Just saw good deal on Capture One Pro - 20% off

[lnh]

Was just checking out the B&H Photo website and saw that they list Capture One Pro single user license at 20% off. Offer ends tonight at 11:59 pm. Looks like upgrades are also on sale. Personally been a DxO Optics Pro user, but decided to download the trial of Capture One and do some comparisons. Obviously, IMatch is still the preferred DAM, but the RAW conversion tools look interesting. Any existing Capture One Pro users who could provide some feedback on this product?

[Ferdinand]

I use it sometimes.  If you search the forum you'll find some discussion about how to integrate it with IMatch.  In short, its catalogs are not compatible with IMatch, but sessions are.  That said, C1 sessions make a mess of your file system, and the buddy file definitions that you need to create are more complex than usual.

In terms of its RAW conversions, it's pretty good.  It's a bit better at resolving detail for Fuji X-trans sensors, which is why I bought it in the first place.  There are more controls for colour manipulation, reflecting its targeting as a converter for commercial photographers.  I find its B&W conversions have less artefacts when shooting under artificial lighting, esp stage lighting.  Its local adjustment tools are different to LR, and perhaps not quite as sophisticated, but certainly usable.  Overall, it's both similar and different to LR.  Its conversions can be quite different in some situations, esp artificial lighting, which is a matter of taste. 

This probably doesn't help you all that much.  It's certainly a good converter, and worth owning, but whether you'd prefer its conversions to LR or whatever you're using is only a question that you can decide.  These specials seem to occur a couple of times a year, and only last for a few days.

[lnh]

I use it sometimes.  If you search the forum you'll find some discussion about how to integrate it with IMatch.  In short, its catalogs are not compatible with IMatch, but sessions are.  That said, C1 sessions make a mess of your file system, and the buddy file definitions that you need to create are more complex than usual.
...

Several versions back, DxO Optics Pro also pretended to be a catalog, and like LR and C1 you had to pretend to use it to gain access to its capabilities (if my poor memory is correct). It still has "Projects" but I just use it through the file browsing mode. DxO has some weird limitations like I had to create some portraits in a 5x7 aspect ratio which it doesn't support, nor has the ability to create custom ratios. Not the end of the world, but having to go into another tool just to crop is a pain. Thank you for the heads up on working with IMatch. My short time with the C1 trial makes me believe it handles highlights a bit better than DxO. My LR license is still v4 so have no idea what v6 looks like. I did install the mobile LR app and hated it so deleted within a day or two. Adobe just sent me an email saying my LR trial is finished, so I guess they counted that as LR in total including the non-mobile version.

[jch2103]

DxO has some weird limitations like I had to create some portraits in a 5x7 aspect ratio which it doesn't support, nor has the ability to create custom ratios. Not the end of the world, but having to go into another tool just to crop is a pain.

Actually, DxO supports custom crop ratios. Just type in your crop (e.g., '5/7') in the Aspect Ratio dialog box. Works great!

Also, DxO works well with IMatch: For example. make a selection in IMatch and drop it on a previously defined DxO 'Favorite'; DxO will now open the selected files as part of an 'External Selection'. This doesn't pretend to be a catalog, but it helps avoid clutter in DxO if the user so desires. And of course as you know, IMatch transparently handles .DOP and .XMP buddy files.

[lnh]

John,

Thank you. Didn't realize it could do that. Kind of a hidden feature (unless you read the manual).

[RalfC]

Was just checking out the B&H Photo website and saw that they list Capture One Pro single user license at 20% off.

Which version of Capture One Pro?
It seems that version 9 was just announced: 20% off on v8 plus upgrade fee might not be a good deal, compared to buying v9 immediately.

Regards,
Ralf

[Ferdinand]

It seems that version 9 was just announced:

Oh good grief, so it was.  Another upgrade fee.  The trick is to include just enough new features that you find useful.

[Menace]

And if not, no problem. You still can use 8. I prefer this, instead monthly fee.

[Mario]

Oh good grief, so it was.  Another upgrade fee.  The trick is to include just enough new features that you find useful.

Not any longer...

The annual subscription model introduced by many software companies frees them from such a nonsense. Now users have to pay whether or not bugs are fixed, support is provided or new features are added. At least as long as the subscription runs (and you pay the annual subscription in advance, I believe).

When the subscription runs out, the software stops working or continues with a massively reduced feature set. The customer has then either to renew his subscription or face a migration of his data to another software / system. And this can be really hard if not even impossible.

I don't say subscription models are bad pe-sé...but they can be abused as customer 'retention models'.



PS.: IMatch 5.5. is coming soon...

[Ferdinand]

C1 offers a choice of both.  Not a bad solution, so long as the choice persists.  Although at 12 EUR / month for an annual subscription, it's not great value compared to the PS & LR cloud deal.

One thing that some users are grumbling about is that the grace period for a free upgrade from 8 to 9 is only one month.  I.e.  those who bought more than a month ago (October or earlier) are plain out of luck.    I think that's a bit mean and not the sort of policy that encourages customer loyalty.  Unlike someone else we all know .....

[I assume this C1 policy only applies to those with a perpetual license, not to renters.]

For those contemplating upgrading, there are a few forums providing a 10% discount code.  I used the one from fujix-forum dot com, which worked for me.  The Luminous Landscape C1 forum also seems to have details of how to find one.  I assume it's legit to say this here, as these seem to be bona fide codes on public websites.

I have to say I debated whether to upgrade.  One big new feature - enhanced keywords - is of no interest to me, given IMatch.  There seemed to be enough improvement in processing to justify it, but only just.  And no, I haven't tried it yet, so don't ask.  I'm half-way though a job for a client using V8 and I'm not about to switch versions mid-stream.

[lnh]

Just to confirm, if you purchased during the B&H 20% off holiday deal a couple days before the update, they are updating to v9 at no additional cost. What irks me is when a vendor has a "deal" and then releases an update a day after the grace period. With that said, a one month grace period is pretty stingy.

I agree with Mario about the perils of the subscription model, and try to avoid it when possible. The one exception being LastPass which I get so much value out of, I'd donate $12/year if they didn't charge that for the premium service (I do use premium features such as mobile access and 2FA via Yubikey on desktop and NFC mobile). Massive non-commercial customer dissatisfaction  brought BitTorrent Sync around to offering the small guy a fair deal on a perpetual license vs the subscription. Recently PushBullet made the same mistake by drastically de-featuring the existing version which was free and making many of those previous free features part of a new $5/month paid version. Big marketing mistake taking features away, and I completely understand the PushBullet need to make money. I'd prefer a perpetual license or a more granular way of charging for premium features as I really don't use much beyond the base free features, but would be glad to support them in some way significantly less than $5/month.