Nikon Capture NX and/or PS Elements 5 ... ?

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:help: please ... :gag:

I have been trialling a free download of Nikon's Capture NX and have a few days left to decide whether to pay up and keep it or let it expire ... :thinking:

Although I do have PS CS2 my usual 'shopping is now done with the new PS Elements 5 software as it seems much easier to use ... and fulfils pretty much everything I currently need of a photo software package and then some ... especially in this new incarnation ... :shrug:

The Question ... as PSE 5 converts my RAW (NEF) files exceedingly well and then moves in to the cataloguing/processing/editing package straight after ... is there any other real benefit I have missed that NX will provide to justify forking out the additional £moolah£ ... :suspect:

Any views and/or comments either way would be very much appreciated ... :thankyou:





:p
 
The Question ... as PSE 5 converts my RAW (NEF) files exceedingly well and then moves in to the cataloguing/processing/editing package straight after ... is there any other real benefit I have missed that NX will provide to justify forking out the additional £moolah£ ...
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Lucky you Ven - I found PSE 5 & the plug in it needed for my RAW / NEF files to be poor although it was OK opening the files I had real problems when it came to saving them as JPEG's (which I needed to upload to Flickr)
I got Capture NX to guarantee FULL compatibility with my D200 pics & so far I have not been let down - I do agree with you about the usability of NX - it isn't that user friendly - I wasn't that keen on PSE though from that point of view having used PSP for years I was very dissappointed to find v. X didn't recognise the D200 RAW files & when I asked if v. XI would recognise them I was told by Corel "not now but probably in the future" (ejits) ...
Don't know if that's any help? Paul ;)
 
Thanx Paul ... appreciate the comments ... :thumbs:

Not sure I understand the problem with saving JPEGs from PSE 5 ... seems quite straightforward to me ... :shrug:

Ditto the RAW comments really ... you are talking the new Elements 5 are you ... :thinking: ... as I have not encountered any problems with the D200 plug-in ... :suspect:

Don't get me wrong there are many good points in Capture NX but I don't see many, if any, that are not also available in Elements 5 too ... :shrug:





:p
 
Venomator said:
Thanx Paul ... appreciate the comments ... :thumbs:

Not sure I understand the problem with saving JPEGs from PSE 5 ... seems quite straightforward to me ... :shrug:

Ditto the RAW comments really ... you are talking the new Elements 5 are you ... :thinking: ... as I have not encountered any problems with the D200 plug-in ... :suspect:

Don't get me wrong there are many good points in Capture NX but I don't see many, if any, that are not also available in Elements 5 too ... :shrug:


:p
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Ven - I've removed PSE 5 so can't reproduce the saving problem but after contacting Adobe about it & being jacked around I lost interest & tried the 30 day trial of NX which I found spot on, if as we discussed, a bit of an acquired taste! - I'd certainly have stuck with PSE if I could have resolved my issues because it is the most used program out there & has lots of tutorials books etc (not like the ONE that I found for NX :embarrassed:)
Regards ... Paul ;)
 
The only reason to buy it would be if it makes a noticeably better job of conversion from RAW to image than PSE5. If it's better you just need to decide if it's Nikons price for the software better.
 
Steep said:
The only reason to buy it would be if it makes a noticeably better job of conversion from RAW to image than PSE5. If it's better you just need to decide if it's Nikons price for the software better.
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Cheers Steep ... :thumbs: ... it is the one area where the NX software is clearly better than PSE 5 ... but then it was designed specifically for Nikon's own NEF conversions (even though it may do everyone else's too) ... and as a D200 owner using NEF it was my primary reason for giving the free trial a run ... :shrug:

However ... if that obvious betterment is put to one side ... and I really do think I am now suitably impressed with how PSE 5 treats RAW files anyway ... I don't think NX has any other benefits (unless I've missed them ... :shrug:) to make the money Nikon wants for its own brand software justifiable ... which I firmly believe should be offered with their cameras anyway ... particularly the top end ones ... :suspect:






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I think you may be missing something Ven! I wouldn't swap NX for any version PS Elements. I've been disappointed with Adobe's handling of Nikon RAW files, they always ended looking a trifle flat and overworked to me :shrug:

The latest incarnation of NX [v1.1] is a belter, (OK should've been like it from version 1.0). It runs quicker, the pop-out windows are more correctly placed. How anyone could prefer to use multilple layers in PS (any version) over the "colour control points" in NX beats me. So quick and useful, as are the "white, black and neutral control" points. And..... you can use them as many times as you want. It's THE ultimate in control if you ask me.

The gripe most people have is that you do perform any "cloning".... it's a reasonably valid point. Until, you consider it is a RAW file editor. You shouldn't be able to clone and save a RAW file. It no longer is as it's name implies... RAW. You can export to TIF or JPG and clone away to heart's content in any simple editor.... (I know, I can hear you..... at that money, I shouldn't have to:( )

No matter what you do or how many edits, control points you use you can ALWAYS get back to the original.... easily. Never been able to do that (simply) in PS.

Bite the bullet Ven.... it's well worth the money. Time alone saved in PS is worth it. The batching is more than useful..... wouldn't be without my version of it.... ;)
 
That is quite a strong favourable comment Chuckles ... :eek: ... many thanks for taking the trouble to post your views ... :thumbs:

Now it seems I may need to spend the last couple of days with the trial NX double-checking and re-thinking my original views ... :shrug:

I suppose the fundamental question for me is one of double handling ... :thinking: ... at the moment all my pics are downloaded to my external hard drive using PSE 5 Downloader ... this then provides automatic stacking and manual organising into groups/sub-groups within the PSE 5 Organiser - at this point I have not even considered anything to do with NEF/RAW properties ... :suspect:

If I am to continue using PSE 5 for post-processing beyond the RAW then this part of the work-flow will not be changed ... will it ... :thinking:

So ... how does NX fit with such a work-flow pattern ... if at all ... as to me it means popping out of one software package for RAW conversion into another and then back into the first package again for the more usual 'shopping activities ... doesn't it ... or is this where I am getting it all wrong ... :shrug:

You can see how I got myself into this mess now ... can't you ... :D

Thanx again Chuckles ... :p
 
You're Welcome Ven......

You might want to consider using Nikon View 6.2.7.... that's the final relase version. It's been "superceded" by "Picture Project" - one of the worst programs ever to come from Nikon :thumbsdown:

Nikon View is a browser, downloader and has some simple tools, even handling RAW. It can be set to read from card or camera and place your captured images into your required folder(s). If I remember correctly the D200 was the last dSLR to be supported by this program. I don't know what I shall do if I upgrade after D200 or D2X .... :shrug:

Nikon View is a free download from Nikon's support pages. Nikon View download (Windows) Not certain whether this will work as I've linked it from within my Nikon login. :nuts:
 
Thanx again Chuck ... :thumbs:

Linky did work fine as it happens ... appreciate your trouble ... :D

As you know Picture Project does come with their cameras and I soon realised it is not a patch on PSE ... even earlier versions than 5 ... :shrug: ... I really cannot understand how they can justify not providing NX ... especially with the top end gear ... :razz:

Anyway ... I will definitely re-visit NX regarding your earlier points ... but I am very content with PS Elements 5 too for now ... ;)

Thanks again m8 ... :thumbs:





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No problem.... I can understand not providing it with top end stuff! It's just TOO good... It should be marketed as it is but, I reckon if they included some cloning options it would outsell PS!

There again, Nikon is not exactly pro-active in the marketing deptartment are they? I'm a dyed-in-the tooth Nikonite and recognize they rest on the ability of the kit to sell itself. Shame really :(
 
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