My final thoughts on Capture One Pro 8 and Fuji X-Trans Files

Note: I decided to use my photos from a recent trip to the Angeles Range at Lake View Terrace, California. This photo set demonstrates the amount of detail you are able to extract from a TIFF file once it has been converted from RAW. The range is set up so shooters are comfortably shaded under a long awning, while the targets are out in the open sun. Metering appropriately was extremely challenging, but you will see below that Fuji files have amazing dynamic range. All RAW files were imported into Capture One Pro 8, converted to TIFF files and imported to Lightroom for editing. Gear used: Fuji XT-1, Fuji 56mm f/1.2 and an adapted Olympus OM 24mm f/2.8

To see my previous post on Capture One Pro, click HERE

An HDR sample using three TIFF files (slightly over-cooked). Nik software was used to combine all exposures

I have spent a significant amount of time working with Capture One Pro 8 (C1P for short) and in my opinion is a far better raw converter than Lightroom 5 (LR5 for short), whether I am using Sony, Olympus, Panasonic and/or Fuji files. The files just seem to have more punch, detail and clarity - things that are extremely important to me when I deliver files to clients. While some may argue that C1P has a good starting point and that LR5 with some tweaking can get to where they want, my experience suggests otherwise. Pete Bridgewood offered some great sharpening tips for LR5 that has greatly improved Fuji Raw files, but not to the same extent as C1P to my eyes. I started to notice some artifacts in my out-of-focus areas but only at the pixel peeping levels. 

I ended up going to the range with the same co-worker who bought a Fuji X-T1 based on limited use with mine. Instead of using a dedicated scouting scope to determine where our shots land, we used the Fuji X-T1 with a terribly inexpensive Rokinon 500mm, fixed aperture mirror lens.  Optically it is nothing to write home about, but as a component for a "digital" scout scope, it worked perfectly. Due to the crop factor you get an effective field of view of 750mm. You can essentially double your range by using the magnify zoom feature. I would have never thought to do this and I'm glad he taught me another way to use my camera. 

This is a Remington 700 bolt action with an upgraded Arctic Stock. Very cool toy. For this particular shot, I did a middle of the ground metering - pretty much an average of the highlight and shadow regions. There is definitely a lot of room for recovery.

For this particular shot, I metered for the shadow areas (my co-worker). While it may seem like I had lost all of the blue in the sky, this particular time of day was overcast and gloomy. 

An hour into our range time, the clouds parted and the blue sky made an appearance. I decided to swap to my Olympus 24mm with an intent to get a little more context of the range. I metered for the hills with intent to recover the shadows. In my opinion, it did an admirable job. What do you think?

So the million dollar question: Will I transfer my post processing workflow over to C1P. The answer is unfortunately, no. Simply put, I couldn't get behind the user interface. The functionality was very backwards to me and I spent a good amount of time trying to navigate the controls.  While I liked some of the features such as the color correction wheel and color blending, I found it very lacking in the portrait touch up department. A good portion of my work is portrait photography and I fix minor blemishes very quickly and seamlessly in LR5. I find Adobe's algorithms for healing and cloning at the top of its class. I spent a good half hour trying to edit a client headshot and I could not effectively clean up the file to my standards. This ultimately made my decision for me. I primarily blame myself for not being proficient with this tool, but for what it's worth, I found the LR learning curve to be extremely low. 

This is an example of a shot where the lighting was ideal. Enough light was coming to the shooters right creating a balance, so to speak, of light. Uploading the Raw file directly to lightroom left me feeling unenthused due to the muddy details. I know I shouldn't pixel peep, but it's a way to benchmark my files. 

I added this only because I don't get many photos of myself, especially doing something cool as skeet shooting. 

Part of me feels I did not give C1P a fair shake, but I just couldn't "invest" the finite amount of time (and money) I have to a new program. What honestly put the nail in the coffin for me was Fuji's recent release of their own Raw Converter (using the Silky Pix platform). Although I find C1P far more sophisticated and "sharper", Fuji's software was good enough for my needs and more importantly it is free. I will follow up this post with more examples from Silky Pix. 

-Dino

Note: By converting your raw files to TIFF, I noticed I lost my ability to use the popular camera profiles Fuji is known for. I personally am a huge fan of the Classic Chrome profile and not being able to utilize it as a creative tool was a little disappointing. If anyone knows a work around for this, I would greatly appreciate the advice

Mirrorless Minutes on Youtube

Google+ is a great place to find talented, down-to-earth photographers. While I have not personally met these guys, I have had some interaction with Jamie MacDonald and Mike Boening, two fantastic mirrorless shooters. These two have created their own YouTube show called Mirrorless Minutes, a bi-weekly cast that is dedicated to my favorite type of cameras. They have just launched their first episode and it's definitely right up my alley. Go check them out and let me know what you think. 

