Capture One Pro V6 - Is it now the top choice for Black and White Work?

[ZagatoV12]

Hello All,

I've just completed a 'first impressions' and a fully illustrated in-depth review of the new release of Capture One Pro, Version 6; Phase One's professional RAW converter and post processing software. In the in depth review I have compared C1 Pro6 with an equivalent workflow using ACR6/CS5/Silver Efex Pro Plugin to see which environment gives the best black and white results. The new features in C1 Pro6 seem to have added a powerful set of functions for converting colour RAW files into fine quality monochrome images and for making layer based local adjustments to finesse the final image.

Has anyone else any experiences of C1 Version 6 that they could share? I would very much appreciate your feedback.

You can find my in-depth comparison of the two approaches at:-
http://www.theintuitivelens.com/sof...s-silver-efex-pro-for-black-and-white-images/

Cheers

Mike

 

[Peter S]

Thanks Mike for the comparison. The more information available the more educated choices people can make and real life examples always tell the most.

Personally I like the ease of Nik SE Pro's control points and you can always run it is a smart filter in PS and then also have an additional layer mask for fine tuning.

Have to confess I did not know C1 was that advanced, maybe should give it a try, so thanks for putting it to my attention.

 

[maddoc]

Capture One Pro V6 - Is it now the top choice for Black and White Work?

Film and a proper dark room might be a better choice ... 🙄

 

[JPSuisse]

Hi there,

call me cantankerous this week. But, I have to agree with Maddoc.

Why submit willingly to this continual cycle of upgrades of software, hardware, then kit, when traditional BW is good anyway?

JP

 

[mfogiel]

I think, there is a good reason, namely that since digital has become an obliged choice for many, and digital B&W plainly sucks, then anything that makes it suck less, is highly recommendable.

 

[tbarker13]

I'm a huge fan of Silver Efex Pro. Haven't really tried comparing to C1.

I guess I'm something of a heathen in that I actually find digital B&W to be quite good these days. When done right, anyway.

Then again, I can remember watching many novice darkroom users churn out silver-based prints that looked like mushy garbage.🙂

 

[Roger Hicks]

Like Maddoc and JP Suisse:

No.

TOP choice is doing it properly, in a darkroom.

Everything else is something between second best and 133rd best (certainly, 133rd best would imply seconding mfogiel).

Cheers,

R.

 

[NickTrop]

Disagree...

1. Digital black and white does not "plainly suck".
Advantages include:
a. as good/better(?) image quality in small format
b. less waste
c. fewer consumables
d. way more control
e. having a color file (shoot in color, then convert) in addition to a black and white file
f. ease and speed
2. Above is especially true for high ISO shooting.
3. DXO is very good, you might want to check out their film pack.

The above comparison applies to small format (135) only.

 

[GSNfan]

I guess I'm something of a heathen in that I actually find digital B&W to be quite good these days. When done right, anyway.

Technically digital b&w is better, it looks better, its more refined. Emotionally its a different matter altogether.

 

[Ted Witcher]

Yeah, these digital black and whites just totally suck balls, man...

http://www.chasejarvis.com/#mi=1&pt=0&pi=15&s=0&p=-1&a=0&at=0

 

[JohnnyT]

Hmm

Hmm

I don't want to throw oil in the fire...

But why does it always slip on the Film vs Digital, especially if the subject was about a specific digital workflow...?

I love the film and the darkroom, and I do also like my digital cameras... by the way.

Anyway, I will give a try to this Capture One for my digital pictures. I currently work on Lightroom for now.

Thx!

 

[pietjs]

Analogue, digital?? Didn't Ansel Adams mention that ''photography is an art''!
Thus let the artist decides how to create his piece... Art is never good nor bad, in the eyes of the artist it's almost perfect.

Personally I sometimes shoot analogue and develop in a caffenol recipe, scan the negs and process in Capture One V6 Pro and Nik SilverFX. Best of both worlds!

 

[gavinlg]

Capture 1 I think has the best IQ out of all the raw converters, but they're all pretty similarly powerful for BW conversions.

The question is can you handle the somewhat confusing Capture 1 workflow and library structure over the lightroom and aperture ones?