I hate Capture NX

HarrybHarryb Registered Users, Retired Mod Posts: 22,708 Major grins
edited January 22, 2008 in Digital Darkroom
Hi Y'all,


Well I've been using NX to process my D300 shots and so far my initial impression is that it is terrible. I have never seen such an unintuitive piece of software in my life. I got it for free and its not worth the price.

As an added bonus it crashes whenever I tried to send a converted file into PS, sometime the file gets to photohop and sometimes it doesn't. I worked around it by saving a converted file as a Tiff and then opening it up from PS but Capture NX still crashed everytime I save the converted file as a Tiff. Everytime I process a shot I have to reopen NX. :bash
Harry
http://behret.smugmug.com/ NANPA member
How many photographers does it take to change a light bulb? 50. One to change the bulb, and forty-nine to say, "I could have done that better!"

Comments

  • flyingdutchieflyingdutchie Registered Users Posts: 1,286 Major grins
    edited December 3, 2007
    Harryb wrote:
    Hi Y'all,


    Well I've been using NX to process my D300 shots and so far my initial impression is that it is terrible. I have never seen such an unintuitive piece of software in my life. I got it for free and its not worth the price.

    As an added bonus it crashes whenever I tried to send a converted file into PS, sometime the file gets to photohop and sometimes it doesn't. I worked around it by saving a converted file as a Tiff and then opening it up from PS but Capture NX still crashed everytime I save the converted file as a Tiff. Everytime I process a shot I have to reopen NX. :bash

    Sorry to hear that.
    I've been using NX successfully. It is a bit getting used to, but once you do that, it works OK. It is not the fastest converter for RAW, but, in my opinion, the best for Nikon NEFs when it comes to image quality.

    I'm using 1.2 on Windows XP ... Maybe 1.3 has some serious issues
    I can't grasp the notion of time.

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    in two billion years,
    all I can think is:
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    ==========================
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  • HarrybHarryb Registered Users, Retired Mod Posts: 22,708 Major grins
    edited December 3, 2007
    Sorry to hear that.
    I've been using NX successfully. It is a bit getting used to, but once you do that, it works OK. It is not the fastest converter for RAW, but, in my opinion, the best for Nikon NEFs when it comes to image quality.

    I'm using 1.2 on Windows XP ... Maybe 1.3 has some serious issues

    I agree that for iQ it can't be beat. That's why I put up with it. However, Nikon and Nic better put their pointy little heads togther and get a much more useable update out there as fast as possible.
    Harry
    http://behret.smugmug.com/ NANPA member
    How many photographers does it take to change a light bulb? 50. One to change the bulb, and forty-nine to say, "I could have done that better!"
  • Trish323Trish323 Registered Users Posts: 908 Major grins
    edited December 3, 2007
    Harryb wrote:
    Hi Y'all,


    Well I've been using NX to process my D300 shots and so far my initial impression is that it is terrible. I have never seen such an unintuitive piece of software in my life. I got it for free and its not worth the price.

    As an added bonus it crashes whenever I tried to send a converted file into PS, sometime the file gets to photohop and sometimes it doesn't. I worked around it by saving a converted file as a Tiff and then opening it up from PS but Capture NX still crashed everytime I save the converted file as a Tiff. Everytime I process a shot I have to reopen NX. :bash

    :nah

    Dittooooooo!!! Between NX and Internet down for about 6 hours.....not having a great day!
  • Van IsleVan Isle Registered Users Posts: 384 Major grins
    edited December 4, 2007
    I like NX and stick to due the agreement that it is tops for image quality. But it is not a good sorting/tagging/category software at all, and that's where I stumble in my workflow with NX. It was no problem on little shoots, but when you start trying to sort through lots of shots from one session, or similar/bracketed shots BAM. Sucks. ne_nau.gif

    VI
    dgrin.com - making my best shots even better since 2006.
  • HarveyMushmanHarveyMushman Registered Users Posts: 550 Major grins
    edited December 18, 2007
    Harry, have you tried reinstalling NX? I get the ocassional crash but nothing like the problems you are reporting. But then I don't use Photoshop. headscratch.gif

    Workflow, especially reviewing and sorting originals, is indeed a problem with NX. I'm going to give Nikon's (free) Transfer and View products a try to see if they help in that area. Otherwise I'm pleased with NX. It may help that I was never a heavy user of Photoshop so I haven't had to "unlearn" much to use NX. I think my version of PS is 5.5. lol3.gif
    Tim
  • drichidrichi Registered Users Posts: 4 Beginner grinner
    edited January 8, 2008
    Harryb wrote:
    Hi Y'all,


    Well I've been using NX to process my D300 shots and so far my initial impression is that it is terrible. I have never seen such an unintuitive piece of software in my life. I got it for free and its not worth the price.

