DxO Releases FilmPack 7

 

In addition to the recent release of PhotoLab 7 DxO has also announced that of FilmPack 7, the app whose purpose has historically been to recreate the appearance of various brands of film, both those that have been discontinued and those still on the market.  I'm a current user of FilmPack 6 and will almost certainly eventually upgrade to the new version if the price is right.  I deliberately put in this hedge regarding price because there are unfortunately not that many new features in version 7 compared to those that came with version 6.  Those that are included can be summarized fairly quickly:

• Luminosity masks to provide greater control when editing within the app;
• Time Machine has been updated with 22 new images generating 26 new presets;
• Five new film simulations and 20 new digital renderings.

I believe this is the first time digital renderings have been included in the simulations, an indication that the app is moving away from its original purpose of recreating analog looks.  This was doubtlessly necessary since by now FilmPack has a fairly full roster of nearly every film ever manufactured.

FilmPack 7 is available for download for $139, or $79 for the upgrade.

DxO Releases PhotoLab 7

DxO has just announced the release of PhotoLab 7, the latest version of its flagship RAW processing software.  Until last year when On 1 released PhotoRAW 2023, the successive versions of PhotoLab had always been my go-to app for RAW processing.  That's no longer the case.  PhotoRAW's 2023 version was so impressive that it really became for me a one-stop app for RAW processing, photo editing, and cataloging; and the soon to be released 2024 version promises to be even better.  For that reason I doubt that I will upgrade from PhotoLab 6, though I most definitely will keep it on my computer.  Then too, the new features listed by DxO for PhotoLab 7 are more incremental than revolutionary.  For the record, these include:

• Color calibration;
• Local corrections palette;
• ColorWheel correction availability for local adjustments;
• DxO styles and renderings;
• B&W workflow;
• Channel mixer (also available in in FilmPack 7)

That's not to say PhotoLab is not an excellent app.  It certainly is, and there may be many photographers who feel more comfortable using it than PhotoRAW.  In any event, I think both apps are far more advanced than Adobe Lightroom.

PhotoLab 7 is available for download for $229, or $109 for the upgrade.

Panasonic Announces the Lumix G9II

As an owner of the Panasonic Lumix G9 I was intrigued by the announcement of its successor, the G9II, though I honestly don't feel any great need to upgrade at this time.

Rather than regurgitate the camera's specs, which are readily available elsewhere, I'd refer the reader to DPreview's initial take on what the G9II has to offer.  Perhaps the most important improvement from the older model is the inclusion of on-sensor phase detection, previously available only in Panasonic's full frame S line, that should make correct focusing far easier.  And then too the camera, though like its predecessor marketed primarily to stills photographers such as myself, apparently evidences far improved video capabilities that in some respects surpass those of the GH6.  Other innovations, however much they may be hyped, appear more incremental than revolutionary.

The G9II is available for preorder from B&H at a price of $1,897.99 (body only) is expected to begin shipping in early November.

On 1 Announces PhotoRAW 2024

On 1 has announced the latest version of its flagship app, PhotoRAW 2024.  With an expected release sometime in November, the latest version doesn't seem as much a gamechanger as last year's release, but it still seemed to me to be well worth preordering.  

The big feature on PR2024 - and it is major - is what On 1 calls AI Brilliance, which promises to in one shot automatically make all required adjustments to the RAW image being processed as well as automatically applying local adjustments.  It sounds too good to be true, but I'll withhold judgment until I've has a chance to try it for myself.  The other big change for  Adobe users - which I most definitely am not - is that On 1's plugin series is now incorporated in the Max edition of PR2024 allowing the app itself to be used as a plugin in both Lightroom and Photoshop.  (Though not specifically mentioned, I would assume this is also true of Photoshop Elements.)  The remaining changes to PR2024, while useful, are definitely not as revolutionary.  For the most part, they're limited to increased speed, an updated interface that allows users to more easily switch from browse to edit modes, a revamped layers pane that now allows text to be saved in layers, improvements in speed and cataloging capabilities (including keyword enhancements), and the inclusion of 100 new "curated" presets to effects.

After leaving Adobe, I search for quite a while for a satisfactory RAW processor and photo editor.  I had pretty well settled on DxO PhotoLab 6 and Skylum Luminar Neo.  When On 1 released the 2023 version of PhotoRAW, however, I was impressed enough to make the switch and now use PhotoRAW almost exclusively for processing and editing.  I'm confident I will be able to continue doing so with the 2024 version.

Leonardo AI PhotoReal

 

I posted on Saturday about a trial offer from Leonardo AI that would enable me to test drive the new PhotoReal platform model that is normally available only with a paid subscription.  Above are two images I obtained during my trial.  I was very pleased with the results I obtained.  If the images are not yet quite at the level of Midjourney they're certainly within shouting distance.  Shown below is the text prompt I used to generate these images.

"low key elegant depiction photographed on analog color film in muted colors of beautiful model dressed in futuristic designer clothing and stiletto heels posing for high end fashion advertisement on balcony of expensive high rise apartment in rain drenched neon lit Tokyo"

For comparison's sake, I've shown at bottom two images I obtained using the same prompt with a non-premium platform model - Absolute Reality v1.6.  They're good, at least in my opinion, but obviously not as good.  Whether the difference is worth paying for is an individual user's personal choice.  Note that the premium Alchemy module was turned on in both sets of photos.

