Capture One vs. HDR

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Introduction

I recently tried to handle a rather extreme lighting situation using HDR. The results I got from Adobe Lightroom CC and Silver Efex Pro 2 would look and work good for posting online, but there is no way the image could be printed. Some of the details totally fell apart. Based on what I’ve been doing with Capture One Pro 8.3.3, I decided to give it a try, and found an exposure with some of the highlights intact, but no real shadow detail.

HDR image created using Lightroom CC and converted to B&W in Silver Efex Pro 2

HDR image created using Lightroom CC and converted to B&W in Silver Efex Pro 2

While the above image, which is an HDR created with Adobe Lightroom CC looks really good on the web, there is no way I can print it.  The next image is the wooden board on the bottom of the window slit on the left.  Pay close attention to the corner of the board closest to the camera.

Lightroom CC HDR - Click on to view at 100%

Lightroom CC HDR showing digital degradation – Click on to view at 100%

Same section of the image, when processed in Capture One Pro 8.3.3

Same section of the image, when processed in Capture One Pro 8.3.3 – Click on to view at 100%

The weird digital degradation that is so prevalent in the Lightroom CC HDR image, is nowhere to be seen in the second image.  Yet if anything there is better detail.

Photograph before editing in Capture One Pro 8.3.3

Photograph before editing in Capture One Pro 8.3.3

Finished photograph, done using Capture One Pro 8.3.3 and Silver Efex Pro 2

Finished photograph, done using Capture One Pro 8.3.3 and Silver Efex Pro 2

Yes, the same effect can be achieved using Lightroom or ACR, but as mentioned in my previous post on Capture One, neither Lightroom or ACR are as good at handling shadow detail.  Though in the case of the following two shots, the LR version seems noticeably sharper, which might help to account for some of the noise.

Lower Right-Hand Corner, Capture One - Click to view at 100%

Lower Right-Hand Corner, Capture One – Click to view at 100%

Lower Right-Hand Corner, Lightroom CC - Click to view at 100%

Lower Right-Hand Corner, Lightroom CC – Click to view at 100%

Capture One 8.3.3 First Impressions

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Introduction

The time has finally come for another blog post.  Life has gotten in the way, and as a result, this blog hasn’t been anywhere near as active as I’d planned.  In fact, I have several partially done articles that have been waiting for over a year.  In this post, I’ll go over a couple key findings from my recent upgrade to the latest version of Capture One Pro.  Moving forwards, I suspect that Capture One Pro is destined to become a integral part of my digital workflow moving forwards.

Capture One Pro 8 is software from Phase One, that allows its users to rapidly review, and process a large number of RAW photographs.  While not as well known as Adobe Camera RAW, Adobe Lightroom, or DxO Optics Pro, it is none the less, a very high-end piece of software capable of producing results that are superior to the offerings from Adobe (I can’t comment on DxO Optics Pro, as I lack personal experience with the product).
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Criticism

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Tonight I happened upon a rather interesting photograph.  Processed differently, it could have been a very beautiful photograph.  As it was, it was one of the most over-cooked photographs I’ve even seen.  In spite of this, for portions of the photo, I personally felt this worked, for other portions, it totally ruined it.

There were quite a few comments about the photograph, and while constructive, they weren’t well received.  This caused me to stop and ponder how I might best express the following thoughts…

I would like you, gentle reader, to consider this, praise without criticism is meaningless. Sincere criticism from a fellow artist is one of the greatest gifts one can receive. People that react in a hostile fashion to sincere and constructive criticism harm everyone, as they cause those who would give such gifts to be less likely to do so.  The fool rejects criticism and lashes out at those that offer it, yet the wise man meditates on it, that he may become wiser.

I’m unable to fault the photographer for his one comment, that was, that he liked it the way it was, and he wasn’t changing it.  As an artist, that’s his right.  The flip-side of this is that he failed to learn anything from the comments that were offered.

The Joy of a Cheap Folder

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I have had a couple folders for just about as long as I can remember, but they weren’t folders that you’ve been able to get film for, for a very long time (which is why they were given to me).  As a result I’ve not shot with them.  A couple years ago I stopped in at a local camera store, they had a box of cheap folders, and I picked up a couple that looked like they might take 120 film.  As it happens, one was 120, the other 620.   Continue reading →

First thoughts on Fomapan 400

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About a year ago I discovered that my favorite camera store had started carrying Fomapan 100 and 400, so I bought a roll of each to try. I quickly shot the roll of Fomapan 400, but set it aside to develop when I had the time. Unfortunately last year was very crazy, and I’ve just gotten around to developing it. I honestly wasn’t sure what to expect from the film, yet upon scanning I find myself quite pleased with the results. While the film is excessively grainy, it also has a vintage feel to it that I really like. Continue reading →

Jobo 1525 B&W Printing Disaster

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I picked up a used Jobo 1525 drum and base a year or two ago in an attempt to develop 8×10 film. For that purpose it seems to work okay. Right now we’re snowed in, and my darkroom is far too cold to think about doing prints in, so I decided to have a try using the Jobo drum in our Laundry area.  I’m left wondering if I’m missing a piece for the drum, or if there is something I’m doing wrong. Continue reading →

Focusing on the Subject

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I realize I posted something already, but here is what was intended to be the first blog post.  I wrote this on January 17th, when the weather was doing a very good job of ensuring I wasn’t where I needed to be for work

So here I sit on a tour bus headed to a different airport from the one I planned on leaving from this morning, and the idea for my first blog post hits me.  As it will probably take well over an hour, I think it’s time to get work.  I have been considering the idea of starting a photography blog for a while now, and as they say, there is no time like the present.

It is my belief that perhaps one of the greatest errors that any photographer can make is to become too focused on his subject. Continue reading →

The Blog is now Live

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Welcome to the new blog for Zane’s Photography.  It is still a work in progress and the integration with my SmugMug site isn’t 100%.  Eventually I’d like to see the two sites have matching themes.  I’ll likely move the links page and the about page over to the blog itself, but for now they continue to be hosted on a different server.  Check back often for posts on my Photographic experiments, reviews of old gear that I find useful, information on Pictorial Photography, and other photographic related musings.