Pentax Digital Camera Utility 4 tryout (with images)

[creampuff]

Tried the new Pentax Digital Camera Utility 4 on my Mac today.
The software interface is somewhat similar to Lightroom's panels and is so much better than the preceding Pentax Photo Browser and Photo Laboratory 3.

In a nutshell, it is a simple software to manage and process your images. Documentation is sparse but it is easy enough to work out the controls. But what is interesting for me is how the Silkypix processing engine manages the RAW files, especially when converted to jpegs. Control on the jpeg output is pretty basic and the conversion to jpegs is simple enough. In spite of the basic nature of the program, I kinda like the output from Silkypix. It has a nice punchy yet pleasant colour rendition akin to increasing the Vibrance slider in ACR/Lightroom/Photoshop.

Used a K20D DNG file of my dog as an initial test:

DNG to jpeg conversion Pentax DCU4 (Silkypix)


DNG to jpeg conversion Adobe ACR/CS4


The software can convert PEF to DNG easily enough but I have encountered an issue in that if a jpeg is to be extracted from the converted DNG within the software (PDCU4), that new jpeg file has a problem and can't be opened up by any program, including PDCU4 itself.
No problems if it is a straight conversion from an original DNG or PEF file to jpeg.

My experience may be a one-off but hopefully this is not common to all and a quick software fix can be worked out.

[creampuff]

Some more interesting conversions with a PEF RAW file:
K20D FA 77mm Limited

Silkypix give pretty pleasant colours of this indoor shot of orchids, ACR renders less colour saturated images.
For practical purposes, output from DNG or PEF looks the same if processed through ACR or Silkypix respectively.
Each software will render according to their respective algorithms. Just for versatility I would shoot with the DNG format.

1) Pentax PEF RAW file converted to jpeg by Silkypix


2) Pentax PEF RAW file to jpeg by ACR 5.4


3) Pentax PEF RAW file converted to DNG to jpeg by ACR 5.4


4) Jpeg from RAW+Jpeg straight from K20D

[causey]

I use Silkypix (after trying out LR and a couple of others) simply because the output seems so much better. (I'm talking about the 'complete' version, which does batch conversion, not the one which accompanies Pentax cameras.) I also like the fact that Silkypix leaves a lot of space to the picture, so that I can work on it. In LR I had to manually increase the viewing area. For me, PP-ing is clearly quicker with Silkypix.

[lithos]

ACR seems to suck for my K100D's PEF files.

Looking through them with PPL (or whatever default software Pentax ships; been so long since I've used it) and oftentimes I'll think that's great, assuming I've taken a great photo in the first place.

Now when opening with ACR, I get depressed. There's a colour shift; reds go orange, blues go a bit green. No amount of tweaking seems to get it right. It ends up looking like the more-or-less perfect RAW file was shot on dodgy supermarket colour film.

What really bugs me is that the freeware FastStone Image Viewer also manages to not stuff up the colour...apparently, this is beyond Adobe's grasp.

[Blue]

Adam just informed every one in the "other" thread that the software is pirated which I take to mean the software isn't available yet. I wasn't aware of that when I down loaded it.