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

fPrime wrote:

Yes, I pushed the magenta up a bit to taste in the WB color wheel by dragging the center point to R:1.00, G:0.97, B:1.00. Maybe it's just me, but I find the S5 Pro to lean slightly too greenish without this. Here is what it looks like with no such tint adjustment.

It's quite common for third party converters to grab a few more pixels around the edges than the original manufacturer felt comfortable including for whatever reason.

Notice that on a high dynamic range image like this it is important to set the Tone Curve to ORG and to push the Dynamic Range slider all the way to 400%. In general I don't like to see any clipping of shadows or highlights in HU VS-3, but I also try to use as little Dynamic Range recovery as possible. I prefer to set my contrast later in PS.

With this image I didn't need to adjust the Exposure (Sensitization), but I do this if needed to get the histogram balanced and the brightness high enough. Also you can see that I turn of Sharpening and have Noise Reduction to ORG by default. Both of these functions are better done in PS.

Once converted by HU VS-3, I open the files in Bridge using Adobe Camera RAW. The only thing I do in ACR is turn on CA correction (which HU does not have) but ACR can also apply lens corrections if desired. ACR opens the corrected file right in PS and then I run three automated plug-in's to finish:

• Luminar 4 to AI enhance local contrast and brighten faces, eyes and teeth.
• Nik Tools Sharpener Pro 3 RAW Presharpener at 100% Adaptive Sharpening which I believe to be the best sharpening algorithm for the somewhat soft S5 Pro files coming out of HU.
• PS Auto Contrast to set the final contrast for the image.

Hope this helps.

fPrime

Wow, this is really great, fPrime! Again, thanks for taking the time to share your knowledge.

I will play around with HU to better understand your process. I also like your workaround for CA with ACR.

@Erik, after having many on/off again dalliances with standalone non-subscription LR and subscription LR, I finally threw in the towel. I just never bonded with LR (the only thing I can handle from Adobe is their ACR). COP is good, in general, but I loath its workflow and session method (I also just can't shake the feeling it's messing with the image in ways I don't like or understand.) After years of stick-to-it-tiveness, I really like SilkyPix (Developer Studio Pro version). Their support is excellent (I've received answers from real people in their support) and I know how to 'zero-out' an image when starting...you have to learn the Japanese lingo for common settings, but once you figure out what does what it's great.

Since the Super CCD sensors have a unique design, I really wanted to try to figure out how to use HU, since it was the application Fuji made specifically for the files. I was struggling with understanding its workflow and fPrime has done a lot to clear some things up!

I will ponder taking a picture with two different cameras side by side...To me the S5 Pro has that certain look I've never seen before and so it's a worthwhile comparison.

Probably the closest camera I have is the Nikon D60 (also known for it's wonderful colors). I can use the same lens on both the S5 Pro and the D60! It's still in a box...it was purchased on my binge buying spree of cameras with CCD sensors after I discovered what "old" CCD sensors can actually do with color rendering, something no one knew at the time these cameras were made. It was only AFTER CMOS took over that people are like, wait, why are these colors from new cameras so (relatively) uninviting?! (Sony is the perfect example of that for me.) I'm rambling...but to sum up, for me, personally, I've discovered that the color rendering is more important to me than high resolution pixel count. And I'm not that great of a photographer in any event, so it doesn't really matter how many megapixels I capture with, LOL.