Light room vs Capture One Pro 8

I have used Adobe Raw for my raw processing. Now I have a camera that it doesn't support. I don't care for the workflow on Canon's DPP. Many folks here use Lightroom for raw processing, yes? Do you have to buy a subscription? Capture One Pro 8 has gotten good reviews. I'm torn between these two; an Adobe subscription is a non-starter.

Lightroom can still be purchased outright.

Capture One Pro 8 has a significantly better RAW processor that the Adobe product right out of the gate. I would suggest downloading the 30 day trial (full version) and doing a side by side comparison for yourself. We've been blown away by the difference!

lightroom by far

Capture One, for superior image quality, and for lower system overhead.

Takes some getting used to as all new apps do, but it is my preferred RAW converter.

joedlh wrote in post #17650405
I have used Adobe Raw for my raw processing. Now I have a camera that it doesn't support. I don't care for the workflow on Canon's DPP. Many folks here use Lightroom for raw processing, yes? Do you have to buy a subscription? Capture One Pro 8 has gotten good reviews. I'm torn between these two; an Adobe subscription is a non-starter.

Love it or hate it affair, as wth anything. While these days I'm using a camera that C1 does not support, I would still recommend it for anyone using normal camera systems, whether it be Canon, Nikon or Sony.

Lightroom is an all-in-one solution consisting of cataloging, processing and printing modules, meaning that if your needs are fulfilled within the scope of the software, there is no need to use anything else, which seems to apply to a good 90% of photographers out there as the toolset available is nothing to scoff at.

C1 is a very solid Raw processor without any fluff attached, and will require support from Photoshop to get the most out of it, although you'll appreciate how well Tiff files from C1 will hold up even with layers upon layers of adjustments and edits. The interface is totally customizable and you can hide, reveal and arrange the features you want.

Besides this general breakdown I can only suggest you download the trials for each and try them yourself for a good while and decide.

C1 conversions are objectively better, but it's most noticeable at 100% zoom, as it has to do with micro-detail and noise handling - something that I honestly don't see heavily impacting you too much if you don't print at very large sizes.

If you like the film look with a healthy dose of good micro-contrast, go with Capture One Pro. Capture One Pro has a very power raw engine that could extract details from your raw files...details that you didn't know you have.

I keep trying Cap One products, hoping to like what it has to offer but I always end up not liking Cap One for my needs. Recently I read Cap One was supposed to handle X-Trans RAW files better than any other raw converter out there. Nope, and I did a lot of side by side by side testing.

I really wanted to like and need Cap One, but I end up dissatisfied.


I use LR 6, but LR 5 is both better and faster and I continue to use LR 5 because of 6's baggage...

Oddly enough, I quite like using DXO Optics Pro 10 in conjunction with LR, but of course, DXO does NOT support X-Trans RAW files...

These are my experiences and preferences, and as all others in this thread have stated, download the DEMO and see for yourself. Heck, DEMO DXO as well. DEMO everything!


Good luck.


jason