Amin
Hall of Famer
As many of you know, Fuji's X-Pro1 and X-E1 cameras use a non-standard color filter array (CFA) in contrast to nearly all other cameras which use a Bayer array. As a result, support from 3rd party RAW converters has been somewhat diminished. The Fuji cameras include a version of Silkypix for RAW conversion, but many users are unhappy with this solution.
The leading RAW processor, Adobe Lightroom, has been widely criticized for the quality of conversions with these cameras. Whether that criticism is warranted remains controversial, despite several widely read comparisons between Lightroom, C1, Silkypix, and Fuji's in-camera JPEG engine:
Capture One Fujifilm X-Trans Raw support tested: Digital Photography Review
https://www.photographerslounge.org...ture-one-7-0-2-beta-vs-lightroom-4-2-a-15229/
Comparison between Capture One-Beta / SOOC JPG / Lightroom / Silkypix | Fuji Rumors
Comparing RAW converters: JPEG vs. Lightroom, Capture One, Silkypix & RPP | Fuji Rumors
Several S.C. members kindly contributed X-Pro1 and X-E1 RAW files for testing, and I'll be presenting representative data from one file in particular, which was contributed by tdp. You can download the RAW file and in-camera JPEG for evaluation from these links: RAW | JPEG
The specific problem with Adobe Lightroom conversions is that the files, when viewed at 100%, can take on a "watercolor" or "orange peel" effect. This effect is generally unnoticeable unless the files are sharpened well beyond the program's default setting. To give a clear example of the phenomenon, I sharpened these Lightroom crops excessively and also boosted clarity:
Normal processing, however, gives a different result.
Before I present the comparative crops, it's worth mentioning that C1 default settings boost color saturation and local contrast quite a bit relative to the default LR settings. I attempted to equalize these factors between the C1 and Lightroom when I processed the files. However, I did not try to match the in-camera JPEG colors or contrast.
Here are a few representative 100% crops:
You can still see the watercolor phenomenon in the Lightroom crops, but the differences here are far more subtle, and I don't see them translating into the final product, whether a resized on-screen image or print.
The biggest differences I noted between C1 and Lightroom are that C1 has higher local and increased color saturation. I also think C1 handles high ISO noise reduction better, while Lightroom is slightly more able to recover highlights. Disclosure: Phase One gave me a copy of C1 for review purposes.
The leading RAW processor, Adobe Lightroom, has been widely criticized for the quality of conversions with these cameras. Whether that criticism is warranted remains controversial, despite several widely read comparisons between Lightroom, C1, Silkypix, and Fuji's in-camera JPEG engine:
Capture One Fujifilm X-Trans Raw support tested: Digital Photography Review
https://www.photographerslounge.org...ture-one-7-0-2-beta-vs-lightroom-4-2-a-15229/
Comparison between Capture One-Beta / SOOC JPG / Lightroom / Silkypix | Fuji Rumors
Comparing RAW converters: JPEG vs. Lightroom, Capture One, Silkypix & RPP | Fuji Rumors
Several S.C. members kindly contributed X-Pro1 and X-E1 RAW files for testing, and I'll be presenting representative data from one file in particular, which was contributed by tdp. You can download the RAW file and in-camera JPEG for evaluation from these links: RAW | JPEG
The specific problem with Adobe Lightroom conversions is that the files, when viewed at 100%, can take on a "watercolor" or "orange peel" effect. This effect is generally unnoticeable unless the files are sharpened well beyond the program's default setting. To give a clear example of the phenomenon, I sharpened these Lightroom crops excessively and also boosted clarity:
Normal processing, however, gives a different result.
Before I present the comparative crops, it's worth mentioning that C1 default settings boost color saturation and local contrast quite a bit relative to the default LR settings. I attempted to equalize these factors between the C1 and Lightroom when I processed the files. However, I did not try to match the in-camera JPEG colors or contrast.
Here are a few representative 100% crops:
You can still see the watercolor phenomenon in the Lightroom crops, but the differences here are far more subtle, and I don't see them translating into the final product, whether a resized on-screen image or print.
The biggest differences I noted between C1 and Lightroom are that C1 has higher local and increased color saturation. I also think C1 handles high ISO noise reduction better, while Lightroom is slightly more able to recover highlights. Disclosure: Phase One gave me a copy of C1 for review purposes.