Is one better than the other in terms of sharpness/saturation/contrast/etc.?
I also need Optics Pro to defish my Tokina 10-17mm but while it supports this lens with 400D/XTi, it doesn't support it with my 450D/XSi. Would it still work somewhat or am I just being silly here?
Last but not least, any suggestion on a software to defish the Tokina? I tried Fisheye Hemi and it's pretty much useless. It can correct verticals, sort off... but not horizontals.
I can answer only one for you - if DXO does not have the exact matching body and lens modules it will not provide any optical correction functions. You can use all the other features though.
Correct, the software reads the EXIF data and applies the corresponding lens correction module. There is no way for the user to try and experiment with a "close match". I don't know if there is a way to send in a suggestion for a desired lens/camera combination, though I'm sure they must get user suggetions somehow. I just updated my module catalog and was surprised to find they still don't have a module for the 17-40 L on a 5D MkII. I know that's got to be a very common combination. I'll bet they have recieved many inquiries about that.
I have to say the lens/camera support is somewhat strange. That Tokina fisheye for example, it's supported for 400D but not for 450D, why? not many requests? Kinda silly if they're waiting for a request before offering support. They must've lost quite a few potential customers because of that. I was gonna buy it but I don't wanna have to ask DXO to support the lens first.
They do seem to have a strange pattern for releasing modules.. I'd think that if they have a lens for testing, it should not take them long to develop a module for ALL the bodies that use it. They will release a lens for one body, but not others.. I guess it's a priority thing with limited resources to do the testing... but at the rate new bodies are being released these days, they will never catch up at this rate!
I do have to say though, the speed at which they are releasing new modules seems to be picking up a bit. At first they had almost nothing for the 5D2, and in the last month or so started kicking out a bunch of them, enough that I can actually start using it again.
vaud wrote:
They do seem to have a strange pattern for releasing modules.. I'd think that if they have a lens for testing, it should not take them long to develop a module for ALL the bodies that use it. They will release a lens for one body, but not others.. I guess it's a priority thing with limited resources to do the testing... but at the rate new bodies are being released these days, they will never catch up at this rate!
I do have to say though, the speed at which they are releasing new modules seems to be picking up a bit. At first they had almost nothing for the 5D2, and in the last month or so started kicking out a bunch of them, enough that I can actually start using it again....Show more →
Another thing is, it seems that I have to have a DXO account or one of their product when I fill in the Contact Form. Bummer.
Ed Sawyer wrote:
why not just edit the exif data to a supported camera/lens combo?
-Ed
That would be cheating!
Good idea - worth experimenting with. I would think that the actual optical correction would be dependent on lens characteristics vs a given sensor size. So any camera with a corresponding sensor size should be the same?
Can't be bothered to download the trial version, installing it and trying that little hack and find out it doesn't work and having to uninstall it again, too much hassle.
DPP is free and generally applies to almost all Canon bodies and lenses and many feel it does a good job with raw conversions. It produces corrected TIFF files that can then be adjusted in Photoshop.
DxO is far from free, applies to only those lens and body combinations for which DxO decides to provide applicable modules, and in my experience not only strips lens Exif data from the resulting file (DNG or TIFF), but also has had some problems with raw conversion (random white spots), neither of which have been resolved by DxO support. DxO produces either linear DNG's (which have few advantages over TIFF as linear DNG's are similar in size to full res TIFF files) or TIFF files, so outputs essentially the same files as DPP.
DxO offers some additional function over DPP in terms of removal of wide-angle perspective distortion and some other functions, but as these are more specific to individual images, these functions generally aren't part of a smooth workflow that deals with many images at one time.
I've used DxO for several years and have stuck with the product since the primitive, slow and difficult to use version 3 of the product to the latest version 5 update. I've largely given up using it as it doesn't provide enough benefit to justify jumping through their hoops. After spending way more time with this product than I should have, I wish that I'd never purchased it in the first place.
I now process in Lightroom to remove CA using a number of manually created CA correction Lightroom/ACR presets, correct distortion in PT Lens if required, and remove/adjust lens vignettes with Lightroom. DPP could replace Lightroom in this process if you like DPP's interface and raw conversion (I prefer Lightroom).
