Capture One for iPad is out. Ok.

This will be awfully short.

I really like Capture One, it’s the core of my photography workflow, and it would be very hard for me to leave it behind. But I also loved Aperture, and I was extremely comfortable with Lightroom. The point being: every DAM out there can do the job just fine. Each has its idiosyncrasies, its strengths and weaknesses, but we are adaptable beings. At the end of the day, I know I can achieve results regardless of the app I’m using.

Inflation is hitting historical highs. The photography business has been one of the hardest hit by the pandemic. It’s not over either, as much as we’d like to think so: our son, today, tested positive for COVID-19. Three vaccines and yet, here we are. He’s sick too, not asymptomatic. In this utterly lovely landscape, Capture One has released their iPad version: a companion app that is, by their admission, unfinished. In fact, as of writing, it doesn’t even include a curve tool.

And yet, it requires a monthly subscription—on top of the Capture One subscription. This includes cloud transfers described as «essentially unlimited»…except the service is capped at 1000 images. So, not unlimited. Hence the word “essentially”. Gotcha.

I don’t mind paying for the tools I use. It’s my job, it’s deductible, etc. But I dislike hubris and lately, the company has shown quite a bit of it. Bottom line: the value proposition of the iPad app is not there as far as I’m concerned. It would barely exist as an included add-on to paying customers, so asking for another $72 CAD/year, in light of what C1 already costs, and what the competition offers…it’s somewhat stunning to me.

ROI matters.