Which version of Capture One Should You Get?
If you’re looking at getting Capture One, you may be confused by all of the different versions. There is Capture One Pro, Capture One Express, Capture One, Fuji, Sony and so on. On top of that there are subscription options and perpetual licences. I get a lot of questions about some of these versions, and so, in this post I will attempt to break down the differences and offer advice on which version you should get.
Capture One Express (Fujifilm, Sony, Nikon)
This is the free cut-down version of Capture One designed for users of cameras from specific manufacturers. If is available for Nikon, Sony and Fujifilm users. It contains a subset of the “Pro” version of Capture One. It does have the core RAW conversion features and basic editing features but it lacks a lot of the more advanced editing tools, such as Layers, Luma Curve, Process Recipes and so on.
As well as the limited features, you can also only open RAW files from the specific version. So, for example, if you have the Sony version, you can only open Sony RAW files with it.
For a full feature comparison of what is in the pro and express versions, there is a detailed breakdown on the Capture One website.
Who should get this?
If you only shoot with one brand of camera, and if that brand is Nikon, Fuji or Sony, and you only want basic features, then you should consider the express version of Capture One. You can also consider this as a way to start with the platform, and you can always step up to the other versions later.
Who shouldn’t get this?
If you shoot with more than one brand of camera, or you need more than just basic features.
Capture One Pro - Nikon, Fujifilm, Sony versions.
This is the full featured version of Capture One, but limited by camera brand. In other words, if you have the Nikon version, it will only open Nikon raw files. The advantage of this is that it is a god bit cheaper than the full version.
The manufacturer specific versions of Capture One Pro are available for Nikon, Sony and Fujifilm Cameras. (Sorry Canon!) If you get one of these, you will only be able to open RAW files from the corresponding brand of camera, but you should be able to open Jpeg and Tiff files from any brand.
The difference in price is quite substantial. The Manufacturer versions are €149 white the full version is €349, so you can save quite a bit. It’s also available as a subscription starting at €11 a month.
Who should get this version?
If you only shoot with one brand of camera, and that brand is a Sony, Fujifilm or Nikon, then you should consider this version. It will be quite a bit cheaper than the full version, but you will be limited to using raw files from the brand of camera corresponding to the version you bought.
Who Shouldn’t get this version?
If you shoot with more than one brand of camera then you should look at the full version instead.
Capture One Pro (For any camera)
The main version of Capture One is Capture One pro. This is the “full” version so to speak, and has all features enabled for all brands. You can use it with any supported camera (which includes a wide range of cameras, not just the brands available as specific versions), both for RAW files and for RGB files such as Tiff and Jpeg.
One of the things that I often see that confuses some new users, is whether or not the manufacturer versions (Sony, Fuji, Nikon) have any advantages over Capture One Pro (for all cameras). They don’t, apart from price. For examples, if you shoot Fujifilm, the film simulation profiles are included with both the Fujifilm version and the full version. There are no disadvantages of getting the full version over the brand specific versions.
Who should get this version?
If you shoot with multiple cameras from different brands, or if you shoot Canon, Panasonic or other brands not included in the specific versions (above) then Capture One pro (for any camera) is the version you should choose.
Who shouldn’t get this version?
If you only shoot with one camera and it is a Nikon, Sony or Fujifilm, and you don’t have any older raw files that you wish to open, then you should consider one of the brand specific versions instead as they’re quite a bit cheaper.
Perpetual licence or Subscription
Capture One is available as a full, perpetual license or a Subscription. IF you buy the full licence, you generally get all point upgrades free, but you have to pay to upgrade to major new versions. For example, most recently, if you bought version 12, you got all of the upgrades to 12 (12.1 etc) for free, but when Capture One 20 (version 13 - I know, confusing!) you had to pay an upgrade fee. Upgrades are around €160 for the full version including vat. The brand versions are cheaper.
If you have the subscription version, you pay a monthly or annual fee, and you get all upgrades. This way has a lower initial cost, especially if you choose the monthly version, however, you may pay more in the long term (after a few years), and as with all subscriptions, if you stop paying, your version will be disabled when your term runs out.
The perpetual version will keep working even if you choose not to upgrade to a specific version. At the end of the day, which version you choose is up to you. I know some people simply hate subscriptions and so will always prefer perpetual licences. Others, much not be able to afford a large initial outlay, but can manage the lower monthly costs. This is one I can’t help you with unfortunately.
Try it out
If you’re still undecided as to which version to get, or whether you should get the software at all, then I strongly suggest you try it out first. There is a 30 day trial version available for all the pro versions (not for express, as it’s free already).
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