Wednesday 23 March 2011

FujiFilm RFC EX - Raw File Converter

Update : I have now put together a simple overview of the RFC EX controls in use in an image edit - Have a look here

The new FujiFilm X100, HS-20 EXR and F550 EXR all shoot Raw and are shipped with the SilkyPix RFC EX (raw file converter). This converter is designed to work with the FujiFilm EXR sensor/processor.

The cameras are still not available here, but I managed to get my hands on a copy of the RFC EX.

From what I can see, the RFC EX is the same for all the cameras. I have downloaded some of the Raw files floating around (X100 and F550) and run them through it and it works the same for either.

Contrary to some opinions, the RFC is very easy to use and produces a very usable image. When I do a conversion, I am converting to a Tiff file, not Jpeg.

Below is just one very quick example of one of the Raw files from the F550 EXR.

The first screen shot shows the Raw file (left), after conversion in RFC EX to a Tiff file and then also sharpened in Photoshop. The right image shows the out of camera Jpeg.

The next three screen shots simply show some of the detail around the images compared, and as if at a view size (print size) of 12 x 16 inches.

This is not the best example image from the F550 EXR but the image I wanted to try was incorrectly labelled and downloads this same image.

I will play more with it, as I find some more files, and write up something about how to use it.

In the comparisons below, the Raw (Tiff) is always at left, and the out of camera Jpeg, at right.

Note : Clicking any image will take you to a larger size






For those who may have been used to using the HS-10 RFC, the big difference with the new RFC EX is that the functions such as :
  • Highlight Controller
  • WB Controller
  • Fine Colour Controller
  • Lens Aberration Controller
  • Rotation/Digital Shift Controller
  • Tone Curve Controller
  • Demosaic Sharp
... Are now all unlocked and fully usable !!! Not just presets as with the RFC.

Cheers


...

3 comments:

  1. Michael, Hi.

    Thank you for your comment.

    Cheers.

    ReplyDelete
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