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DxO Labs Logo. Click to visit the DxO Labs website! DxO: Major update for Optics Pro, intro pricing
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(Tuesday, November 3, 2009 - 17:37 EST)

DxO Labs has today announced a major update to its photo processing application, DxO Optics Pro, bringing a significant overhaul of the user interface as well as improvements in noise processing, lens correction, and more.

DxO Optics Pro version 6.0 is available immediately for Windows users, with a Mac OS-compatible version expected to follow in early 2010. The new user interface aims to make the program more approachable to new users, while offering improvements and customization capability that will allow more experienced users to smoothly incorporate Optics Pro in their workflow. The program retains four main tabs like those of the previous version, although two - Customize and View - have been renamed to make their purpose clearer. The tabs occupy less screen space, and the project window can now be detached from the main program window to further increase screen real-estate devoted to image preview. A new drop-down menu keeps presets close to hand, and side-by-side comparison of corrected images is now possible, helping users to select the best corrected images for further processing or development. When the program detects that an image requires lens or body modules that aren't installed, the user can optionally be prompted to download and install these automatically.

The new noise processing capability is probably the standout feature of Optics Pro v6, though. DxO are claiming it allows pushing ISO sensitivity one to two stops above the maximum offered in-camera, with similar results to those that could be expected at the camera's maximum sensitivity. We've not analyzed the processing in detail ourselves yet, but a brief trial coupled with the impressive samples shown on DxO's site suggest the claim seems pretty realistic. The benefit isn't only to be found in pushing the effective sensitivity of your camera beyond its ordinary limit, obviously. The new noise processing should also allow lower noise levels across the board, and allow shadows to be pulled back with less noise than in prior versions of DxO.

DxO Optics Pro 6's Select screen. Screenshot provided by DxO Labs. Click for a bigger picture!

DxO Optics Pro 6's Select screen.
Screenshot provided by DxO Labs.

DxO's automatic correction of lens defects is well-known, and continues to be extended with the release of modules supporting new camera bodies and lenses. DxO Optics Pro 6 now allows correction even if your specific lens / body combo isn't supported, however, courtesy of several manual controls. It is now possible to correct for fisheye, barrel or pincushion distortion, vignetting, aberrations and lens softness via a selection of user-friendly slider controls. These can also be used even when using automatic correction for a supported lens / body combo, allowing fine-tuning for a specific lens sample that varies slightly from the norm, or when a creative effect is desired.

As is generally the case when a new version of DxO Optics Pro ships, the latest release adds support for a healthy selection of new camera models. These include Nikon's D300s, Olympus' E3, E30, E410, E420, E450, E510, E520, and E620, and Sony's A230, A330, and A380. DxO's short-term roadmap notes that the Canon 1D Mark IV and PowerShot G11, Nikon D3S, Pentax K-7 as well as the Sony A500 and A550 are all slated for support in early 2010.

DxO Optics Pro v6 is available immediately for Windows users, with a 33% discount offered through year-end. This brings the price to $109 for the Standard edition, or $199 for the Elite edition (ordinarily $169 and $299 respectively). Customers who purchased DxO Optics Pro 5 since June 1st, 2009 are entitled to a free upgrade, while customers who've purchased Optics Pro before that date are eligible for a 40% discount through year-end. This drops the upgrade price for DxO Optics Pro Standard from $79 to $44, and for DxO Optics Pro Elite from $119 to $69.

A Mac OS version of DxO Optics Pro v6 will ship in 2010. Users of Apple's latest OS X 10.6 (Snow Leopard) release can expect an interim update of DxO Optics Pro v5.3.6 by month-end.

The Customize screen in DxO Optics Pro 6. Screenshot provided by DxO Labs. Click for a bigger picture!

The Customize screen in DxO Optics Pro 6.
Screenshot provided by DxO Labs.

