ACR vs DPP vs DxO - You be the Judge!

Below is a comparison of ACR 4.2.x, DPP 3.2.x and DxO Pro 5, raw converters. Image was shot with a 5D, ISO 3200, using a 300 f/2.8 IS @ f/8.0 and 1/4000. All and all adjustments were turned off or zeroed out. No sharpening, No noise reduction, no nada! Auto WB, Straight RAW conversion. You be the judge!

Note: The image is 1024 x 1028 pixels, it is somewhat pixelated due to the constraints for uploading, but you get the idea. I will upload better 100% crops of the color chart so you can see the noise straight out of the 3 raw converters.

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Hmmm...

Got any of your test grouping full frame without cropping?

BTW, interesting use of Testor's paint jars!! I have a couple of hundred of those myself...

Here are 100% crops of the color chart. Check out the noise, color quality and detail. As with the post above, image shot with a 5D, ISO 3200, f/8 using a 300 f/2.8. tripod, remote trigger, same parameters.

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FlyingPhotog wrote in post #4798069
Hmmm...

Got any of your test grouping full frame without cropping?

BTW, interesting use of Testor's paint jars!! I have a couple of hundred of those myself...

The 3 images on the left, are the same image, processed in the 3 different RAW converters, they are full frame original image with no crop.

If there was something else in the originals, let me know and I can post them up.

Now to process them with the 3 RAW converters using the default processing parameters. Stay tuned!

Here is the same image processed with default settings in ACR 4.3, DPP 3.2.x and DxO Pro 5. 5D, ISO 3200, f/8.0 shot with 300 f/2.8, 1/4000.

Note that my default settings in DPP are everything off with picture style set to neutral, which is about as bland as you can get. I suppose one can change the parameters in DPP to equal that in ACR and/or DxO, and obviously vice versa.

Conclusion: Using defaults, Dxo Pro 5.0 is outstanding!

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Is this the Standard version of DxO Pro?
Or the Elite version?

DXO defaults look very good, but zeroed out, it looked like it had the ugliest looking noise, although again color looked better.

as to DPP, nuetral at default is never flattering, because it tends to mute the colors down a bit, so usually some saturation is required, which affects the output.

The ACR looked over saturated to me in the zero version, but better in the default version although the noise looked the worse of the three.

I do note though that this is for your 5D and the results may not apply to my 1DsMkII or MkIII as I am fairly sure they won't, although they might. I don't have DXO, but have compared ACR with DPP and DPP does better on the initial input, but ACR usually produces a better final output for me and that is what counts.

Just my opinion and what I do,

Shoot it again at ISO 200, I'd like to see those......

buggz wrote in post #4956916
Is this the Standard version of DxO Pro?
Or the Elite version?

Elite!

dekalbSTEEL wrote in post #4960429
Shoot it again at ISO 200, I'd like to see those......

Ok you got it. I will set it up this weekend. Stay tuned for the post.

DxO looks good.
What are your DPP "defaults"?

I'm unclear on how default settings tell us much about what the software can do -- is this simply how products are compared?

Why did you use ISO3200? Seems DXO has more saturation and contrast, try increasing ACR contrast and saturation until they match and see if there's still a difference. It's easy to make photos/converters good with extra contrast and saturation.

hortonsl62 wrote in post #4962900
I'm unclear on how default settings tell us much about what the software can do -- is this simply how products are compared?

Many will argue this, but I like to know the defaults, because, for example ACR's defaults grossly shift my reds to orange. (Example above shows a minor case of that on the red square.) (not talking a mere saturation issue, for me ACR has serious hue shifts.)

Sometimes those defaults are difficult to overcome... in ACR you are apparently expected to buy $600 CS3 and a color-checker to properly calibrate ACR for your camera... otherwise its alot of fiddling around and possibly never getting it right. DPP on the other hand shows my reds as red, greens as green and blues as blue... no extreme color mixing required.

For me, its about the color initially... but obviously other factors come in to play when choosing a RAW converter... I've gone with LR for the time being (even with the ACR color problems) because I like the tools there the best. But if ACR stands still on its color issues while other converters make advancements, who knows.

Right, that makes sense -- good idea.