Nikon Capture NX Free!

[rawpaw18]

Well free with the purchase of a new D300 or D3.

http://www.nikonwatch.com/

That is great news if it holds true, Nikon trying to sqeeze out another $125 after buying either of the
flagship cameras is petty. IMO.
Also the suggested retail for the D300 grip, bit pricey but on the shopping list $300.


Come on November, be like Christmas a month early!

[K1W1]

What percentage of D3 or D300 buyers are unlikely to already own Capture NX?

[erichlund]

What percentage of D3 or D300 buyers are unlikely to already own Capture NX?

OTOH, how many have both a desktop and a laptop computer? Technically speaking, you should have two copies for two computers, at least for most software applications, if you read the license. There are exceptions, and I haven't checked to see if Nikon is one.

[e_dawg]

What percentage of D3 or D300 buyers are unlikely to already own Capture NX?

I think most people who have that camera are more likely to use ACR and Photoshop than Capture NX.

[erichlund]

I think most people who have that camera are more likely to use ACR and Photoshop than Capture NX.

That based on some stats I'm not aware of, or just a gut feeling? My gut feeling is that better than 50% use CaptureNX, but that's just based on the usual "What RAW Editor do you use?" arguments over at DPReview.

It does seem to vary partially based on what type of pro is using the software. People who need it fast and can accept less than perfect quality use other software. People who need the best results use CaptureNX and grumble about the speed, but less than they used to. It seems that the amateurs are even more likely to use NX, because speed is almost never the issue there.

[rawpaw18]

What percentage of D3 or D300 buyers are unlikely to already own Capture NX?

True, but I think it is a step forward for Nikon, especially for some that may be switching from the Canon camp. I believe that there will be some, Pro af being the biggest reason. This move of including NX is long overdue for the top of the line Nikons.

I am one who almost definitely will be purchasing a D300 and do not have NX. It does some things that Lightroom does not and I would love to add it to my list of programs, even though I thought it slow during my trial period.

[Esoterra]

Nikon should give up thier chase in the software development field. First of all, it is bass aackwards and completely user un-friendly- it is slow- and whomever makes the software has no idea of what raw workflow is about. Nikon needs to give their customers more options. Either:

1) team up with/let a 3rd party (Adobe as they are the most popular) in on their NEF scripting for 3rd party programs (CS2/3- Lightroom)~ who knows,it could actually make for better sales for Nikon.

OR

2) enable their top end cameras to shoot in either NEF, TIFF, or DNG formats.


This way we wouldnt be bumrushed into having to use NX for the best quality possible out of RAW files. Just my 2 cents. After switching back and forth from NX to Lightroom I just keep thinking I want to toiletpaper the NX software designers homes for making such a clunky yet needed program.

[Esoterra]

Ohhh la la... a new Nikon D3* body with a 24mp FF sensor... now I cant wait to see THAT! May 08! NICE!

[K1W1]

Nikon should give up thier chase in the software development field.


I absolutely agree.
Ford don't make tyres.
Microsoft don't make hard drives.
Nikon should IMO stick to hardware and work WITH third party software companies to allow them to do what they do best - develop software. They should make the SDKs available to reputable companies and allow them to slug it out and watch the software improve in leaps and in doing so gain buyers of their hardware BECAUSE of the availability of great cross platform software at various pricing levels to suit all users.
Before somebody else says "Apple" I will say that they are the exception that proves the rule rather than an example that should be upheld by all others.

[XaiLo]

Esoterra, I like the DNG option.

I have to admitt I did not have the patience for Capture NX, but what is it able to do that adobe cameraraw can not???

That's a serious question can someone please enlighten me.

[Esoterra]

If you take the same NEF image and post process it (sharpness, lights, darks, WB and maybe contrast) in NX and Lightroom, NX... HANDS DOWN gives much higher IQ. Not only does it read the raw data exactly how the camera takes the image, but it processes it without losing or compromising any IQ. If you open a NEF file in Lightroom or ACR while the file is loading- if you look close enough- you will see the pure image that came off the sensor and then it changes to something UGLY (depending on your in camera settings) because at this point Lightroom software (using complex algorithms) is trying to interpret the NEF file how it thinks it should look. There is no way to shut this off- it changes the image and it DRIVES me crazy. So its a trade off.. speed, ingenious insight, and intuitive but at the cost of lower IQ.... or you can go with NX and PAINSTAKINGLY open each individual file to see if its even a keeper... and if it is... then do the neccessary post processing and the end results are amazing (assuming you took a good picture in the first place).

That, my friend, is the issue in depth. My answer, well, for my weddings and portraits where I have to oodle through up to 800-900 images at a time... Lightroom for sure. My Landscapes and images that I plan to put on my website or print... I use NX.

