Attached is a side-by-side preview within Capture One showing the DXO processed DNG compared to the original NEF. On both, the adjustment settings have been reset and the white balance has been manually set to identical “custom” values. (DXO on left)
Why are they so far off? I hadn’t noticed any big shifts on my Leica files.
White balance values (Temp, Tint) vary between “ecosystems”. Each app has its way to determine the values - or display out of camera values. I’d not worry about values.
Moreover, each app has an own idea of how an image from a RAW file should look. This can lead to distinct differences. PuR exported DNGs are de-bayered (linear) DNGs and PuR has therefore imprinted its own idea on the image.
PuR is an app that is best used before images are modified or edited in a “host” app like CO, Lr, ….) and the exported images are to be thought of as unedited negatives. Consequentially, WB should be set in a way that makes the image look right.
What do you get when you pick WB from approx. the same spot on both images? Will images look similar or not? What will the respective values be? Which is more important - looks or values?
Besides the white balance differences (which as Platypus explained are to be expected), DxO, C1, and other makers of RAW development software take different approaches to the demosaic process. One can expect some differences in color accuracy, contrast, detail, unwanted artifacts, noise reduction… The linear DNG from PureRAW is not a RAW file, so C1 will process it differently than the NEF file.
It’s a bit of an aside, but what are you hoping to achieve in Capture One that you can’t in DXO (PhotoLab? PureRAW?).
I ask as I find C1 much faster to work with in terms of functionality, but there are still some things I’d like to do in DxO for preference - especially noise reduction and contrast work.
Thanks to everyone for your input.
I’m incorporating PureRAW into my workflow to try and eke out that last little bit of noise and sharpness where needed on higher ISO shots. I don’t need it all the time, so I don’t plan on running everything through it. On days when I’m shooting lots of action, I’ll typically cull things down to a manageable group that I’ll do some initial edits on within Capture One to get a sense of what my actual keeper(s) will be. That’s the point I might need PureRAW when I might just have a few shots that need processing. Unfortunately, I might already have other shots in the same environment that I want to match to, or maybe I just really love where I was in the initial edit and I really want it to match.
Sounds like it’s just the nature of the beast here and I’ll just have to adjust my expectations.
Fineus, C1 is my hub and a standard in the studios I’ve worked in so I’m very familiar with it’s workflow. Frankly the noise reduction is pretty good within C1, but I just want the extra oomph sometimes.
I don’t see too much WB difference, maybe the left one is slightly warmer and with a bit more of magenta. The obvious difference for me is the tonal curve, which makes the left picture “better” for me. This is because the main subject, the dogs head (you instinctively look for the eyes first), is better exposed and brings more attention. With different tonal curves, the color perception is also different. Camera profiles bring some color shifts too. Adapt, is all you can do, I’m afraid.
Actually, beter noise reduction is by far on the top of C1 features users requests – see Improve Capture One . C1 was initially meant to develop PhaseOne studio photos, so good noise reduction was always at low priority. For most modern cameras, if you shoot below ISO 1600, the “standard” noise reduction is mostly enough. However, I shoot low light, fast action, so C1 NR is useless for me.
Off-topic:
Personally, I use C1 only for some portraits, using TIFFs exported from PhotoLab, in which case I find C1 ‘Face Retouching’ match my taste (except for Contouring) and doing really good job. Compared to what it was 10 years ago, C1 made an effort to become more universal. From my point of view, there are still some basic features lacking in C1, present in PL/FP combo. These include micro/fine-contrast, Lens Sharpness Optimization, SmartLighting (prefer DxO’s version), ClearView (suits me better than C1 Dehaze,Clarity). On the other hand, grouping similar images and certain type of subtle color corrections, are obviously C1 strong points. Some also like MatchLook (but not me). Unfortunately there’s no one perfect tool for everything 
