Capture One is software (made by Phase One), fairly well known as an excellent, perhaps the best, RAW convertor. They just updated to Capture One 10.

I had pretty much moved to Lightroom and/or DxO depending on how much time I wanted to spend fiddling with pictures, but in the spirit of spending money I upgraded to the new Capture One version. It is worth it, probably a better move than buying a new camera body, since your old beater from 2008 will surprise you if you convert your RAW files with this new version.




It's almost impossible with a small JPG file to demonstrate this (at least for me it is) but the above picture was taken in 2009 with a Nikon D60, which is a 10 megapixel camera, and a Nikkor 18-105mm zoom lens (usually referred to as a kit lens). I just converted the old RAW file today to see what I would get. I refrained from whiz-bang effects and super saturations, trying to keep it as realistic as if you were there. But tonal gradations, diffraction correction, automated exposure and automated setting of black point and white point make it very easy to use.

Moving to new software is like learning a new language. In short, very annoying when you are just starting to get by with another expensive software package, especially if you have devoted a lot of time to getting things right. But that is the way of the world. If you don't want to invest in it, get the 30 day free trial and convert all your old RAW files for free.

The in-camera processing engines (in Nikons they are referred to as "EXPEED") have come along way since the old cameras were made. What your old camera can't do, modern computer based software can. There is a lot of data in a NEF/RAW file that can now be processed with much more powerful software than existed at the time, including compensation for lens limitations. Yet another reason to shoot RAW files.

Wink,

Many thanks for the heads-up on the new Capture One upgrade. As a leftover from the quill pen generation, new software and all that accompanies that, scares the bejeezus out of me. I've been using Photoshop Elements for several years now, since issue 4 I think, and am still not any better than barely competent with it. Even so, I signed up for the 30 day trial with Capture One and almost immediately after receiving it, my internet went out. Don't know if that was an omen or what. Anyway, that was a couple days ago and I finally got back online around noon today. I've played with it, but as you wrote, it's like learning a new language. So far, I'm a slow learner. I'll keep at it until the 30 days are up and then we'll see. Again, many thanks for the heads-up.

The free tutorials can help.

https://www.phaseone.com/fr-FR...ro/Learning-Hub.aspx

I clicked the auto-adjust box, so When importing files to Capture One automatic adjustments are applied. It's not always the best choice, but it's easy to reset on any individual file. All the Namibia pics above were "automatically" optimized (as far as their algorithms are concerned).

Thank you, Wink. You always are teaching!

quote:

Originally posted by Ole Miss Guy:
Thank you, Wink. You always are teaching!

Thanks. I do hope it helps. In the end, if all this software stuff doesn't get you where you want to go then it's kind of a waste of time. I'm allergic, for the most part, to the vocabulary usually used in the artsy circles, but I think there is some truth to the "vision" thing, which I think just means "he knows what he wants it to look like."



The Namib desert is an amazing place. I wish I had taken more pictures.

You can come visit us any time.

Can take you to some amazing places that few have ever seen.