I've got a Fuji X-H1 and currently using Capture One version 20. I often take picture at high ISO, so noise reduction is an area of interest.
Both Topaz labs (denoise) and DXO (Photolab 5) have got good deals on at the moment, but I'm unsure which to go for - Or even if I go with both of them...
The topaz would be an extra step in the workflow whilst the photolab would be an all in one replacement for the capture one.
Any thoughts?
You should check the status of fuji support with DXO Lab. I'm not properly following it, but last I read, the Fuji support from DXO lab is still in beta and the DXO prime noise reduction doesn't work at all with Fuji files. As I say you should check, until recently thy didn't process fuji -X files at all.
You can round trip to Topaz from C1, so while it's not as ideal as it being built into C1, it's not that big a deal, except that once you have run it, you are then working on a TIF and not the Raw. As has been mentioned I also only ever run it on a round trip between C1 and PS, so I can't fully remember how it works directly with C1
As an aside, you can also round trip to DXO from C1, and this case it is a DNG that you end up with.
The difference is that with C1, the C1 edits (in a TIF) are sent to Topaz before you apply noise reduction, where as with DXO, it’s the raw file that C1 sends to DXO, and DXO converts, as part of the noise reduction process, it to a DNG before sending it back to C1.
If you aren't wedded to C1, and if DXO now fully supports Fuji, and if you are routinely processing very high ISO files, then DXO is probably, as you say simpler to use.
Personally, I prefer processing in C1 (or PS) and have only ever round tripped to either Topaz or DXO, and in the end preferred using Topaz.
Tests I've seen on which is better for noise reduction, Topaz, DXO or ON1, suggest it varies between the individual images being tested, and none of the programs are the absolute single best choice. Certainly with Topaz, the only one I use now, there are frequent updates, so I imagine at any one point in time, depending on the individual image being compared the "best" noise reduction program may well keep cycling around these three products.
But check the status of fuji support with DXO, as the decision may be made for you.
Edit: I see other have posted DXO's statement on support for Fuji cameras, my comment post date what DXO have said, and are based on people who have been using DXO with Fuji, so when I suggested checking, I meant having a trawl through the Fuji forums to hear what people are saying about it, as well as what DXO are saying.
