Developing Ricoh RAW files

[grappa]

After reading so many glowing comments from all of you (and otherwise),I bit the bullet and bought a GRD 2. Not a bad little camera but here's the rub:
I am on a Mac so I need to use Lightroom etc to develop my pics. I have tried Capture One, Lightroom, and a couple of others but the shots all come out better as jpeg's from the camera. I do not have noise reduction turned on but the noise level in the RAW files greatly exceeds the jpg from the camera.
Why bother with RAW ? Or,what to use to develop the pics ?

 

[Terry]

How high ISO are you shooting? At the higher end above 800 I tend to move to B&W. The problem with jpegs is that while you get less noise the processing also generally robs you of detail. I try and not look at the 100% view on small sensor cameras as the prints are generally much better as is the picture shown on a regular sized screen. Sorry, I don't have any processing secrets, I simply use Lightroom.

 

[Lili]

How high ISO are you shooting? At the higher end above 800 I tend to move to B&W. The problem with jpegs is that while you get less noise the processing also generally robs you of detail. I try and not look at the 100% view on small sensor cameras as the prints are generally much better as is the picture shown on a regular sized screen. Sorry, I don't have any processing secrets, I simply use Lightroom.

I agree completely. Actually I really try hard to avoid allowing my Pixel Peeping OCD full reign; reminding myself it is the entire image that counts, not some tiny part of it.
Currently doing the trial version of Lightroom, rather liking it too

 

[grappa]

I agree completely. Actually I really try hard to avoid allowing my Pixel Peeping OCD full reign; reminding myself it is the entire image that counts, not some tiny part of it.
Currently doing the trial version of Lightroom, rather liking it too

I am actually not looking at the camera display,I am looking at the picture as it is displayed on my monitor. The jpg files are much sharper with less noise but exhibit that painterly effect seen on some cameras. There must be some way to denoise the DNG files that works well.
Even at ISO 200 there is IMO too much noise in color photos but the BW photos are great.

 

[VladimirV]

You should try using either the Color Noise removal slider set at 5-10 in LR or use Noise Ninja to remove color noise.

 

[Lili]

I am actually not looking at the camera display,I am looking at the picture as it is displayed on my monitor. The jpg files are much sharper with less noise but exhibit that painterly effect seen on some cameras. There must be some way to denoise the DNG files that works well.
Even at ISO 200 there is IMO too much noise in color photos but the BW photos are great.

Grappa, FWIW I was referring to the monitor not the camera LCD.
Question; are you viewing images at full frame or are you zooming in?
As Noise, there lies the rub with these cameras...I LIKE the noise in my GRD I, viewing it more like texture in my hi ISO shots. I dislike the jpegs from the GRD II and the GX 200, disliking the painterly effects you refer to.
However some do not like noise at all and I can understand where they come from.
I am not really fond on the noise in color, just as you are, chroma noise is far to disturbing in most cases.
One thing to recall, as I have learned in my initial steep learning curve of post processing;
The Manufacturers have engineers working full time for a very long time on their JPEG engines; so one cannot expect to even match their results without serious effort and much experience.

 

[Oxide Blu]

How politically correct does my reply to the op need to be?

 

[grappa]

OK then. I took the GRD II out today and got some shots. Seems like a little sharpening helps more than I thought using Lightroom.
Put up a page on www.fastorly.com if you want to see my pics.

 

[Lili]

Grappa; those look quite sharp to me