Nikon D800 First Blush

[ustein]

>Colors look much better in C1 (greens and reds).

Stronger highlight recovery is not a strength of C1 I would say.

 

[Jack]

Been playing around with it -- C1 D800 color is excellent :thumbs:

 

[ustein]

>C1 D800 color is excellent

+1 (So much about "bad" Nikon colors). C1 always had standard profiles I liked.

 

[Guy Mancuso]

Guy, a quick look does shows skin tones looking more natural and most definitely less red in the C1 adjusted file...as seen in the image size posted, yet it does look like the center forehead hot spot is a bit overblown resulting in less detail? The resulting adjusment (exposure) of each file looks different too (with C1 being brighter), judging by the sports jacket and hair. Is this due to increased DR or simply exposure adjustment of the file? Am I noticing this correctly? How does it look on your monitor with the full size file?

Now after going back to both posted images for a second look, the C1 skin tones are preferable in my opinion but it's just barely boarding on being a smigin too yellow. Close call. Unfortunately I'm at a different location than normal and the monitor I'm looking at hasn't been calibrated in quite some time...so I'll have to defer to your observations/comments. The posted C1 outdoor shots though look exceptionally good and I think C1 did a better job of representing some of the colors, especially the reds!

Dave (D&A)

Thanks Dave yea I have to sit down and get working on this some more too. Just need to get a project done in the next two days than I can concentrate better on it plus this weekend I have models too shoot do that will give me more images to work with. BUT so far it looks good and I have my program back.

 

[paulraphael]

How is C1 with lens corrections? Does it read DNG files?

 

[Guy Mancuso]

It has its own onboard lens corrections but not Nikons preset ones. But you could actually build presets. About the only thing missing or you can bring it into CS5 and use Nikon presets.

 

[ustein]

>and use Nikon presets

works fine.

 

[Guy Mancuso]

Thanks Uwe have not had a chance to myself.

 

[ustein]

The credit goes to Jack. I never used the lens profiles in CS5/CS6 because I came from Lightroom and had no need. That is why I forgot about the profiles in CS5/6. They are the same as in LR I guess.

Just don't crop before you use them in C1 or Photoshop.

 

[Guy Mancuso]

Well just looking at some previous files in C1 is a world of difference to me. They look cleaner , sharper and have life to them. NX2 bit the dust today

 

[Guy Mancuso]

Okay now with C1 ready for the Nikon . I pulled the same Nikon image and did the best I could in both ACR and Phase. I have a image before my final that has the color checker in it so going off that WB applied in each program the same color temps. I did the best sharpening in ACR and I think I got the best in C1 although still tweaking that some , so the only weak point for me but I think I nailed it. Fill and recovery to equal to taste on the Nikon. Clarity the same value as well. Bottom line the best you can do to the Nikon file in each program and IMHO completely biased opinion which I clearly stated I was bias about C1 but to me this just proves it. C1 eats ACR for breakfast. But hey you decide and yes I did the 160 too which still without a doubt has better micro contrast and a 20mpx gain on it, something the Nikon can not escape. MF is MF plain and simple but again the Nikon looks great. Question is how well will the E do Answer a little more Micro detail for the Nikon files but again still a dollar short of MF at least in the 60 mpx version in the 40 mpx version. It maybe pretty darn close. I can't answer that without a full test which i am not going to do.

Here we go:

Crops at 100 percent

 

[Guy Mancuso]

Bottom line you don't have C1 i suggest you buy the program and put yourself out of misery. LOL

I say that with at least 6 years using this program. There has not been one cam in all that time and there have been many that C1 did not look the best over any other raw converter. I make zilch for getting you to buy C1 although they should pay me. ROTFLMAO

 

[Antonio Chagin]

Excellent comparison. Very evident. Thanks

 

[Guy Mancuso]

Yea big yellow cast in ACR. The bottom line you can fix anything in any converter almost the problem is the workflow getting it done. You honestly don't want to get that involved in fixing things on every image and you can make presets , styles and such in these programs but all tis stuff takes time. I don't want to do this myself. I want pretty close to out of the gate results.

 

[Guy Mancuso]

BTW my sharpening in C1 on the Nikon is not set in stone either , I'm still tweaking that a little.

 

[Guy Mancuso]

Little stronger sharpening . New first

Posted up above

 

[ustein]

Guy, what sharpening did you use in C1?

 

[Guy Mancuso]

Last one 325, .6, 1 and 15 clarity. Now it could be a little strong on other types of images so depends.

 

[MGrayson]

Guy,

Are you seeing green/purple noise in the IQ160 crops (in the brown painted wood just above the sign)? I can't tell if it's moire or something else.

For the Nikon, the C1 results are just worlds better than ACR.

--Matt

 

[Guy Mancuso]

Good eye , moire is just starting to settle in. Its very slight but there. It should to be honest its a Schneider 60mm XL which is maybe one of the best lenses around but at a cost of 6K. It freaking better MOIRE. LOL