This is an area that is a bit like a foreign language to me coming, as I do, from a film based background. What are the groups general feelings about the two choices. Capture One Express is free to use and someone kindly gave me a copy of Photoshop Elements 11?

 

https://www.phaseone.com/en/Products/Software/Capture-One-Pro/Highlights.aspx?gclid=COnDzpq9p9QCFQ4R0woddF0P4A

Hi Kenneth.

I find Capture One Express (for Sony) a pretty useful program for the Sony RAW images, particularly with it being free with the camera.  Does everything I need it to do personally and also pretty much anything in my work environment... though that's more usually film/video based and I use Resolve 12 light (also free) for that.  I also have access to multiple versions of Photoshop, but often I find it quick and easy to use Capture One.. especially for any batch-conversions to tiff or jpg.
I'm also ex-film (motion picture) but worked with digital imaging for the past 20 years, mostly in technical capacity.
So, as a basic program to start with, I'm happy with it...  there's an Express v Pro check-sheet online at http://downloads.phaseone.com/TestP1Downloads/2d610966-596f-4190-9ea6-5a727036795b/English/Features_ExpressVsPro.pdf if you want to see what it wont do... like tether-capture.
2c

cheers

Chris

 

Having learned Lightroom well, I found Capture one express not as easy and intuitive to work with. So I stuck with Lightroom. In fact I took a subscription to lightroom and photoshop (costs here €12 / month). I find it great, especially since you have access to your work everywhere if you organize it well. Another advantage is that you are always up-to-date, as newer versions of both lightroom and photoshop are available free as part of the subscription. And you are always legal.

Many tutorials for both programmes are available with adobe and by third parties on youtube. Worth a look!

Capture One is the better program. It has a bit of a learning curve, because the UI and functions are a bit different. But the good news is that they have very good video tutorials. If you spend a couple of hours watching tutorials, the program becomes easy to use and quite powerful too. The UI is customisable, so you can arrange functions in the order you use them, which makes things simpler.

 

Photoshop Elements is not so good, I think it's mainly a way to get people to pay for the full program.

Hey Kenneth,

 

I am running a webinar on the 29th June about Capture One Pro (for Sony).  Perhaps you can join that?

 

 

 

There are two sessions on the day, so choose the one best for your time zone.

 

http://bit.ly/c1web29

 

David

Thank you for your input guys, as I mentioned I am on a steep learning curve, a digital Neanderthal, having worked many more years than I am keen to remember, with film, both 35mm and M/F however, I am finding the purchase of this new camera seems to have kickstarted my photographic interests, albeit, with my Leica M system and my Rolleiflex TLR but, no matter, it feels good after a few years in the doldrums caused by, I believe the medication effects for chronic depression, thanks again

Thank you for your input guys, as I mentioned I am on a steep learning curve, a digital Neanderthal, having worked many more years than I am keen to remember, with film, both 35mm and M/F however, I am finding the purchase of this new camera seems to have kickstarted my photographic interests, albeit, with my Leica M system and my Rolleiflex TLR but, no matter, it feels good after a few years in the doldrums caused by, I believe the medication effects for chronic depression, thanks again

Kenneth welcome to the digital processing world I suspect digital post processing [DPP] must seem like a minefield, so forgive me if I suggest the following...

 

With no DPP skills (all darkroom I assume) I suggest you take full advantage of the FREE version of Capture One for Sony (it has a few features which have been removed but you are starting at the beginning so for now that won't matter)

 

I responded to your other thread about books on the A7R2 and suggested Gary L Friedman to you in that post, NOW I'm going to recommend another book should you start by using your free C1 for Sony DPP software. There is a learning curve getting into any such software  and I got into Capture One via the Webinars David Grover [Phase One] holds and there are a bunch of recorded webinars on Phase One's YouTube channels, however I found digesting, using and following Sascha Erni's book entitled "Capture One Pro 9" invaluable to get going. C1 is now on V10 but it doesn't invalidate Saschas book.

 

I ended up upgrading to C1 Pro for Sony (about £50) to get the tethering and other features missing from the free version. I then upgraded to Capture One Pro as I wanted to start to work on a mass of Canon RAW files. I must add here that you really must be shooting in RAW or RAW + JPG for any DPP software be worth paying for. JPGs are extremely limited e.g. 8bit and JPGs keep getting recompressed every time you save them and so deteriorate.

 

If you go the Adobe route Photoshop will be a substantial challenge and as you have no Lightroom experience if you go down that route (I did and also DXO and CS6) you can achieve great results but LR6 can't really match what Capture One does IMHO (especially C1's Local Adjustment layers which have almost eliminated my round trips from C1 into CS6) you will also experience a life of subscriptions and stodgy slow enhancements (note C1 does have a subscription model too but I prefer not to go down that road).

 

Both Capture One and Lightroom work on raw files with changes made in XMP files if you wish (basically "on the side" or "Sidecar" files - I use External XMP this makes these programs non-destructive you always have your original RAW files to revert to / fallback on. Photoshop however works on TIFF files created from your raw so you still have them to fallback on BUT what starts out as a 42Mp A7R2 raw can quickly become a 42Mp raw + a 250Mp TIFF with all your changes.

There are lots of DPP software offerings and folks have their preferences. As you are effectively "Tabula Rasa" I'm suggesting investing in ONE product only. After lots of learning and money clearly I've settled on Capture One the hard way.

Best wishes and again welcome and hope your foray into the digital world is a success. My film days and equipment were not as lofty or expensive as yours but I did have my own darkroom all plumbed in and everything - with hindsight it was a good idea for the plumbing extension to have isolating valves so I could tear it down to sell the house ;-) My wife wouldn't hear of another darkroom now!

 

Sorry if this diatribe has gone one too long.

Best wishes healthwise too.

Jamie