 or adobe photoshop or any other brand?

I am getting trouble in lightroom. After editing i am not able to save it as Raw files and even i dont like the interface.Though i am using it from past 2 years.

Secondly,I have 18-105 vr lens,i am planning to buy 50mm 1.8 afs..It it worth buying 50mm 1.8 or i should save more and go for 50mm 1.4.And also can you recommend a standard wide lens which can be used for street photography as well as portrait.

If you need F1.4 purchase the 50/1.4

If F1.8 is enough for your needs get the 50/1.8.

I hope my 2 cents helped.

best regards Andy

Anirudhbani said:
Suggestions will be appreciated.

Thank you.

Deleted1929 · Oct 21, 2012

While my engineering half isn't surprised at your comments, the problem is that you're not really saving a RAW even in those circumstances.

A RAW file contains sensor data - photon counts. When you save data to the format, you're not really writing a RAW, you're just forcing data into that format.

To save data in a RAW file would require that you can also open that file in a RAW converter and recover the file you saved from without doing something very odd to the data before that.

As an aside I have to say I wish RAW files were actually encrypted by the cameras using public-private keys. This would make it close to impossible to forge a RAW file and make copyrighting much simpler, while it would be trivial to decrypt the files for conversion ( and could be completely transparent to the user ).

foot · Oct 21, 2012

DxO is a well-liked RAW converter program. It will right DNG (RAW-like) files that

adobe is pushing to be a universal standard - but hasn't so far

if you're using windows and want to use LR4, you will need a new-ish computer with

OS greater than winXP. A lot of ppl don't like this (me included) since i'm stil using

winXP and don't want to spend the money to upgrade (my hardware also would

need to be upgraded)

DxO has a trial version give it a try !

sjgcit wrote:

Deleted1929 said:
Adobe's ACR is very good, but no software will save as a RAW image. Can't be done. Only cameras write RAW image files.

Which editing software is the best?Inquiry regarding Nikkor lens!

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