Is Capture 1 the best RAW conversion software?

No.

Yes.

Depends

They have a free 30 day demo. If you try the demo, make sure you try it in PRO mode. I think the problem for many people is not whether it is the best, but the fact that you need to buy the PRO version to get the most out of it. Compare it to your current processor. Depending on your workflow, it may be the best. It does a great job with my 5DII files, but is still have some problems with my 7D files (although they are doing the best conversions outside of DPP).

so the average answer = "depends"

Don't you love forums ?

It does process the best looking files...but for people that process a lot of files, the workflow is slower than molasses.

I downloaded the demo and the raw conversion is different from ACR so it's deffinately worth checking out and compare to you self

I could not resist the temptation to be snarky. I will up my meds tomorrow. In my opinion Capture 1 generally does a better job of conversion. Especially if you are trying to recover shadow detail or have bright lights or specular highlights in the photo. However this is not true for every photo and I am not a fan of the interface. C1 v4 was a big improvement on the interface side from v3 but still a little clunky and not intuitative, at least for me. I also confess I never got the hang of sessions. I end up using Adobe Camera Raw for most shots and C1 for a select few. If it is a shot I really like I will try both conversions... That is a longer explaniation than depends but the answer is still depends...

Jeff Phillips wrote:
I end up using Adobe Camera Raw for most shots and C1 for a select few. If it is a shot I really like I will try both conversions...

+1 (how's that for a short answer)

I would use it if I was a food or advertising photographer.

capture one V5 is the best and it has editing key wording. FANTASTIC. images for my D3 come out so much better than lightroom and ACR could ever do.

Well, like most things in life, the best tool for the job depends on the situation. I used to shoot Fuji Raw, now Nikon (D700), and I have several different converters ... PhotoShop ACR, Lightroom V2, Nikon NX2, DXO, and Capture One V5. For speed, I use LR, for handling high ISO in batches, I like DXO, and a toss up between NX2 and Capture One for overall best color. NX2 is the only converter that reads all of the raw settings (Picture Control) of the D700. I sometimes run pics thru NX2 and Capture One, then select which one I like best - so far it seems that I select Capture One for people shots, NX2 for everything else. Do I want to use all of these - absolutely not, and I have to spend time learning one or two really well.
Bill

rprouty wrote:
Is Capture 1 the best RAW conversion software?
Depends.