    As an added bonus it crashes whenever I tried to send a converted file into PS, sometime the file gets to photohop and sometimes it doesn't. I worked around it by saving a converted file as a Tiff and then opening it up from PS but Capture NX still crashed everytime I save the converted file as a Tiff. Everytime I process a shot I have to reopen NX. :bash

    Wow! You got that far?!!! Mine crashes as soon as my cursor touches a D300 NEF. Don't even have to click on it. It works OK with D70 files. Just slow. Well, slower than molasses in 30 below weather.

    Have done only a few D70 prints from Cap NX processed files and they are fine, but I don't see the superior image quality. They do lokk better on screen though. Now, if only I could get it to work on the D300 files....
  • jwearjwear Registered Users Posts: 8,013 Major grins
    edited January 10, 2008
    I share your views on NX Harry and used with vista it is also a joke .Nikon does not want to admit that the program sucks but it does .I do know that if you reinstall and add the last update it does help and if you have capture the it fails even more .Saving tifs is what I have always done but even so I get the sorry NX is not responding and will have to close now --that is a message :nah to test the strength of your valium :puke1 or maybe they are going into selling computers --I did send my laptop back vista was just to much frustartion
    Jeff W

    “PHOTOGRAPHY IS THE ‘JAZZ’ FOR THE EYES…”

    http://jwear.smugmug.com/
  • HoofClixHoofClix Registered Users Posts: 1,156 Major grins
    edited January 10, 2008
    Me Too!!!
    I've been through a sort of double conversion with NX in that I first installed it on a laptop back in the early summer of 2007. That laptop was my workhorse back then and was XP-SP2 operated. I don't know how unique my situation is, but after a horseshow I'll have anywhere from 5 to 10k images to correct and post, and I had decided that one of the built in batch settings in Capture 4 was the best thing for me. After a thorough testing of batching some corrections in NX, I wasn't satisfied with the result. I wasn't even satisfied with the way Photoshop corrected things, batched or not. So I just continued to use Capture 4 to do the job, using NX for only a few things, one being the straightening tool, which I really like. It was no problem to have both applications on my computer.

    Then in August I converted to a new laptop, Vista operated, and it's been a mess ever since. First, the old Capture isn't compatible with Vista, so I just don't get to use my main workhorse to do the entire job. To solve that, I have to move the files to a portable drive, connect to the XP based system, and then do the batching there. I do get the crashing of NX as well, but until I poked into this thread I've just assumed it was Vista.

    I've used and continue to use Nikon View to do my transfers and image sorting at shows and events. While View will install on the Vista system, I find that it also crashes the whole computer, and I have to uninstall/reinstall it often. Also the transfering using View is VERY slow on the Vista system. I spent a good bit of time in the past month learning how to use Bridge, and it's really fast. There are a few downsides in how it works, but I plan to start my large events this year using Bridge on my Vista based computer.

    At events, I shoot the largest jpg, not the NEF. In fact, View won't even transfer my NEFs on the Vista system!
    Mark
    www.HoofClix.com / Personal Facebook / Facebook Page
    and I do believe its true.. that there are roads left in both of our shoes..
  • HarrybHarryb Registered Users, Retired Mod Posts: 22,708 Major grins
    edited January 10, 2008
    Well I have been using NX for a bit now and I stll dislike its UI intensely. Since my PC crash and my having a new system built to my specs NX is operating better (fast and no more crashes).

    I find the UI clunky and not easy to learn but I got it to do what I had been doing in the Capture 4.4 so I'm living with it for now. I would dump it in a flash if I could find another RAW converter that gave me the same IQ but the sad fact is the Capture gives me the best IQ.
    Harry
    http://behret.smugmug.com/ NANPA member
    How many photographers does it take to change a light bulb? 50. One to change the bulb, and forty-nine to say, "I could have done that better!"
  • HoofClixHoofClix Registered Users Posts: 1,156 Major grins
    edited January 10, 2008
    Dumb question here, Harry, but what is "UI"?

