M240: ACR/LR vs C1 color?

[edwardkaraa]

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Hi All,

 

I keep on hearing that C1 is much better than ACR in color rendition and accuracy for M240 dng files.

 

I myself have been using ACR since forever with all the camera brands I have used (mainly Canon, Sony, Leica) and I have to admit that with Sony and Canon files, ACR is noticeably inferior to the manufacturers own converter in terms of color. However, ACR is very straightforward and easy to use so I always stayed with it out of convenience.

 

Now, while the colors I'm getting out of the M240 are ok, I feel they should be better and I was wondering how many of you consider C1 to give better/nicer results.

 

I have tried to use a trial version of C1 pro for a while but I really didn't try hard enough I guess because i wasn't able to get better color with it.

 

Curious what you guys think.

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[edwardkaraa]

Also if anyone can post any side by side images of their best efforts with both converters, that would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thank you

[mirekti]

Recently I did a quick comparison here http://www.l-camera-forum.com/leica-forum/leica-m-type-240/312555-m-color-6.html#post2718654

[edwardkaraa]

Thank you Mirek. This is exactly what I wanted to see.

[01af]

I keep on hearing that Capture One is much better than Adobe Camera Raw in color rendition and accuracy for M (Typ 240) DNG files.

Right out of the box—yes. Digital Leica M colours are just horrible with Adobe, and that's true with the M9 (and its derivatives) as well as with the M (Typ 240). But a proper profile will take care of it.

 

Leica—or actually, Leitz, back then—used to have a co-operation with Minolta decades ago. They should re-new this co-operation because the guys at Minolta, now Konica-Minolta, really know how to handle digital colour. I never saw better colours right out of a digital camera than with my old Konica-Minolta Dynax 7D. Today, Konica-Minolta doesn't make cameras no more—they sold their imaging division to Sony in 2006—but maybe the expertise is still there ... it definitely did not transfer to Sony.

[AlanJW]

Today, Konica-Minolta doesn't make cameras no more—they sold their imaging division to Sony in 2006—but maybe the expertise is still there ... it definitely did not transfer to Sony.

01af: I think that Sony bought the entire business so it is not clear at all that the expertise did not transfer to Sony. When this happened in 2006, Konica announced it was withdrawing from the camera market, so unless they kept some expertise for their copying business, it is likely (and sadly) gone. It is hard to believe that this was more than 8 years ago. A Leica-Sony partnership could have been wonderful but that is not happening any time soon either.

[wlaidlaw]

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Maybe the expertise moved from Minolta over to Olympus, whose digital out of camera colour control is excellent. I find it much easier to get decent colour from the M240 with C1 than I do with LR/ACR. In particular, the skin tones and colour wheel tools on C1 are first class. Another tool I find very useful on C1, is the contrast brush, which for some wholly inexplicable reason, Adobe have removed from Photoshop.

 

Wilson

[kape06111]

I have both software, and i really like better, the results i get from the C1 pro. Not only colors, but also the detail i can get from C1 without destroying the file.

 

On the other hand i end many times using lightroom, because of my workflow, it is easier (for me) to work with other softwares like Nick. There is also in lightroom an automatic correction of the horizontal and vertical lines, that does a good job and make my life easier and is missing in C1, where you need to do it manual.

 

As summary, i prefer the results i get from C1, but in my experience LR is more friendly with my workflow. Maybe i need work and adapt my worlflow to C1.

[mirekti]

On the other hand i end many times using lightroom, because of my workflow, it is easier (for me) to work with other softwares like Nick. There is also in lightroom an automatic correction of the horizontal and vertical lines, that does a good job and make my life easier and is missing in C1, where you need to do it manual.

 

As summary, i prefer the results i get from C1, but in my experience LR is more friendly with my workflow. Maybe i need work and adapt my worlflow to C1.

 

I started using both LR and C1 in my workflow. I got few advices here on the forum, and used them to build my workflow.

 

Here are the steps I use it might help you. I created one "buffer" folder which has two subfolders C1 TMP and LR DNG.

 

1. Import all photos to LR, and use LR as a catalogue.

2. In LR select the photos which are candidates by flagging them. (I do it per folder which is created by date)

3. In LR make User Preset for Export Original. In grid mode I filter only flagged photos, end export them to a LR DNG folder (a temporary folder used as a buffer).

4. Once the photos are exported I open them as Sessions in C1. There I do the WB, exposure correction, and export them as TIFF to C1 TMP (ICC AdobeRGB, 300px/in, 16 bit).

5. Back to LR where the photos were exported from. I pick one file and select Show in Explorer. Than I cut the files from C1 TMP and paste them in that folder where the original files are.

6. Right click on the folder in LR and Synchronize. Upon synchronization, only newly imported photos are shown. At that point I label them green, and add the to a TMP collection in LR so I could reorder them.

7. Photos are ready for further enhancements in LR or NiK.

 

It sounds a bit complicated, but in reality it only takes few clicks. The longest part is converting them from raw to tiff in C1.

 

I hope this helps.

[kape06111]

I started using both LR and C1 in my workflow. I got few advices here on the forum, and used them to build my workflow.

 

Here are the steps I use it might help you. I created one "buffer" folder which has two subfolders C1 TMP and LR DNG.

 

1. Import all photos to LR, and use LR as a catalogue.

2. In LR select the photos which are candidates by flagging them. (I do it per folder which is created by date)

3. In LR make User Preset for Export Original. In grid mode I filter only flagged photos, end export them to a LR DNG folder (a temporary folder used as a buffer).

4. Once the photos are exported I open them as Sessions in C1. There I do the WB, exposure correction, and export them as TIFF to C1 TMP (ICC AdobeRGB, 300px/in, 16 bit).

5. Back to LR where the photos were exported from. I pick one file and select Show in Explorer. Than I cut the files from C1 TMP and paste them in that folder where the original files are.

6. Right click on the folder in LR and Synchronize. Upon synchronization, only newly imported photos are shown. At that point I label them green, and add the to a TMP collection in LR so I could reorder them.

7. Photos are ready for further enhancements in LR or NiK.

 

It sounds a bit complicated, but in reality it only takes few clicks. The longest part is converting them from raw to tiff in C1.

 

I hope this helps.

 

 

Thank you for the tips, it sounds complicated, but I will give your process a try.

[mirekti]

I forgot to mention once I'm done with the step 7 I delete all files in C1 TMP, and LR DNG. Basically you can do it after step 5, but I do it at the end.