# Capture One Pro



## SUNDOG04 (Feb 16, 2018)

I am curious if anyone uses or has tried Capture One Pro for processing landscape photos. I am not a professional and do not want to buy into Adobe's monthly plan. For a pro, that cost and use of Lightroom and Photoshop is excellent, but not for me.

Have been using Lightroom 5 for years, but would be in trouble should I want a new camera and would not be supported unless going to the monthly plan. So, at least playing with different programs.

Anyway, I am not putting down Adobe products, just wondering if others have tried Capture One Pro for landscape work. It is expensive and its used especially by fashion photographers. I am using the trial copy and the results I get have been excellent. In fact, better than I get with Lightroom. However, I am sure one is as capable as the other so I am not about to say one is better than the other.

Just curious of what photographers who have tried the program think of it. It is supposed to have an extensive leaning curve and I am sure it does, but I found it pretty easy to use, at least basic editing.


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## YuengLinger (Feb 16, 2018)

SUNDOG04 said:


> I am curious if anyone uses or has tried Capture One Pro for processing landscape photos. I am not a professional and do not want to buy into Adobe's monthly plan. For a pro, that cost and use of Lightroom and Photoshop is excellent, but not for me.
> 
> Have been using Lightroom 5 for years, but would be in trouble should I want a new camera and would not be supported unless going to the monthly plan. So, at least playing with different programs.
> .
> ...



You think $7 a month costs too much? 

Not enough time left in your trial period to know if it is worth the $300 upfront, plus upgrades later? For that amount of money, just using it would have to completely convince me to commit.

At least with the photographers' subscription, we get a RAW editor plus the power of PS CC, which is great for landscape and portrait edits. Plus a strong catalog.

Here's an in-depth article and discussion, with refreshingly open bias:

https://lightroomkillertips.com/brilliant-article-martin-evening-lightroom-vs-capture-one-pro/


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## IglooEater (Feb 16, 2018)

SUNDOG04 said:


> I am curious if anyone uses or has tried Capture One Pro for processing landscape photos. I am not a professional and do not want to buy into Adobe's monthly plan. For a pro, that cost and use of Lightroom and Photoshop is excellent, but not for me.
> 
> Have been using Lightroom 5 for years, but would be in trouble should I want a new camera and would not be supported unless going to the monthly plan. So, at least playing with different programs.
> 
> ...



I tried it for a few months and absolutely loved it. It’s a bit of a learning curve as the default camera/colour profile settings didn’t match my style, but after getting the twist I couldn’t put it down. 
I do mainly landscape, portraits and a bit of wildlife. The colour tools are exactly what I’ve always wanted in an editor and make LR feel like a toy. The multiple adjustment layers are simply marvellous for heavy landscape edits. 
One thing I miss is LR’s cloning/healing. C1P’s are fine for little stuff, but for big changes I found myself moving files to PSE for its content-aware repairing. (Like, removing an entire campground from a landscape pic). I can live with that as I have a perpetually licences pse 11-ish that does the job just fine. The other thing they got me is it’s catalogue system isn’t terrific, and in principle the C1 tool for that is MediaPro SE I think. (Another 100$ I think) I could live with that if I can get around c1p’s price. 
Price is what has kept me away so far, but someday I may just take the plunge.


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## IglooEater (Feb 16, 2018)

YuengLinger said:


> SUNDOG04 said:
> 
> 
> > I am curious if anyone uses or has tried Capture One Pro for processing landscape photos. I am not a professional and do not want to buy into Adobe's monthly plan. For a pro, that cost and use of Lightroom and Photoshop is excellent, but not for me.
> ...



$10/month, actually. Quite a few people run the same software for 5+ years between upgrades, so 300$ comes out to $5/month. Still less than $10/month even if you add the cost of MediaPro. No, the value of Photoshop doesn’t count for those of us that simply don’t want/need it and wouldn’t even bother to install it. 
Obviously, no one is going to C1P as a better buy, but because they prefer the product. But depending on how it’s used, it might not be a _worse_ buy.

I did try to emulate C1P’s results in LR, but there’s something more fundamental to it than just presets and adjustments. I simply couldn’t get it close enough to be happy.


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## Mt Spokane Photography (Feb 17, 2018)

Capture one was originally designed for medium format cameras and is supplied free with your new Phase One Hasselblad.

I'm not a fan of the sidecar files used by Capture One, they can get separated from the original file and you lose your edits. Most software like this required a update every one or two years, they stop supporting older versions. If you buy a new camera, you will need to update the software, if you have skipped updates, it may cost more.

I usually buy one year Adobe subscriptions for $80-$90 when they go on sale. Thats around $7 -$7.50 a month.

If you do very few edits, I'd recommend DPP, it is priced right and does a good job.


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## privatebydesign (Feb 17, 2018)

Mt Spokane Photography said:


> Capture one was originally designed for medium format cameras and is supplied free with your new Hasselblad.
> 
> I'm not a fan of the sidecar files used by Capture One, they can get separated from the original file and you lose your edits. Most software like this required a update every one or two years, they stop supporting older versions. If you buy a new camera, you will need to update the software, if you have skipped updates, it may cost more.
> 
> ...