    I do agree that when I want to just correct a single image, the quality is the best.
    Mark
    www.HoofClix.com / Personal Facebook / Facebook Page
    and I do believe its true.. that there are roads left in both of our shoes..
  • HarrybHarryb Registered Users, Retired Mod Posts: 22,708 Major grins
    edited January 10, 2008
    HoofClix wrote:
    Dumb question here, Harry, but what is "UI"?

    I do agree that when I want to just correct a single image, the quality is the best.

    User Interface
    Harry
    http://behret.smugmug.com/ NANPA member
    How many photographers does it take to change a light bulb? 50. One to change the bulb, and forty-nine to say, "I could have done that better!"
  • f-riderf-rider Registered Users Posts: 86 Big grins
    edited January 12, 2008
    I have never gotten used to the NX interface, like others, but it might be because I have been using Adobe products since the Barneyscan days.

    Has anyone ever noticed this little problem, with fractured menus? NX version 1.2, then 1.3, and I can't get rid of it. Symptomatic of ???

    --Doug

    145575699-M.jpg
  • HarrybHarryb Registered Users, Retired Mod Posts: 22,708 Major grins
    edited January 12, 2008
    f-rider wrote:
    I have never gotten used to the NX interface, like others, but it might be because I have been using Adobe products since the Barneyscan days.

    Has anyone ever noticed this little problem, with fractured menus? NX version 1.2, then 1.3, and I can't get rid of it. Symptomatic of ???

    --Doug

    That's one problem I haven't had yet. When does it comes up, as soon as you open NX or after you have processed some shots?
    Harry
    http://behret.smugmug.com/ NANPA member
    How many photographers does it take to change a light bulb? 50. One to change the bulb, and forty-nine to say, "I could have done that better!"
  • GiphsubGiphsub Registered Users Posts: 2,662 Major grins
    edited January 13, 2008
    I got capture for free with the d300 and haven't been using it cos I use lightroom mostly. Is there a noticeable difference in quality between capture and lightroom??
  • f-riderf-rider Registered Users Posts: 86 Big grins
    edited January 17, 2008
    Harryb wrote:
    That's one problem I haven't had yet. When does it comes up, as soon as you open NX or after you have processed some shots?

    It happens sometimes when my cursor moves over the tool bar area ! Very weird. Does not happen with any other program.
  • f-riderf-rider Registered Users Posts: 86 Big grins
    edited January 17, 2008
    Giphsub wrote:
    I got capture for free with the d300 and haven't been using it cos I use lightroom mostly. Is there a noticeable difference in quality between capture and lightroom??

    If you've got lightroom, I would stick with that rather than Capture NX. Just my $.02. It does have some nifty features, especially for Nikon shooters but it is a different interface that you'd have to get used to if you are used to Adobe products. I'm going to buy Lightroom as soon as I figure out my taxes... if I don't owe too much !
  • HarveyMushmanHarveyMushman Registered Users Posts: 550 Major grins
    edited January 22, 2008
    The D300's RAW files are too big for our desktop to handle in a reasonable amount of time so I bought a new Vista laptop with dual Centrinos and 3GB of memory. Capture NX v1.3 definitely runs better on the laptop, but not completely without issue. Several times over the weekend an edit step (but not the whole program) would "not respond" but would recover after a few seconds.

    I have no issue with the UI, but like I said before I don't use Photoshop.

    I purchased Capture NX because I wanted a full RAW editor but was (and continue to be) unwilling to pay Photoshop prices to get one. Capture is a bit clunky but it's a very capable tool. I'm pleased.

    By the way, using View NX greatly improves workflow. I do my sorting and rating of originals in View, then do my edits in Capture.
    Tim
  • HarrybHarryb Registered Users, Retired Mod Posts: 22,708 Major grins
    edited January 22, 2008
    Giphsub wrote:
    I got capture for free with the d300 and haven't been using it cos I use lightroom mostly. Is there a noticeable difference in quality between capture and lightroom??

    I haven't tried Lightroom yet but in hte past I've found that Capture produces the best (noticeable) results with NEFs.
    Harry
    http://behret.smugmug.com/ NANPA member
    How many photographers does it take to change a light bulb? 50. One to change the bulb, and forty-nine to say, "I could have done that better!"
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