I am still using PL3 as my current PC doesn’t meet the requirement to run PL4 efficiently. Recently I bought a Nikon Z fc with twin kit lenses. The Z fc uses exactly the same sensor as Z50, which is supported in PL3 and the lenses are also supported.
Is it possible alter the downloaded module header from Z50 to Zfc to force the software to process the files? or any other workaround?
Regards
The only long term work around that I think you can consider is to process your raw files in Nikon’s NX studio software and export as Tiff file for further editing in PL3.
Mark
Thank you for your input, unfortunately this route negate the benefit of using PL3’s wonderful raw processing modules.
I remember from the time of the introduction of the D90 it toke a while for the D90 was supported in the nikon converter. A workaround some people used was to change the camera name in the file header to D90. I don’t know if this still works but you could try it.
George
Although there is no sign of the Z fc being supported by DxO, I suppose that it will be in the future.
Most top selling cameras appear in whatever time it takes DxO prepare the necessary profiles, modules etc. I also guess that DxO prioritizes mainstream above niche products.
It’s not just DxO… niche products are more difficult to put your hands on… if there is no quick and affordable loan from the brand, what can DxO do ? Ask the users for a loan…
The main differences between Z50 (ALREADY SUPPORTED) and Z fc is styling, auto focus, burst rates and no popup flash in Z fc. All the available lenses are also supported. I would guess only name change is required to make it read Z fc files.
I wouldn’t call this a niche product as this is Nikon’s mirrorless DX camera and already very popular in Japan.
1 Like
The Z fc is for sur not a niche product (anymore). As much as I understood by reading online articles and reports this camera is a hit for Nikon 
+1
Change camera model in the EXIF data using a variation of this Android DNG hack, then switch it back again afterwards.
1 Like
Go here to vote for support for Zfc…
Also in this thread it was indicated it will be supported; but no specifics as to when.
Support for the Nikon Z fc will most likely only be implemented for PhotoLab 5 and later versions. However, depending on when support is added it might be also be available in PhotoLab 4. Once a new version of PhotoLab is introduced there are generally no new updates available for the previous version. That includes support for new cameras and lenses. See the link below for DXO’s position on new camera support for older versions of PhotoLab.
Mark
As I mentioned in my original question that my current hardware does not meet the requirements to run PL4 efficiently and hence haven’t updated to it; exploring possible workaround.
I know that. My post was actually meant as a general response to @djojphotography and others. I’ll make that clearer.
Mark
I have been in the uncomfortable position of running Photolab 3 and 4 in parallel. My MBP 17" 2011 (last 17" MacBook, last matte screens, last user upgradeable/repairable MacBooks – I’m in no hurry to EOL what is probably the best Mac portable ever made) officially only marches as far as High Sierra (10.13). For reasons known only to DxO, engineers had the bright idea of cutting off Mac users who are not on the latest OS -1 instead of -2 with Photolab 4. End result I have not been able to run Photolab 4 on my MBP but have been able to on my desktop Mac Pro silver towers with metal enabled graphic cards (10.14 Mojave is last supported OS).
Photolab 4 handles retouching much better before it starts to bog down. Preview update seems faster. So much so that I’ve finally relented and gone down the painful road of installing unsupported Mojave on my main MBP 17". This disables my Radeon 6770 graphic card entirely. DeepPrime doesn’t work (well it does but only with CPU – render times jump from about 10 or 15 seconds to 10 to 15 minutes per image) but Prime still works fine (about 3 images per minute).
This way I can migrate my work in Photolab directly across from the MBP and to I would love to have a way to disable DeepPrime output (substituting it with Prime) while still choosing it in the interface to avoid having to select all the photos and switch to DeepPrime when migrating across. Unlikely to happen unfortunately.
My point to you is that it’s worth buying the most basic of graphic cards which Photolab 4 supports as a minimum requirement and upgrading to Photolab 4.
There is a separate issue for Windows 7 users (unsupported for no good reason, debated at length here, ironically there is a pirated version of Photolab 3 which does run on Windows 7). But if it’s just a hardware issue (and you’re not on a laptop), I’d suggest adding a supported graphic card and enjoy the significant benefits of Photolab 4.
Photolab 3 to 4 has been the best DxO upgrade ever as there were few new features added but existing ones worked much better. The one big new feature DeepPrime is amazing. While I was benchmarking DeepPrime performance on that MBP 17" I had the chance to closely compare some production files in both Prime and DeepPrime. The improvement was more than I remember. DeepPrime offers far more detail and far fewer artifacts. At reasonable levels (12 and under), DeepPrime processed photos hardly look like NR has been applied.
Hi,
Thank you for encouraging reply. Unfortunately I use Surface Pro Tablet PC which doesn’t have option to add graphic cards. I have been exclusively using Laptops and Tablet PC for the last 20 years. Now I am retired and no intension to get back to using desktop PC.
One of the main reason for using PL3 is I like the Prime and the workflow. Yes it would be nice to use DeepPrime for very high noise photos.
I will wait unless GAS force me to change.
Unfortunately, now that CPU power has plateaued software companies are harnessing the power of the GPU. For example DeepPrime uses the GPU and the difference between CPU processing and GPU can be of the order of 300-500%, so you can understand why companies go this route. Something to consider if you ever look for a new laptop.
If Photolab 4 will run on your hardware, I’ve found that there is no issue actually editing photos with just the built-in Intel card (in my case the old Intel HD Graphics 3000 with 384 MB of shared memory). The only issue is one must avoid using DeepPrime (export will be very, very slow, not 300% longer but 4500% longer). Prime export works just fine though.
So if you can open Photolab 4, you should be fine using it. The healing and local adjustment tools are much, much faster and more robust (still have their limits though, be careful when you have forty or fifty healing actions in, you may be better off moving to a bitmap editor for that much retouching).