Capture One 4+

Excellent for Tether - but still lots of features missing

I have been using Capture One for iPad for almost a year now. Wireless and Wired tether with the Sony A7IV - speed is incredible, sometimes glitched when scrolling thru a lot of photos, but with each update that gets better.

For client review on the location, specially places where I can’t have a laptop - like streets, lakes, pools, and others, the app is incredible, full RAWs on a big screen helps everyone on a creative team, from makeup artist, hairstyles, fashion designers and clients, make changes on the spot and that’s the main reason I got the app.

I wish masking and local adjustments will make it to the app as well, pretty much can’t do any editing on it - I have to wait to transfer files to the desktop all the time. Also live preview would make the app so much better

Nearly immediately frustrating

I can’t determine a good reason that this version is so painfully chopped down compared to its desktop counterpart. I tried on both iPhone and iPad. I’m positive an M1 iPad Pro can handle a fully fledged Capture One Pro. I was at least able to connect my Fujifilm X-T4 to the iPad, but that’s when I learned that there was no Live View. Why??? That was 80% of the reason I wanted the app in the first place. Capture One on iOS/iPadOS has been out for almost a year now; why isn’t this a feature? I’m sorry, but shooting directly to my device instead of a memory card just feels pointless. Also, why would I try to hold my camera or tripod mount it and use a very powerful and expensive iPad Pro just to hit the shutter? It couldn’t even change exposure or shutter speed settings on the fly — they would almost immediately flip back to the starting value I left them on. This app feels like it’s in an early beta stage nearly a year later, and you’re asking for money for it. I could maybe get some use out of it to do some really basic RAW processing shortly after shooting, or if I don’t want to work from my laptop I guess?

Developer Response ,

Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Eric. Capture One for iPad is a separate product from Capture One Pro, so some differences in feature set are expected. However, we do appreciate the feedback and since you have specific improvements on your mind, we would really love to know more. You can use this forum here captureone.co/improvemobile to share your ideas on how we can provide you with an even better experience.

I understand the frustration, but…

I 100% get the frustration with the iPad version of capture one and a few months ago I would have rated it it 3 stars at BEST. It is not a fully baked standalone alternative to the Mac version. So many features are missing and it’s really not ready for use as a standalone raw editor.

What it is, I have learned, is a fantastic tool for a very narrow scope of work - basically a companion to the full desktop capture one to use for tethered shooting -or- a just-good-enough editor to get something out while in the field. Understanding that, I think it accomplishes what it aims to.

Do I wish we could have full desktop capture one on an iPad? Yes.
Do I wish for more editing tools? Definitely (levels, curves, brushes, etc. would all be very welcome.)
Is this worth the subscription price? Maybe… it wasn’t for me for personal use, but for professional tethered portrait sessions: I feel it offers just enough to be useful and it’s great for clients to interact with.

I hope we get more our of this soon, but if you are looking for a solid option for tethered shooting, than this might be the tool to get.

Developer Response ,

Thank you for sharing your thoughts.
Capture One for iPad will let you start on the go, make first edits using presets or manual adjustments, and go ahead with the final touches at home on the desktop by transferring your work smoothly across devices afterward, so you can use our app along with your favorite editing software.
Since you have some specific improvements on your mind, we would really love to know more. You can use this forum here https://support.captureone.com/hc/en-us/community/topics/6431248131613?sort_by=votes to share your ideas on how we can make your experience even better.