Author Topic: Lightroom CC and Z6 Raw Files  (Read 6271 times)

Bill Mellen

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Lightroom CC and Z6 Raw Files
« on: February 09, 2019, 21:30:53 »
My observations with the Z6

When opening a Z6 / (and downloaded Z7)  .NEFs in LR Classic CC 8.1 or LR CC Desktop (At Default Adobe Settings)the camera assigned profile is retained, Exposure, Contrast, Shadows, Saturation, Sharpening and Noise Reduction varies depending on the in camera settings.

Active D-Lighting: In general, any Active D-Lighting will yield a Shadows Adjustment of +0.1 ADL Normal will cause a +0.33 Exposure Adjustment and ADL High will cause a +0.67 Exposure Adjustment.  This is consistent with the camera slightly underexposing to protect highlights when ADL is used.

Picture Controls:

Standard yields the Standard camera matching profile in LR.  Sometimes with a minor change to saturation.

Auto will yield minor changes in contrast and sometimes Saturation.  Auto yields the Standard camera matching profile in LR as well.

Custom Picture Controls:  Any changes to contrast in the in-camera settings for the picture control will yield a change in contrast in LR.  Standard with a -1 Contrast in camera seems to yield a -0.24 contrast adjustment in LR.

Sharpening:  Lower ISO settings seem to yield something like Sharpeniing 40 / Radius 2.0 / Detail 25 / Masking 0.

Noise Reduction:  Noise reduction values yielded in LR vary based on subject and ISO.

Observation:  A well exposed JPEG with Standard or Auto Picture Control and ADL off or Low yields a fairly nice .NEF conversion in LR.  ADL High and above, not so much.

White Balance:  ARGGGGGHHHHHHHH!   Z6 / Z7 .NEF and Fuji XT3 .RAF files yield wacky Light Balance Values in LR.    Tint values of -30 instead of +10.  If you try an Adobe Daylight Preset you will get bleah results.  The original Profiles are calibrated against a different standard.  I was able to download a set of V2 profiles for the Z6 from Adobe that help somewhat.  After you change from the starting profile to one of the V2 profiles, the Tint calibration seems to work as it used to.  The rint calibration issue also affects custom profiles created with X-Rite software as well.

The white balance issues are not a show stopper, but they are clumsy to deal with and make a custom x-rite dual illumination profile pretty much useless. Also, creating a preset in LR CC Classic with a V2 profile will not properly apply it to images.

It will be interesting to see how Adobe deals with the new process 5 profiles they have created.  I am sure many of their developers are considering other less complicated careers at this time :)
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Bill Mellen

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Re: Lightroom CC and Z6 Raw Files
« Reply #1 on: February 09, 2019, 21:43:37 »
I do need to add that Lightroom and Camera Raw do produce very nice images with the Z6 raw files. 

It is the new features of applying some of the in-camera settings to the Adobe Default Settings for the Z6 that make things interesting.
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CS

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Re: Lightroom CC and Z6 Raw Files
« Reply #2 on: February 10, 2019, 01:26:16 »
I do need to add that Lightroom and Camera Raw do produce very nice images with the Z6 raw files. 

It is the new features of applying some of the in-camera settings to the Adobe Default Settings for the Z6 that make things interesting.

So, may not be to bad for those of us that don't use presets first.  ;)
Carl

Bill Mellen

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Re: Lightroom CC and Z6 Raw Files
« Reply #3 on: February 10, 2019, 02:55:59 »
Exactly !
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pluton

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Re: Lightroom CC and Z6 Raw Files
« Reply #4 on: February 10, 2019, 03:29:14 »

Sharpening:  Lower ISO settings seem to yield something like Sharpeniing 40 / Radius 2.0 / Detail 25 / Masking 0.

Sharpening radius of 2 pixels is unusual for ACR/Lightroom, is it not?
As I recall, through D200, D2, D3, and D800 the default Adobe sharpening has always been in the neighborhood of 1.0 or 1.2 px.
Keith B., Santa Monica, CA, USA

Bill Mellen

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Re: Lightroom CC and Z6 Raw Files
« Reply #5 on: February 10, 2019, 07:00:14 »
Adobe LightRoom 8.1 sharpening and noise reduction defaults for all of my other cameras past and present are:

Sharpening 40, Radius 1.0, Detail 25 and Masking 0 with no noise reduction applied
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Ann

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Re: Lightroom CC and Z6 Raw Files
« Reply #6 on: February 10, 2019, 23:19:52 »
It has not been much publicised but if you move the Details slider fully to the left, you are using only USM sharpening; move it to the far right and you are using 100% Deconvolved Sharpening; with a percentage mixture in between.

The Details slider is like a hot & cold mixing valve. I most frequently have mine at between 75 and 85.

Amount and Radius behave as they have always have.