Original Source Press Release:

New DxO Optics Pro 6 sets new bar for high ISO RAW conversion and further extends optical fault correction

New features include an improved user interface to increase accessibility and productivity.
33% introductory discount through December 31st

November 3, 2009 – DxO Labs is pleased to announce the immediate availability of DxO Optics Pro version 6, its award-winning software solution for demanding photographers. This new version provides the best-ever images from extreme ISO shots and further extends optical fault correction, while increasing both accessibility and productivity.

DxO Optics Pro 6 will be offered with an exceptional 33% introductory discount through December 31, 2009.

A New Bar for High ISO RAW Conversion
While camera manufacturers keep competing for high ISO performance, DxO Labs now offers the image processing technologies which are critical to delivering top-notch image quality from such extreme ISO shots. In low-light conditions, photographers must choose between using low ISO and risking unnatural flash lighting or camera shake, or using high ISO settings with its typical image noise and loss of colors and details. But now, thanks to a new technological approach, DxO Optics Pro 6 sets a new bar for RAW conversion: photographers can push their cameras to the ISO limits and even beyond — as much as one to two stops above their usual ISO settings! — and still get great photos without any noticeable loss in image quality.

“Advances in DxO Optics Pro 6 are able to significantly reduce the noisy color cast and the low spatial frequency color blotches that typically ruin very high ISO shots and more generally any photo with deep shadows,” explains Frédéric Guichard, DxO Labs’ Chief Imaging Scientist. “Removing strong low frequency noise involves processing pixels over a very large neighborhood while preserving fine details. To achieve natural-looking and sharp images, we leave some purely colorless noise in the image, producing a grain that looks strikingly similar to the finest grain from silver halide times.”

DxO Labs’ new de-noising technology significantly extends the effective dynamic range and best leverages the higher bit-depth that modern sensors provide. Cleaning noise out of dark regions of the images allows photographers to digitally relight them (e.g. using DxO Lighting tool). Overall, with DxO Optics Pro 6 photographers end up with many benefits:

  • Great photos when shooting at their camera’s highest ISO and beyond;

  • Extended dynamic range thanks to the ability to slightly under-expose their shots (with negative EV bias), thus avoiding clipping highlights and still minimizing noise in the lowlights;

  • Digital relighting of shadows or dark areas of their images without adding noise.

Extended Optical Fault Correction
DxO Optics Pro has long been recognized for its unrivalled automatic optical fault correction based on DxO Optics Modules — laboratory-grade mathematical models characterizing the optical faults of each particular camera & lens combination which are computed for each focal length, each aperture, each focusing distance, etc. More than 1600 DxO Optics Modules are available today and can now be automatically detected and downloaded to the application — and this number is growing at an accelerated pace.

Also, for photographers who desire to adjust optical correction for a creative purpose, or to handle lenses that are not calibrated yet, DxO Optics Pro 6 now provides controls to manually adjust distortion, vignetting, chromatic aberrations, and sharpness (USM) for any lens.

As DxO Optics Pro expert users always look for more precise controls, DxO Optics Pro 6 features an additional fine detail adjustment which specifically deals with the preservation of high spatial frequency texture and details of the images — another demonstration of DxO Labs’ consistent effort to bring the best to the optical faults correction so photographers can obtain the most perfect images.

Optics Pro 6: The Process screen. Screenshot provided by DxO Labs. Click for a bigger picture!

Optics Pro 6: The Process screen.
Screenshot provided by DxO Labs.

Improved User Interface
DxO Optics Pro 6’s user interface has been revamped to ease the first hands-on experience for beginners, providing them with the easiest RAW Conversion tool delivering best quality without the pain. For experts and professional photographers, productivity and control levels have also been improved.

New features include, among others:

  • Workspace customization for easier access to the photographer’s preferred tools;

  • Detachable and multi-line “Project” window for multi-monitor display and full-screen image preview;

  • Correction comparison between several candidates (for selecting preferred photo rendering);

  • Streamlined access to DxO Presets for increased productivity;

  • Automatic detection and download of missing DxO Optics Modules;

  • More ergonomic user interface for better accessibility.

