Posted by Brett Deacon on March 19, 2009 at 3:35 AM
Hi everyone. For those who might be interested, DxO Optics Pro now has modules for converting Sony A900 files and making automatic corrections for images taken with the Carl Zeiss 24-70 lens (among others). I downloaded the trial version and spent some time today comparing the output to that of Adobe Camera Raw 5.3 in Photoshop CS4. I've some results, including numerous 100% crops, here:
My overall impression of DxO Optics Pro is very positive and, in my opinion, it beats the tar out of ACR on low ISO images taken with the CZ 24-70. I will be purchasing it and using it as my standard raw converter. The 14-day trial version is free and I encourage those of you who use the a900 and aren't thrilled with your current RAW converter to check it out.
Brett
Posted by Jesse Speer on March 19, 2009 at 12:39 PM
I can see why you like DxO. Thanks for sharing your findings. I've heard a number of similar accounts related to this software.
If you don't mind further discussion on the software, I'd also love to hear from anyone who uses this software in conjunction with Lightroom - how the two integrate within a workflow. I hate the idea of buying additional software, but it's hard to ignore the technical advantages of DxO - which Brett demonstrates very well. This can make a difference in print enlarging. Still, I'm very into simplifying these days, and it doesn't seem like a simple addition to workflow (when not used as a primary RAW editor). Am I wrong?
Posted by Kalin Wilson on March 19, 2009 at 5:22 PM
I use DxO with Lightroom, formally with the 20D, soon with the 5DII (haven't upgraded to the pro version yet).
Here is my general workflow:
1. Import the raw files into LR and sort/select and rename remainders
2. Bring top candidates for processing into DxO. Either directly through DxO browsing the file system or using DxO as a LR plugin. The plugin route is a little odd because you choose 'edit in...' and what appears to be a temporary tif of your raw file is created. But DxO actually works on the raw file but produces a tif output. I prefer to get a dng output from DxO for further LR processing so I usually skip the plugin route unless I'm in a hurry.
3. Process the raw files DxO only for geometric and lens sharpness adjustments (no color, exposure, or lighting). I use saved presets and apply the same preset to all of the input files. Process to save to dng in the same folder as the originals.
4. synchronize the folder in LR to grab the new DxO dng files and stack them with their originals in LR. This step is automatic if you use the plugin option.
5. Continue normal WB, exposure, lighting and contrast processing in LR.
6. finish processing for noise reduction, creative sharpening and any layer masked adjustments in CS4.
7. sizing, soft-proofing, output sharpening, and printing from CS4 (sometimes quick proof prints from LR with good results so far)
Generally I really like the results I get from DxO for correcting chromatic aberration, geometric distortions, and lens sharpness. You have to really watch it though as you can get some bad halos in high contrast regions from sharpening, which is what the lens corrections boil down to. I treat this stage as input sharpening in the PK sharpener flow.
DxO also performs admirably in the exposure, lighting, and color regimes and I'll usually play with what it has to offer to see how I like it. But generally, I'm more comfortable with the LR controls and workflow so I stick with that. But it's pretty cool some of the color changes you can get from the film rendering modes it offers.
One thing to note is that the DNG files you get from DxO are huge compared to the raw file or a typical dng conversion. This is due to it being a linear dng. So there is a file system cost to the conversion. I keep the original raws and the subsequent working tifs, which can grow quite large too, all together and stacked.
One of the original reasons I chose DxO was I liked the fidelity of the raw conversion in terms of aliasing, etc.
Discussion
2 replieshttp://www.brettdeacon.com/gallery.php?gallery=RAWConverters
My overall impression of DxO Optics Pro is very positive and, in my opinion, it beats the tar out of ACR on low ISO images taken with the CZ 24-70. I will be purchasing it and using it as my standard raw converter. The 14-day trial version is free and I encourage those of you who use the a900 and aren't thrilled with your current RAW converter to check it out.
Brett
If you don't mind further discussion on the software, I'd also love to hear from anyone who uses this software in conjunction with Lightroom - how the two integrate within a workflow. I hate the idea of buying additional software, but it's hard to ignore the technical advantages of DxO - which Brett demonstrates very well. This can make a difference in print enlarging. Still, I'm very into simplifying these days, and it doesn't seem like a simple addition to workflow (when not used as a primary RAW editor). Am I wrong?
Here is my general workflow:
1. Import the raw files into LR and sort/select and rename remainders
2. Bring top candidates for processing into DxO. Either directly through DxO browsing the file system or using DxO as a LR plugin. The plugin route is a little odd because you choose 'edit in...' and what appears to be a temporary tif of your raw file is created. But DxO actually works on the raw file but produces a tif output. I prefer to get a dng output from DxO for further LR processing so I usually skip the plugin route unless I'm in a hurry.
3. Process the raw files DxO only for geometric and lens sharpness adjustments (no color, exposure, or lighting). I use saved presets and apply the same preset to all of the input files. Process to save to dng in the same folder as the originals.
4. synchronize the folder in LR to grab the new DxO dng files and stack them with their originals in LR. This step is automatic if you use the plugin option.
5. Continue normal WB, exposure, lighting and contrast processing in LR.
6. finish processing for noise reduction, creative sharpening and any layer masked adjustments in CS4.
7. sizing, soft-proofing, output sharpening, and printing from CS4 (sometimes quick proof prints from LR with good results so far)
Generally I really like the results I get from DxO for correcting chromatic aberration, geometric distortions, and lens sharpness. You have to really watch it though as you can get some bad halos in high contrast regions from sharpening, which is what the lens corrections boil down to. I treat this stage as input sharpening in the PK sharpener flow.
DxO also performs admirably in the exposure, lighting, and color regimes and I'll usually play with what it has to offer to see how I like it. But generally, I'm more comfortable with the LR controls and workflow so I stick with that. But it's pretty cool some of the color changes you can get from the film rendering modes it offers.
One thing to note is that the DNG files you get from DxO are huge compared to the raw file or a typical dng conversion. This is due to it being a linear dng. So there is a file system cost to the conversion. I keep the original raws and the subsequent working tifs, which can grow quite large too, all together and stacked.
One of the original reasons I chose DxO was I liked the fidelity of the raw conversion in terms of aliasing, etc.
Let me know if I can answer any other questions!