Photography Tip # 5 - Support your local camera shop and don't buy gear from your megastores

With San Diego Comic Con days away from now, I can’t help but think of what camera I should bring. A couple of years ago, I remember purchasing my OMD just for this wondrous event and I can only imagine other people doing the same thing. Some might be buying their first camera or upgrading to an interchangeable lens system. My tip of the day is quite simple: support your local camera shop.

Anime Expo - Taken with the Olympus Pro 12-40mm lens

In my previous post, I talked about being part of a team of photographers at the Long Beach Jump Rope competition, but I failed to mention my experience talking to several mom’s asking me about camera advice.  Many start the conversation with the following statement: “Well, I just bought this camera at Best Buy and I can't seem to get a clear image…”  Please let me stop you right there. Do yourself a favor and don’t buy cameras at shops like Target, Best Buy or Walmart unless you’re a seasoned photographer. Go to your local brick and mortar camera shop for buying and shooting advice. Not only will they better match the camera/lens to your needs, they’ll probably not try to upsell you on trivial things like the importance of megapixels or misinform you that Canon is best for photos and Nikon is best for video (a story Jared Polin shared on his podcast). 

Well, these very friendly moms all had slow, variable aperture kit zooms attached to their camera bodies all which I feel are unsuitable for their immediate shooting conditions (from the 12-50mm range to the 70-300mm). When I had asked what they were trying to shoot, all had mentioned that they wanted a couple of shots of their children after their performance or of their finishing move (typically a stationary stance or a crazy jump). I followed up asking if they were taught by these sales associates how to use the camera. I got a resounding NO. Although I feel people have a responsibility to learn how to use their own gear, I also feel employees at these mega stores SHOULD take part in educating their buyers. If you are going to sell someone on the feature set of cameras, then you should also impart how and when to access said features. In my opinion, these mega stores typically do not equip you with the right tools for your needs or they oversell you on things you may not need. Additionally, I do not think most sales associates have the technical knowledge to teach. Most are simply reading the tech sheet and passing that along as knowledge.

For the life of me, I don’t understand why primes are not the standard kit lens in the Canikon realm. If you ask me, I don't know how a combo of the 35/50mm and 85mm prime can't meet 99% of a casual photographers' needs. Not only will it intuitively teach people about framing, lens characteristics and "zooming" with your feet, it will help in lower light situations like the jump rope competition (the lighting was awful at the event). Those extra stops of light gathering potential would have definitely helped and when you include the crop factor, they would have had ample reach to photograph their kids. I'm sure the boost in image quality would also be a welcomed perk. Glad to see many mirrorless companies bundling primes with their gear - kudos to you Sony, Fuji, Panasonic and Olympus. But I digress.     

Whenever an individual approaches me seeking help with cameras, I really do my best to help them out. I was very lucky to have had good mentors guide me through my early stages of my photography journey and somehow feel obligated to pass on that same luck. I don't have a very high opinion of these mega retailers because they don't specialize in the things that matter most and the fact I have overheard sales associates make up specs or misinform customers just to make the sale. While not all camera shops are created equal, I do believe most try to employ knowledgeable people who at least know the basics about camera technology, the exposure triangle, have knowledge about glass, etc. Additionally, these shops more likely than not have a better relationship with camera manufacturers, so if you ever encounter any issues, they may be able to address your problems in a more timely fashion. At the end of the day, I feel confident that a sales associates at your local shop will tell you that the Canon 70-300mm f/4-5.6 (a popular lens I saw) will give you the reach you need for the competition, but may not be the right lens for a dimly lit convention hall. 

Hope to run into you here. 

I am always weary of making blanket statements but please trust me and avoid these retail stores. Support your local camera store.

Here's a list of reasons why:

• You get the joy of supporting a local business
• You get to physically hold and try out a larger selection of cameras before you purchase one
• Some shops include an in-house repair warranty 
• Most are photographers themselves and will understand your needs
• Build a good enough relationship, they may even give you a discount. Some shops even offer loyalty rewards.
• Shops typically have a good used department that can save you hundreds of dollars.
• These same used departments typically allow you to trade your old camera for that new shiny upgraded version
• Some shops even hold seminars or invite guest speakers who can help you improve your skills

Be sure to stop by our Killer Pumpkins booth #1433