If you own a Fuji camera, you’ve probably noticed that everyone in the Fujifilm-community is changing from Lightroom to Capture One (myself included) – and it’s not just because of the huge discount you get right now – but that’s certainly a plus.
Why I made the switch from Lightroom to Capture One
I used to be a very happy Adobe Lightroom user for a long time and I always shoot with either my Fuji X-T3 and Fuji X100f.
It wasn’t until a friend of mine who is a Fuji X Photographer told me I should give Capture One I try because it renders photos shot on the Fuji X-Trans Sensors better than Adobe Lightroom does.
In his own words, my Fuji X Photographer friend said:
“Adobe Lightroom does a good job, but Capture One renders Fuji RAW files better and makes them sharper.
Fuji X Photographer.
That was one year ago, and since then I’ve canceled my Adobe Lightroom subscription and made the complete switch to Capture One by Phase and I haven’t looked back since.
If you’re already used to working in Lightroom it’s very easy to do the transition. Both software is doing the same; they help you convert your RAW files and both provide you with, more or less, the same tools for you to edit and manipulate your photos.
Should you switch from Adobe Lightroom to Capture One?
Whether Capture One is better than Lightroom depends on your needs and the only way to really make that call is by trying it out for yourself.
Luckily all photo editing software comes with a 30 day free trial – without any commitments – here’s a link to Capture One’s free trial, go try it out for yourself.
Which photo editing software is faster?
When you import and render let’s say 1000 Fuji Raw files, then I experienced faster import and rendering-time in Capture One vs Lightroom. So if speed matters to you and you take a lot of photos, that’s another reason to change.
The Capture One Presets packages
The lightroom community has built a lot of presets, I had bought some myself that I was bummed out to lose when switching to Capture one.
But after I installed Capture 1, I bought their preset package that is really extensive and the Capture One preset package is one sale right now.
Learning how to use Capture One
If you’re already familiar with Lightroom, then the transition to Capture One will be quite easy, but in case you need it, there are a lot of great Capture One tutorials on Skillshare and Youtube.
Conclusion
After I switched from Lightroom to Capture One it’s not like I’ve seen a huge difference in terms of how I edit my raw images. But I have this feeling that I’ve made the right choice, because someone who is a lot better in photo editing than I am, told me it’s the right thing to do.
But I have this feeling that I’ve made the right choice, because someone who is a lot better in photo editing than I am, told me it’s the right thing to do.
If you want, take Capture One of a test-drive and see if it’s for you. Here’s a link to a discount on Capture One.
I know some of my friends who also take photos with the Fuji X-series like to use Adobe Photoshop as well, but that’s not for me. I don’t feel like going down the path of completely manipulating the photos I take. But that’s just my personal choice.
Should I change to Capture One if I have a Canon, Nikon or Sony camera?
That’s for you to decide. But I honestly don’t think you would feel a big difference going from Lightroom to Capture One if you are shooting Sony, Canon or Nikon, because Adobe Lightroom is very good at rendering those RAW-files too. So I wouldn’t bother changing my photo editing software if I were you.
Changing software for photo editing is not fun. It takes time to adapt to a new program. So if I were shooting with a Sony Camera or a Nikon camera, then I wouldn’t bother switching from Lightroom to Capture. One.
FAQ about why professional FujiFilm photographers are using Capture One.
Why is Capture One particularly popular among Fujifilm Photographers?
It’s because of the X-trans sensor that’s in Fuji cameras and how the RAW file renders.
Fuji is still a small player in the global marketing of camera brands.
If I owned a Nikon, Canon, Sony or one of the other popular camera brands, it probably doesn’t make that much sense for you to make the switch from Lightroom to Capture One.
Make sure to check out my favorite Fuji lenses and cameras for street photography.