Just ordered a 5d4

[ScottyP]

The two big camera houses were in a pre-black-Friday price war and I finally couldn't resist. In 5-7 business days I will have the camera, a battery grip, an extra Canon battery, a Pixima printer, a couple reams of photo paper, a 64gig SD card. 

Now of course this forces me into a distasteful dilemma. I have Lightroom 5, and never upgraded to version 5.7.  I don't want to fiddle around with a separate RAW converter or TIFF files or anything. I either need to buy the soon-to-be-discontinued LR 6 stand-alone or else I need the stupid Adobe everything subscription just to rent Lightroom, since I don't use a single one of the other programs in their bundle. 

[TCampbell]

Congrats on the new camera.  I think you’re going to love it.

As for Adobe... they have two bundles.  The “everything” bundle is (if I recall) $50/month.  But the “photography” bundle is $10/month (minimum 1 year terms) and includes Lightroom and Photoshop on your computers as well as Lightroom mobile for phone/iPad, etc.   Although they’ve had a bit of a name change so now the good version of Lightroom is called “Lightroom Classic CC” and the program they used to call “Lightroom Mobile” for tablets is now called “Lightroom CC” and they have a desktop version of it as well.  

Honestly I looked at what they now call “Lightroom CC” and I think Apple’s “Photos” app is serious competition (and Apple “Photos” is free).  This isn’t to say how great I think Photos is... it’s to say how limited I think Lightroom CC is.  I cannot imagine any serious photographer using it.  “Lightroom Classic CC” is what everyone is using.

A company called Serif makes a Photoshop alternative called Affinity Photo ($50 one-time ... not a subscription) and it’s really good.  I first saw it demo’d In one of Apple’s product launches for the iPad (oh yeah... it runs on Windows, Mac, and iPad) and it knows how to read and write .PSD files.

Now if only they’d come out with digital asset management software so I wouldn’t need to use Lightroom.

One deliberate choice I made (after reading an article about it) was to NOT let Lightroom convert my RAW files into .DNG files.   The photographer who wrote the article did that and regretted it... said it basically trapped him in the Adobe world because while .DNG is available to anyone, it’s also a roach-motel (it’s a one-way conversion... you go “in”.... you never get them back “out”).   This means if an Adobe alternative comes along and you’d like to jump ship... you can’t really bring your .DNG files with you.  So I configured Lightroom to leave my .CR2 files as .CR2 files and that means I can import them into anything that supports my cameras.

[jrhoffman75]

Luminar 2018 is looking like a good option to Lightroom. Its releasing a DAM system in 2018.

[StanNH]

“Luminar 2018 is looking like a good option to Lightroom. Its releasing a DAM system in 2018.
John Hoffman
Conway, NH”

I just got the Luminar 2018 download a couple of days ago.  I'm using an iMac and the installation went well, and it did set up as a Photos extension.  My initial reaction is that it is a flexible and potent editing app, with tons of presets as well as a very complete editing feature set.  It's also a lot of fun to use.  It has any easy layers and masks function, and a variety of brushes and clone/touch up tools.

There have been reports of some issues with the Windows version, and some minor bugs even with the Mac one.  I haven’t had any problems yet so, so far all is well.  It seems like quite the bargain for its $59 price.

[ScottyP]

Adobe let me upgrade from LR5 to LR6 for $79.00 so I did. I figure that buys me years of use as I don't see myself pawning the 5d4 when 5d5 comes out, and my lens collection is fairly complete now.  

Maybe Adobe's competition will continue to improve in the interim and either get my next bit of business or else pressure Adobe into offering LR alone.  

[ebiggs1]

You did the right thing.  Now you don't have to settle for an editor that is "almost as good".  

[ScottyP]

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@TCampbell wrote:

Congrats on the new camera.  I think you’re going to love it.

One deliberate choice I made (after reading an article about it) was to NOT let Lightroom convert my RAW files into .DNG files.   The photographer who wrote the article did that and regretted it... said it basically trapped him in the Adobe world because while .DNG is available to anyone, it’s also a roach-motel (it’s a one-way conversion... you go “in”.... you never get them back “out”).   This means if an Adobe alternative comes along and you’d like to jump ship... you can’t really bring your .DNG files with you.  So I configured Lightroom to leave my .CR2 files as .CR2 files and that means I can import them into anything that supports my cameras.

---

Huh. I didn't know that. Has Lightroom 3 and Lightroom 5 been doing that dng conversion to me or is that a new nefarious Adobe atrocity in their subscription/cloud model?

[ScottyP]

Maybe I need to look at DPP again. Part of the reason I got into Canon was the fact Consumer Reports said Canon's processing program (DPP) was a lot better than whatever you get with Nikon, etc. But then I opened the program about twice and never used it for anything. 

I know now it won't help organize my images but would it process photos as well as Lightroom?  

[TCampbell]

When you're looking at the "import" panel, there are options at the top to "Copy as DNG" vs. "Copy" (there's also "Move" and "Add")  I do "Copy" but not "Copy as DNG" (which converts your RAW files into Adobe .DNG files).  

[ebiggs1]

Tim said,

"...I looked at what they now call “Lightroom CC” and I think Apple’s “Photos” app is serious competition (and Apple “Photos” is free).  This isn’t to say how great I think Photos is... it’s to say how limited I think Lightroom CC is.  I cannot imagine any serious photographer using it."  

I don't really understand this statement. "I cannot imagine any serious photographer using it."  Any serious photographer that doesn't use LR CC Classic or will use Photos?   There is no top quality, pro shop, I have ever been in, been in a lot, that didn't use Adobe products.  PS and/or LR.  These two are the standards of the industry.

“Lightroom Classic CC” is what everyone is using."  Absolutely, like it or not. It's a fact. If I were still in full time business I would be right there.  The ability of LR CC is blurring the line between it and PS CC. The new range mask for instance. The need to go to PS is becoming less and less.  Most of the time LR CC is going to produce a fine finished print.  I wonder how far Adobe wants to take that?