There's so much more to DxO than subtle changes though. Optics Pro can actually make a bad image good. Silly exposure meter, it exposed for the light coming in the windows behind the girl in the picture on the left in Figure J, but as you can see from the image on the right, Optics Pro was actually able to salvage the image.

FIGURE J


DxO Optics Pro can actually make a bad image good. Roll over picture for a larger image.

Not bad, eh?

The greatest thing about Optics Pro though is that it doesn't make any changes to the RAW image, that data is preserved exactly as the camera captured it. Instead, DxO creates a log file of the correction parameters that were applied to the RAW image, saving that file with the original image. When the RAW file is converted, those correction parameters are applied, and the image saved in the format you specify, but preserving the original RAW data.

Conclusion
There are so many features to DxO Optics Pro, and so many things to cover; I know I can't even begin to touch on it all. I've really only found one thing about it that I didn't care for, and that's how the image is displayed on the workspace during editing. The image is placed dead center in the workspace, and I would like to be able to move the preview image around, to place it all the way to the left or right if I so chose. In some instances, the filter window will cover portions of the image on the workspace, and even though each tab can be pulled out of the window and placed anywhere on the workspace, I still feel there's a need to be able to move the image.

It would also be nice to be able to zoom the image in the workspace. Although there's a Zoom tab in the filters window, it localizes the zoom to wherever you place the selection window on the preview image. It would be nice to zoom in and out the preview image itself.

Of all the RAW converters I've used, DxO Optics Pro is the only one that was actually capable of improving the images with its filters, rather making things worse. Other than addressing my issue of being able to move the preview image on the workspace, I really don't see how DxO could improve on Optics Pro. Apparently they do though, as version 3.5 is due out later this month, with more improvements. You'll have to stay tuned for updated coverage.

Optics Pro comes in two flavors, Standard and Elite. Both versions work identically, and feature the same conversion and correction abilities. The difference is in which cameras are supported. The Standard edition will work with most prosumer (professional consumer) professional digital SLRs, but not with the high-end SLRs like the Canon 1D or the Nikon D2X. The Elite version works with all dSLRs. Pricing for the Standard version is $150 US, or 124 Euros, with the Elite version going for $300 US, or 250 Euros. Optics Pro is an excellent value at either level, and these prices include all available lens modules.

I think DxO Optics Pro v3.0 has come closer to getting a perfect score, without actually achieving it, than any other product I've reviewed. Really, the one and only glitch to that is the inability to move the preview image around the workspace. This is a must for me, and if this were addressed in the next version, I would be more than happy to give it a perfect score. As it stands though, I have to give DxO Optics Pro 4 out of 5 lenses, an excellent rating indeed, and far better than any other RAW converter I've used.

OUR RATING: 4 of 5

James Booth is Editor-at-Large at ZATZ Publishing. In addition to writing for Computing Unplugged and Connected Photographer, he's the author of Do-It-Yourself Wedding Photography. A self-taught photographer, James also dabbles in digital graphics and has learned to be a PC and handheld specialist through personal trial and error. James can be reached at jbooth@zatz.com.