Fuji S5 Pro post-processing comparisons (love Cameras, hate Computers (software))

Giovanni_1968 wrote:

fPrime wrote:

Beyond color fidelity, when considering any RAW processor for the S5 Pro the first question is does the converter know how to interpret and manage both the S and R pixels from the SuperCCD? Many don't. Secondly, does the RAW converter support Fuji's interpolation to 12MP in combination with balanced sharpening? Many only yield 6MP.

Most long time users of the S5 Pro have settled on either a Lightroom or Hyper Utility workflow for good reason... both converters tap the S and R pixels and interpolate a smooth 12MP. Hyper Utility is a bit slower but produces better image quality. Here's my own Hyper Utility conversion for comparison purposes:

fPrime

Apologise if I revive this old thread but at the actual date which is the RAW processor which does the better Fuji S-CCD conversion taking into account both R and S pixels and rendering the full size image (even tho it's an interpolation) rather than the "just" 6MP one (which I have been printing up to A3 with no visible artifacts at all)?

Grazie

My vote still goes to Hyper Utility, Goivanni. It has Fuji's color science, it knows how to best demosaic the Super-CCD sensor, and how to best interpolate it to 12MP.

Remember that the Fuji S5 has a diagonal sensor readout which helps it boost its otherwise ordinary 6MP resolution. Most users agree that the S5 Pro achieves a "practical" resolution of around 8MP provided that the demosaic and sharpness are both optimized and finely balanced in the conversion.

Beyond color science this is where I think Hyper Utility still has a quality advantage over Lightroom. HU can convert the S5 Pro RAW's with the fewest demosaic artifacts and thus the most natural sharpness. I also find its sharpening routines are specifically optimized for the S5 Pro whereas in Lightroom the sharpening tools are generalized for ordinary Bayer sensors.

Does HU have any limitations? Yes, it has an outdated user interface and no highlight recovery tools beyond Fuji’s own DR tool. It also does not offer automatic hot pixel removal, CA removal, or lens profiles. All of these tasks must be done via post processing.

But other RAW conversion packages have their own limitations for S5 Pro files too:

• Lightroom has good highlight recovery tools, automatic lens corrections, Adobe colors and tonal curves, and a modern user interface, but only offers 12 MP output. If one absolutely can't use HU, Lightroom is the second best choice.
• Capture One Pro can convert S5 Pro RAW files, but only at 6MP output. Even worse, it disables lens correction profiles which prevents C1’s chromatic aberration tool from working.
• DxO Optics Pro can convert S5 Pro RAW files into 6MP output with lens corrections, but it produces odd image artifacts like mottled blue skies and crushed fine color detail. I believe DxO Photolab has dropped support for Super CCD since then.
• Photo Ninja produces exceptional artifact free 6 MP renderings for the S5 Pro, but it doesn’t correct for Fuji’s diagonal sensor output and frequently misinterprets the camera’s WB settings.

I know Hyper Utility isn't certified for OSX on the Mac side, but do you have any virtual backwards compatibility modes on your Mac? Here on the Windows side I run Hyper Utility on Win 7 x64 in Windows-XP compatibility mode. Maybe you have something similar or can dual boot your Mac into Windows to run the Windows version of HU there?

fPrime