Please note that in your workflow (which DPP does at once) it is very important to ensure that all CA correction is performed at or before applying any crop or distortion correction, and that distortion correction be performed before cropping - to do otherwise means your CA and distortion corrections won't line up with the full-size image that the CA and distortion correction coefficients were based upon. If Lightroom included distortion correction and automatic look-up of CA and Distortion values based upon lens and focal length, it would be a near-perfect workflow tool..
DxO does very clever stuff at a high price (particularly if you have a "pro" camera) but do not count on them ever adding new lenses for your camera or even a new camera for your lenses - their update schedule is and has long been terrible. With that in mind, if there is a lens/camera combination that is important to you and they do not already support it then save your money and don't buy DxO.
The basic PT Lens used to be free but the full version handles more lenses and still only cost $15 US. Well worth supporting.
If there is a drawback it has to be that the vignetting (light fall-off) correction is not fully automated like it is in DxO software (IF you have one of their camera/lens combinations). Still, it can be done manually with a slider control until it looks right. The distortion correction is automatic.
PTLens is very inexpensive and includes free update forever.
If a particular lens isn't included, they will add it if you help by sending some profile photo's to them.
Alternatively you can remove the EXIF and then apply the corrections manually.
Canon lenses supported in current version (8.7.7):
Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM
Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM
Canon EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM
Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS
Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6
Canon EF-S 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 IS
Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS
Canon EF-S 60mm f/2.8 Macro
Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM
Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L USM
Canon EF 17-35mm f/2.8L USM
Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L USM
Canon EF 20-35mm f/3.5-4.5 USM
Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM
Canon EF 24-85mm f/3.5-4.5 USM
Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM
Canon EF 28-70mm f/2.8L
Canon EF 28-80mm f/3.5-5.6 USM
Canon EF 28-90 f/4-5.6 II USM
Canon EF 28-105mm f/3.5-4.5 II USM
Canon EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM
Canon EF 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6L IS USM
Canon EF 35-70mm f/3.5-4.5
Canon EF 35-80mm f/4-5.6 III
Canon EF 35-105mm f/3.5-4.5
Canon EF 35-135mm f/4-5.6 USM
Canon EF 35-350mm f/3.5-5.6L USM
Canon EF 55-200mm f/4.5-5.6
Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM
Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM + EF 1.4x ext
Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM + EF 2x II ext
Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L IS USM
Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L USM
Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L USM + EF 1.4x ext
Canon EF 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 DO IS USM
Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM
Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM
Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III USM
Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 USM
Canon EF 80-200mm f/2.8L
Canon EF 100-300mm f/5.6L
Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM
Canon EF 14mm f/2.8L II USM
Canon EF 14mm f/2.8L USM
Canon EF 20mm f/2.8 USM
Canon EF 24mm f/1.4L USM
Canon EF 24mm f/2.8
Canon EF 28mm f/1.8
Canon EF 28mm f/2.8
Canon EF 35mm f/1.4L USM
Canon EF 35mm f/2.0
Canon EF 50mm f/1.2L USM
Canon EF 50mm f/1.4
Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 I and II
Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L USM
Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM
Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 USM Macro
Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro
Canon EF 135mm f/2L USM
Canon EF 135mm f/2.8 Soft Focus
Canon EF 200mm f/2.8L II USM
Canon TS-E 24mm f/3.5L
Canon TS-E 45mm f/2.8
Canon TS-E 90mm f/2.8
While I do have DXO (pro), I can say that I very rarely use it. It's an ugly app to begin with; the individual modules are a pain to install and upgrade (just try to download the demo and plugins for your lenses and cameras, you'll understand). The whole install experience is pathetic, and once installed usability is still pretty bad. And that's v5...
Still, DXO does SO MUCH MORE than just defishing and barrel / pincusshion distortion. It's really amazing - as long as you have the matching module, of course.
The $25 for PTLens seem fair given that it does very little compared to DXO. I use DXO only for very specific applications, and then only for lens correction, export to dng and then do the rest in LR, which is actually usable.