[rawpaw18]

If you open a NEF file in Lightroom or ACR while the file is loading- if you look close enough- you will see the pure image that came off the sensor and then it changes to something UGLY (depending on your in camera settings) because at this point Lightroom software (using complex algorithms) is trying to interpret the NEF file how it thinks it should look. There is no way to shut this off- it changes the image and it DRIVES me crazy.

I have been doing more raw lately in Lightroom, and have desperately tried to find the initial imported starting photo, before Lightroom does its magic. I am watching it load and saying to myself that is a good start then wham it is fully loaded and well looks ugly!

[Prospero]

The only field Capture NX is lackin in is the speed of workflow - and perhaps the user friendiness; it took me quite a while to get to know all its features.

Since I got to know Capture NX a bit better, I use photoshop for only two things:
- Dust Removal (for some reason Capture NX does not do that
- Resizing for the web

When it comes to tweaking the image, Capture NX is by far the best program I have used for that. The colour control points is an extremely powerful feature, and the D-lighting is a lot better than shadow/highlight tool of Photoshop.

Capture NX also allows you to change the curves, saturation, sharpness, etc. of certain parts of an image using its various selection tools (gradients, brushes, selection/lassoo tools). In photoshop this would take masks and adjusment layers, which takes more time. Furthermore, haloing that may result from applying levels and curves on one part of the image can easily be fixed by using the control points, while in Photoshop this would take more time.

Also, the combination of the curves and the levels is pretty nice. In photoshop they are seperate tools, but since their use is similar, I find the conbination very handy.

Using curves, control points, and D-lighting on parts of the image, Capture NX can also get a huge dynamic range out of a single raw file. Sometimes, people create different exposures from a single rawfile to blend these to a HDR with Photomatix. With Capture NX, in these situations, I can almost alway get a similar result without going through that process.

To add to that, the blending mode of partial edits can be changed, I find that the blending mode "multiply" when used on sky can definitly aid in making the sky more dramatic.

Capture NX also has a nice black and white conversion tool. Here you can select the colour filter (as could be done when shooting black and white film), I find that this is a bit more easy to use than photoshops channel mixer.

The gausian blur tool of Capture NX is also very nice; it allows you to set the opassity of the blur, with which you can keep details to the extend that you like. This takes two layers in photoshop.

I also use Capture NX to post process HDRs coming out of Photomatix. This program often gives unrealistic result, and using capture NX. The realism can be restored a lot quicker with Capture NX than with photoshop.

Capture NX may not have the speed of workflow that programs like Lightroom or Bibble have, but it's editing is a lot more powerful than these two programs. If you really need the fast workflow, these two may be better. On the other hand, when Capture NX is used in combination with View NX, you can also achieve a pretty fast workflow.
I hope Nikon will never give up producing software, because for my purposes, they created the most powerful raw processing program currently on the market.

[rawpaw18]

Due to the speed it would not be my all purpose program, but features that you mention Dennis is why I would like to have it in my arsenal.

I just thought that if Nikon makes cameras that have raw capability that raw software should be included with the camera, just my opinion.

[XaiLo]

Thanks much, Interesting... I do notice a movement shift when opening in ACR. Do you have any images that illustrate the differences?

[rawpaw18]

Hey X,

I can not show you any images because the program changes them before I can stop it, I have no other program to view the raw files in. It is weird though, I can watch the initial image appear (lightroom) and watch the loading bar move. Before it is completely loaded the picture first of all is usually brighter, I can watch it change from the top down as if somone is pulling a translucent window blind down over the image. When it is fully loaded it looks underexposed. Don't know why.

[K1W1]

I just thought that if Nikon makes cameras that have raw capability that raw software should be included with the camera, just my opinion.

It is. It's called View NX!

[Esoterra]

Prospero... all great points. I hadnt thought about using View NX with Capture NX... so in all fairness, I will give it a look at to see if it speeds up my pp workflow. Also checking out the Nikon Transfer program.

[Esoterra]

Ok, well I think that we have a winner here. View NX makes a huge improvement on speed of workflow. I was getting frustrated because NX didnt have View NX features built into it (lightroom is more of an all in one solution). So in order of use, Nikon Transfer, View NX, then Capture NX they go hand in hand... kind of like masturbating!

Joking aside, I still wish that View NX or Capture NX had an automatic save progress feature like Lightroom. For instance, I can be in lightroom making changes... computer crashes... reboot... Lightroom starts RIGHT where I left off. With NX, you crash or have to restart... you start all over again?? Please, tell me Nikon has an answer for this!

[toriaj]

So in order of use, Nikon Transfer, View NX, then Capture NX they go hand in hand... kind of like masturbating!

:eek:
...TOO much information!! :D

[Esoterra]

laf! Glad you get my sense of humor! :rolleyes:

[XaiLo]

no prob rawpaw18, it was a just in case question.:)

And Esoterra, Save it for the shutter button. :D

[Esoterra]

Lol sure thing Xalio.