Additional Camera Support
Both the Standard and Elite editions of DxO Optics Pro 6 add support to the Olympus D-SLR family, along with latest Sony and Nikon cameras:

  • Olympus E3, E30, E410, E420, E450, E510, E520, E620;

  • Sony A230, A330, A380;

  • Nikon D300s.

Availability and exceptional introductory price
For Windows:

DxO Optics Pro 6 for Windows Standard and Elite editions are scheduled for release in early November 2009 from both DxO Labs’ e-store and selected resellers, and will be available at an exceptional 33 % discount until December 31, 2009:

  • Standard edition: $ 109 instead of $ 169 (or a savings of $ 60)

  • Elite edition: $ 199 instead of $ 299 (or a savings of $ 100)

All customers who purchased DxO Optics Pro 5 after June 1st, 2009 are entitled to a free upgrade to version 6. All other users benefit from the following 40% discounts until December 31, 2009:

  • DxO Optics Pro Standard (any version) to DxO Optics Pro 6 Standard: $ 44 instead of $ 79.

  • DxO Optics Pro Elite (any version) to DxO Optics Pro 6 Elite: $ 69 instead of $ 119.

Prices exclude sales taxes and VAT.

For Mac:

DxO Optics Pro 6 for Macintosh is scheduled for release in early 2010. A Macintosh intermediate release, DxO Optics Pro 5.3.6, fully compatible with Snow Leopard, is scheduled for end of November. It will also include support for additional camera bodies.

System Requirements

  • 2 GB RAM minimum

  • 400 MB available disk space

  • To process RAW images larger than 20 MPixels, a 64-bit operating system with 4 GB RAM is strongly recommended

Windows:

  • Intel Pentium 4 processor or AMD equivalent (Pentium Dual Core or higher or equivalent recommended)

  • Microsoft Windows XP, Windows Vista 32 or 64 bits, Windows 7

Macintosh:

  • Universal Binary (G4, G5 or Intel-Mac)

  • Mac OS X.4 or X.5 or X.6

About DxO Optics Pro
DxO Optics Pro is an award-winning automatic image enhancement software for enthusiastic amateur and professional photographers shooting in JPEG or RAW format. World renowned for its unique automated optical corrections (distortion, vignetting, chromatic aberrations, lens softness), and its state-of-the-art RAW conversion, it addresses the entire spectrum of image quality issues, including noise removal, exposure optimization, keystoning correction, color control and dust removal. Its fully-customizable and easy-to-use interface makes it an unrivalled productivity tool, able to process hundreds of images in just a few clicks of a mouse.

For more information, visit DxO Labs’ website at www.dxo.com.

About DxO Labs
DxO Labs offers products and solutions that provide excellence in digital imaging. In addition to its DxO Optics Pro and DxO FilmPack products for Mac and Windows, aimed at serious and demanding photographers, the company also licenses patented intellectual property serving the entire digital imaging chain:

  • Embedded software and silicon architectures for real-time still and video image processing, for consumer electronics OEM/ODM (such as digital camera and camera phone vendors);

  • Image quality evaluation and measurement tools, for imaging component suppliers (camera module manufacturers, sensor vendors, and processor vendors) as well as photography journalists and imaging experts.

For more information, visit DxO Labs’ website at www.dxo.com.

DxO is a registered trademark of DxO Labs. Other trademarks and trade names may be used in this document to refer to either the entities claiming the marks and names or their products. DxO Labs disclaims any proprietary interest in trademarks and trade names other than its own.

The View screen in DxO Optics Pro's latest version. Screenshot provided by DxO Labs. Click for a bigger picture!

The View screen in DxO Optics Pro's latest version.
Screenshot provided by DxO Labs.

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