No, it comes with Phase One’s, they are deadly rivals of Hasselblad and Capture One will not open Hasselblad files.


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## YuengLinger (Feb 17, 2018)

IglooEater said:


> YuengLinger said:
> 
> 
> > SUNDOG04 said:
> ...



You pay full price?

And why give up selections, curves, cloning, LAYERS, etc? These amazing tools can easily be learned in less time than figuring out a new RAW editor.

Note that it was the OP who mentioned price as an important factor. 

Five years between upgrades? Exceedingly optimistic--though I'm not familiar with the Capture One cycle or update/upgrade pricing policies.


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## IglooEater (Feb 17, 2018)

YuengLinger said:


> You pay full price?
> 
> And why give up selections, curves, cloning, LAYERS, etc? These amazing tools can easily be learned in less time than figuring out a new RAW editor.
> 
> ...



Well there’s no reason to pay full price on C1P either, so moot point. 

I have no need for those things asides from what I already have. Neither do some others. I’m not going to stay in a system to keep tools I don’t want any more than I’ll buy MaryKay for a Rhinoceros. 

Agreed. Price is not a reason to go for C1P. However, with the option of a stand-alone product, it will cost whatever you make it cost.

Not optimistic. Realistic. I know quite a few people on five year old LR versions who have no intention to change. If I’d not upgraded to LR 6, (and i wish I hadn’t for the dismal improvement it brought) I still would be a 4.5 year old version myself. I’m not going to pretend this is representative of the greater market, but it’s realistic for quite a number of folks. 

I know I’m in the minority here, but it’s not because I’m wound up against adobe. It’s just that there are different solutions for different needs.


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## Mt Spokane Photography (Feb 17, 2018)

privatebydesign said:


> Mt Spokane Photography said:
> 
> 
> > Capture one was originally designed for medium format cameras and is supplied free with your new Hasselblad.
> ...



You're right, I have corrected it.


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## SUNDOG04 (Feb 20, 2018)

Thanks for all these replies, much appreciated. I am liking the program, probably will purchase it when bills are caught up. It is a bit expensive, but not nothing particularly wrong with Lightroom, just that I like the way it works for the most part, not a good reason alone to change programs.


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## YellowJersey (Feb 22, 2018)

I recently switched from Canon to Sony *dodges beer bottle* and am now using Capture One. They have a much less expensive Sony-only version. I have to say, it takes a bit of getting used to, but I quite like it.


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## YuengLinger (Feb 26, 2018)

YellowJersey said:


> I recently switched from Canon to Sony *dodges beer bottle* and am now using Capture One. They have a much less expensive Sony-only version. I have to say, it takes a bit of getting used to, but I quite like it.



Unlikely.


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## SUNDOG04 (Feb 26, 2018)

Tried it for about two weeks now, really getting to like it more so than Lightroom and will almost certainly purchase the program. Nothing against Lightroom, but with CP1, as I learn the features, I am liking the way they work better. I would say these are just personal preferences, but enough to make me switch.


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## IglooEater (Feb 26, 2018)

YellowJersey said:


> I recently switched from Canon to Sony *dodges beer bottle* and am now using Capture One. They have a much less expensive Sony-only version. I have to say, it takes a bit of getting used to, but I quite like it.



Funny thing-I’ve considered that since taking out a few free trials. It’s to me the most compelling argument for going Sony I’ve encountered so far.


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## YuengLinger (Mar 2, 2018)

SUNDOG04 said:


> Tried it for about two weeks now, really getting to like it more so than Lightroom and will almost certainly purchase the program. Nothing against Lightroom, but with CP1, as I learn the features, I am liking the way they work better. I would say these are just personal preferences, but enough to make me switch.



I'm sure Capture One appreciates your efforts! Do they have a good benefits package? :


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## stevelee (Mar 4, 2018)

I have such long-standing habits of using ACR and PS that I can't see any benefit to me to use Lightroom. Perhaps output sharpening for inkjet printing is better, and almost certainly easier. I don't do a lot of printing, but probably enough that I should get around to making it a PS Action, since my parameters are always pretty much the same.

I was used to paying around $600 a year to upgrade whatever Adobe suite I had, so I fell into the full subscription fairly easily. I probably should rethink that. I don't use Illustrator that much any more, and since I retired I've not had a lot of use for In Design. I still use it if I want a letter or something to look really spiffy, but could get along with Pages just as well. I am not as proficient with Premiere as I am with FCP X, other than in color grading, where I find its greater affinity with Photoshop to be a plus for me. But mostly I stick with FCP. But I guess it is nice to have all these programs on hand.

For someone who wants to keep using old versions of Lightroom with newer cameras, couldn't they just use a converter (free one around I think) to make Adobe dng files and open in Lightroom?


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