Nikon Capture MX has been pushed back until July 2006 and Nikon View Pro now has a TBA release date.
That puts a damper on things for next month.
Drew
Posted by Peter Carroll on April 18, 2006 at 11:43 AM
Drew,
Thanks for posting this. I have been searching for info ref the release date and am disappointed about the push back. It's more than likely program issues (or possibly add ons being considered due to beta user feedback) and they want to work out all the bugs before putting the product on the market. I recently got the D2X and my trial verson of Capture expired last week. I guess I'll have to cough up the dough for version 4.4 or maybe I'll try the trial version of Capture One to see how that handles NEF files. If I go the 4.4 route I will not be a happy camper if NX issn't offered in a cheaper version as an upgrade to 4.4. users. It's a worry considering how different NX might be. Thanks for keeping the Nikon users in the loop.
Not being a Nikon user, I'm curious what Capture does that you can't do with ACR or other tools?
Guy
Posted by Scott Buckel on April 18, 2006 at 12:07 PM
Guy - the one thing that Nikon Capture does do is allow for tethered operation of Nikon cameras. This new version is reported to be a significant upgrade to prior versions.
I personally have found that ACR does all of the job that I need it to do. I really like the fact tha you see a curves and histogram in the exposure menu, but I seldomly ever use it anymore.
Drew - are you going to have PSCS2 on your laptop? I find the raw conversion woks just as well as Nikon Capture.
Posted by Peter Carroll on April 18, 2006 at 12:29 PM
Guy,
In my particular case I'm still using PS 7.0. I'd love to upgrade to CS2 and use ACR but there's not enough money in the piggy bank to cover buying CS2 (and I can't go the cheaper route of buying the upgrade version to CS2 because well... you know...wink wink nudge nudge say no more say no more). So I'm stuck with needing a RAW converter. To be honest, when I had the trial version of Capture 4.4 I basically used it to open up the RAW file and then transfered the image to PS and worked on it there because I was comfortable in PS. Since that is my workflow I think it's most likely best to stick with Nikon software to convert the RAW file because of proprietary issues. I may be wrong and others like Phase One may have cracked the code 100% accurately. I don't know. Do others have experience with different RAW converters and NEFs?
Posted by Les Barstow on April 21, 2006 at 7:10 PM
Guy,
I find Nikon Capture does a better job interpreting my pictures - enough that it's worth putting up with its incredible piggishness. It's not that ACR, Phase One and others can't read the format; even the encrypted White Balance issue is kind of moot as the algorithm is dirt simple. But Nikon just seems to be a bit more spot-on with color interpretation and sharpness - they just know their cameras better than everyone else. And as mentioned above, it's good to have tethered control of your camera...
Bummer on the release push-back. A CS2 upgrade is looking better every day.
Posted by Drew Fulton on April 22, 2006 at 12:15 AM
I use Capture to convert all my D2X files as well as my D100 files when I used it. I am still using CS1 and am trying to decide if I pick up CS2 at the educational price before graduating in six weeks or do I wait for CS3 in about a year from now and upgrade the entire suite to CS3. Capture may be a bit slow but i tend not to be in much of a hurry so I use the Save dialog box to "pause" saving until I convert a bunch of images, then hit go and go get a drink or do something else. I am also looking forward to the new management and batch features of the new version of Capture as well as View. Oh well, just being patient.
Drew
Posted by Les Barstow on April 24, 2006 at 12:08 PM
That's one long drink. Do you head over to the local bar?
Posted by Drew Fulton on April 25, 2006 at 12:21 AM
Discussion
8 replieshttp://nikonimaging.com/global/news/2006/0418_01.htm
Nikon Capture MX has been pushed back until July 2006 and Nikon View Pro now has a TBA release date.
That puts a damper on things for next month.
Drew
Thanks for posting this. I have been searching for info ref the release date and am disappointed about the push back. It's more than likely program issues (or possibly add ons being considered due to beta user feedback) and they want to work out all the bugs before putting the product on the market. I recently got the D2X and my trial verson of Capture expired last week. I guess I'll have to cough up the dough for version 4.4 or maybe I'll try the trial version of Capture One to see how that handles NEF files. If I go the 4.4 route I will not be a happy camper if NX issn't offered in a cheaper version as an upgrade to 4.4. users. It's a worry considering how different NX might be. Thanks for keeping the Nikon users in the loop.
Guy
I personally have found that ACR does all of the job that I need it to do. I really like the fact tha you see a curves and histogram in the exposure menu, but I seldomly ever use it anymore.
Drew - are you going to have PSCS2 on your laptop? I find the raw conversion woks just as well as Nikon Capture.
In my particular case I'm still using PS 7.0. I'd love to upgrade to CS2 and use ACR but there's not enough money in the piggy bank to cover buying CS2 (and I can't go the cheaper route of buying the upgrade version to CS2 because well... you know...wink wink nudge nudge say no more say no more). So I'm stuck with needing a RAW converter. To be honest, when I had the trial version of Capture 4.4 I basically used it to open up the RAW file and then transfered the image to PS and worked on it there because I was comfortable in PS. Since that is my workflow I think it's most likely best to stick with Nikon software to convert the RAW file because of proprietary issues. I may be wrong and others like Phase One may have cracked the code 100% accurately. I don't know. Do others have experience with different RAW converters and NEFs?
I find Nikon Capture does a better job interpreting my pictures - enough that it's worth putting up with its incredible piggishness. It's not that ACR, Phase One and others can't read the format; even the encrypted White Balance issue is kind of moot as the algorithm is dirt simple. But Nikon just seems to be a bit more spot-on with color interpretation and sharpness - they just know their cameras better than everyone else. And as mentioned above, it's good to have tethered control of your camera...
Bummer on the release push-back. A CS2 upgrade is looking better every day.
Drew