Can software replace need for expensive lenses..???
Dec 3, 2020 21:15:56 #
SonyDoug wrote:
Kind of a newbie question...
Recently I became aware of Gigapixel AI. I have the 30 day trial now. Pretty amazing to me what it did for the old images I've run through it.
All my lenses are the lower end E mount Sony's on my a6000, purchased used in the +/- 200 buck range. So the question is, does the software ever become a replacement for higher end lenses?
Recently I became aware of Gigapixel AI. I have the 30 day trial now. Pretty amazing to me what it did for the old images I've run through it.
All my lenses are the lower end E mount Sony's on my a6000, purchased used in the +/- 200 buck range. So the question is, does the software ever become a replacement for higher end lenses?
No; great lenses have their place as does software. I have great lenses for my high-pixel Nikon D850 and have great software to enhance the great pictures that come out of the camera with great lens.
Dec 3, 2020 21:41:05 #
Vladimir200 wrote:
No; great lenses have their place as does software. I have great lenses for my high-pixel Nikon D850 and have great software to enhance the great pictures that come out of the camera with great lens.
That's true today. But will it always be true? What advances in image processing are going to happen in the future that allows mediocre lenses to catch up to great lenses?
When I think back 20 years ago, I had a 3M pixel camera and no concept of RAW formating. And I recall discussing with others about what it would take for digital cameras to catch up with film and concluding that it would probably be a very, very long time before that were to happen.
What will imaging be like in twenty years? Fifty years? Even longer into the future? I won't be around to see it, but I suspect progress will continue marching forward.
Dec 3, 2020 23:24:04 #
SonyDoug wrote:
Kind of a newbie question...
Recently I became aware of Gigapixel AI. I have the 30 day trial now. Pretty amazing to me what it did for the old images I've run through it.
All my lenses are the lower end E mount Sony's on my a6000, purchased used in the +/- 200 buck range. So the question is, does the software ever become a replacement for higher end lenses?
Recently I became aware of Gigapixel AI. I have the 30 day trial now. Pretty amazing to me what it did for the old images I've run through it.
All my lenses are the lower end E mount Sony's on my a6000, purchased used in the +/- 200 buck range. So the question is, does the software ever become a replacement for higher end lenses?
Interesting question..more so as you are referring to Sony camera A6000...Looks like it does!...I do not refer to any pixel manipulating and enhancing software but the raw processing software ...Recently came across a video that compares raw processing capabilities of Photoshop,Lightroom,and DXO Photolab software that includes lens correction...and for Sony Cameras (and most of the other cameras except Fuji) the DXO Photolab is the very best in extracting maximum quality from the raw files in terms of color, tonality and sharpness...and to add to this the latest DXO Photolab 4 introduces the Deep Prime Noise reduction that beats Topaz AI Noise reduction software in preserving the details in the raw files...add to this the NIK Collection 3 and we may never want to upgrade the lenses unless we need to be professionals (in which case we may be wanting to upgrade the camera and not just the Lenses alone!)...Warmly recommend this excellent youTube video by Robin Whalley :https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bIiVf5647SQ "Was I Fooled into Changing Cameras?" ...Recommend his other videos as well.
Dec 4, 2020 08:11:31 #
DanCSF
Loc: SA Bay Area CA
So here's a quick and dirty reply....technology advances quickly, at some point one might want to ask why do we need a dedicated camera at all? Why not just use our cell phone and post process everything or let the cell phone's apps do it all....something to think about eh?
Dec 4, 2020 10:39:17 #
Dikdik
Loc: Winnipeg, Canada
No... your first digital copy is the best image you will have. You can improve the appearance, but the resulting digital image is 'less' than what you started with.
Dec 4, 2020 11:36:50 #
xt2
Loc: British Columbia, Canada
SonyDoug wrote:
Kind of a newbie question...
Recently I became aware of Gigapixel AI. I have the 30 day trial now. Pretty amazing to me what it did for the old images I've run through it.
All my lenses are the lower end E mount Sony's on my a6000, purchased used in the +/- 200 buck range. So the question is, does the software ever become a replacement for higher end lenses?
Recently I became aware of Gigapixel AI. I have the 30 day trial now. Pretty amazing to me what it did for the old images I've run through it.
All my lenses are the lower end E mount Sony's on my a6000, purchased used in the +/- 200 buck range. So the question is, does the software ever become a replacement for higher end lenses?
To some degree...
Cheers!
Dec 4, 2020 15:57:30 #
Kozan
Loc: Trenton Tennessee
SonyDoug wrote:
Kind of a newbie question...
Recently I became aware of Gigapixel AI. I have the 30 day trial now. Pretty amazing to me what it did for the old images I've run through it.
All my lenses are the lower end E mount Sony's on my a6000, purchased used in the +/- 200 buck range. So the question is, does the software ever become a replacement for higher end lenses?
Recently I became aware of Gigapixel AI. I have the 30 day trial now. Pretty amazing to me what it did for the old images I've run through it.
All my lenses are the lower end E mount Sony's on my a6000, purchased used in the +/- 200 buck range. So the question is, does the software ever become a replacement for higher end lenses?
I once had an electrical engineer tell me that anything hardware can do, software can do. He was referring to IC chips, but I'm sure at some point that will apply to photography, too. At some point, we will be using a cheap camera, with or without a lens, and all the enhancements will be through software. We're almost at that point now.
Dec 4, 2020 16:13:40 #
Regardless of how good your software is, if it is not part of the original image no software can create it. The better the lens the better the total image is. Keep in mind when you go to purchase a new item, "there is no free lunch". This applies to any of your equipment. If you are only interested in small image sizes, say 4X6, then a cheap lens or cell phone camera will work fine.
Dec 4, 2020 16:16:19 #
Dikdik
Loc: Winnipeg, Canada
"I once had an electrical engineer tell me that anything hardware can do"
at a fraction of the speed... Dik
at a fraction of the speed... Dik
Dec 4, 2020 16:21:13 #
Kozan wrote:
I once had an electrical engineer tell me that anything hardware can do, software can do. He was referring to IC chips, but I'm sure at some point that will apply to photography, too. At some point, we will be using a cheap camera, with or without a lens, and all the enhancements will be through software. We're almost at that point now.
I am an electrical engineer and can say that anything a man can operate, software can operate. To build or construct anything you have to have the raw product, ie, the image.
Dec 4, 2020 16:39:31 #
Dikdik
Loc: Winnipeg, Canada
Yup... and whatever the file is, the original is still the best data... Dik
Dec 6, 2020 18:17:06 #
John Hicks
Loc: Sible Hedinham North Essex England
No matter how good software it can only improve a photograph so much, if you start with a mediocre picture it might then become reasonable with soft ware. With top quality lenses you start with an excellent picture that even the best software cannot improve, but if you start with a good picture then surely it is easier for software to turn on to a very good picture
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