Topaz Labs Release Photo AI 2.0

 

A year or two ago Topaz Labs instituted a new policy regarding upgrades.  Rather than entitling customers to free lifetime upgrades on the apps they had purchased, those customers were now informed that they were only entitled to free upgrades for the twelve-month period immediately following purchase, after which they would have to pay to have their upgrade license renewed for another year.  I didn't think this was a particularly good way of doing business, but I so far have not suffered from it.  Eleven months after I had purchased Video AI 2.0 Topaz released version 3.0 that contained a number of new and improved features, and I was able to download it at no charge.  More recently, only a few days before my license was due to expire on Photo AI, Topaz released version 2.0 and I was again able to download it at no charge.

It's lucky the upgrade was free because I certainly never would have paid for it.  I don't think I was ever so disappointed in an app as I was in Photo AI.  Unless I'm doing something very wrong - and I strongly doubt that - the app is too unwieldly to be truly useful and has never become part of my workflow.  The biggest problem I've encountered is that the vaunted Autopilot simply doesn't work properly.  It seems whatever image I put up, the Autopilot invariably detects that denoising is required even though almost all my images are shot on up-to-date cameras at relatively low ISO's.  The Autopilot never flags sharpness or any other needed corrections on its own with the result that I am required to go in and make corrections manually.

When I have time I'll try exploring version 2.0 in greater depth, but I honestly don't have any great hopes for it.  In the meantime, I still regularly use the same company's Studio 2, discontinued  in 2020, particularly the AI Clear and Basic Correction filters.  I would much have preferred if Topaz had released a Studio 3 version, but that doesn't look likely to happen.

Leonardo AI Free Trial Offer

I received an email earlier this week from Leonardo AI offering an opportunity to participate in a free five-day trial of its Alchemy tool (currently in beta) and its new AI model PhotoReal.  It's an offer I'm definitely going to take advantage of - I've only held off up to now because I wanted to be able to put aside sufficient time to experiment - and will probably do so in the next few days.  While Midjourney may still be the leader when it comes to AI imaging apps, others are fast closing the gap.  I had a brief taste of Alchemy as a freebie when I first set up an account on Leonardo and was impressed by how greatly it improved image quality even when using the same text prompt.  I'm hopeful that PhotoReal will bring me even closer to Midjourney-level results.  If it does I'm almost certain to set up a paid account next month after I've gotten some important personal business out of the way.

The same email that announced the free trial also announced a contest on social media in which participants "Blend two unlikely subjects in spectacular fashion!" by using Alchemy or PhotoReal to "create a masterpiece of fusion."  The grand prize will be a huge 30,000 tokens.  To put that in perspective, I only receive 150 tokens per day on the free level to which I currently belong.

I don't know if I'm going to bother taking part in the contest, but hopefully I will be able to post here in coming days images I've obtained using Alchemy and PhotoReal.  Stay tuned.

Nikon Releases the Zf

 

Nikon may have moved on years ago from producing SLR film cameras, but it certainly has never lost its love of their design.  And why shouldn't it indulge in a bit of nostalgia?  After all, it was the fantastic success enjoyed by the Nikon F when first introduced in the late 1950's that made the company into the behemoth it is today.  And so it should come as no surprise that Nikon has routinely turned out DSLR's (the full frame Df that is now all but discontinued) and mirrorless models (the APS-C Zfc and now the full frame Zf) whose appearance is decidedly retro.  As a long time photographer whose go-to camera for the past 35+ years has always been the F3T (the T stands for my model's titanium body) I've always been intrigued by these cameras and currently own both a Df and Zfc.  It was only natural then that I should be intrigued by the release of the Zf whose design mimics that of the long discontinued FM.

I don't see much point in regurgitating the Zf's specs when they can easily be viewed both on Nikon's own website as well as B&H's, so I'll content myself with a few random observations.

First, the Zf's sensor size is at only 24.5 MP far smaller than that of the Z8 and Z9 and much more in line with the Zfc's 20.9 MP.  For me, this indicates right off the bat that the Zf is not intended for professionals but rather for the so-called "enthusiast" market.  Nevertheless, 24.5 is still a substantial size and should be adequate for most users especially as it is now quite easy to upsize images with third-party apps such as Topaz Labs' Gigapixel and On1's AI Resize.

In many ways the Zf's specs are similar to those found in the Z6 II, but there are some key differences.  For one, its AF detection capabilities go as low as -10EV, a boon for those who depend on autofocus in low light.  The Zf also boasts a fully articulating touch screen which, for me at least, would prove extremely useful.  Also useful for those who like myself suffer from poor eyesight is the subject recognition with 3D tracking and the eye-detection autofocus for both photos and videos.  I also appreciate the inclusion of dual card slots even if one of these supports only micro-size cards.  Of much lest interest to me, however, is the camera's ability to quickly toggle between color and b&w modes.  Though for most of my career I specialized in shooting b&w film, when it comes to digital I always shoot in color and leave the b&w to post-processing apps, of which I've found NIK Silver Efx to be the best.  Finally, I should mention that the Zf's shutter release, like that of my Df, is threaded for the use of a cable release which is what I always use when shooting with a tripod.

The Zf is now available for preorder from both Nikon and B&H for $1,999.95 (body only), though no date I can see has been given when the camera is actually expected to ship.  That seems a reasonable enough price for a full frame camera with the Zf's specs, especially when compared to the double-that-amount price for the recently released Z8 which, however, admittedly contains a slew of professional features not available on the Zf starting with its 45.7 MP sensor.

I probably will purchase the Zf at some future date but see no need to rush out and be the first to buy.  As I'm pretty much retired now I can get along quite well with my current array of cameras and would prefer to wait to see if there turn out to be any quirks that need to be addressed with updates.  There almost always are following the release of any new camera model.

EDIT: According to an update on B&H's website, the Zf will begin shipping on October 31.