Nikon View NX-i

[Jorge Arguello]

Comming soon, in 2 weeks.

nikon.com/news/2015/0302_soft_02.htm

It looks promising!

[ameerat42]

Jorge.
You might have to fix up that "link". It doesn't work.
Am.

[Jorge Arguello]

Thank you Am. Here is the link.
http://nikon.com/news/2015/0302_soft_02.htm

[arthurking83]

I just downloaded and tried it.

Overall impression .. for 99% of folks it's probably quite good.

When I got it to run, that is ... same issue as with CNX-D, as it crashes on most attempts to start it just as with NX-D.
I suspect this may be a problem with my PC .. except that no other software has issues .. only these two newbies from Nikon.

Anyhow, go it to run, and it has to uninstall ViewNX2 before it installs .. hinting that it's an update of ViewNX2 .. not just a straight up complete rewrite.

Once I got it to run, it's quite quick in may ways.
As quick for me as ViewNX2 is, and by comparison to CNX-D .. it's a missile! ... compared to a geriatric snail with bad legs.

No editing functions at all .. only mapping and linking to other software to edit is possible.

MY major hurdle(as I expected to see) .. is Nikon new found wonderland of using external xml files for storing both edits and tagging data.

This for me is the deal breaker.
I want my tags stored internally, as Nikon used to do it.
This allows easy copying/cloning/backing up of files to many/any/all other locations and devices.

And it allows me to see tag info on raw files if I use other file browsers to see/sort/move/copy/etc those raw files.(ie. not tied to the one software for all eternity, if sanity and stress free is your life long quest )


So in summary .. the good, the bad and the ugly. It's all three.

good .. it works well as a viewer and a way to sort files, do some mapping and a few other bits. Lots of software at this level of capability but they all usually have more ability.

bad .. it doesn't do it the right way .. tag raw files that is. If you don't do it this way, or don't need tagging, or use other software for doing so .. there is no point in downloading it(154Mb file size).

ugly .. there is no future for Nikon software. This software from Nikon is proof that they have given up on software. Nikon are just too incompetent to realise this(yet).


It will only allow you to view your files. If you tag them with any important info, you are then tied to Nikon's new incompetent software to view any of this important tagged info.


Summary: is there any point to this software(other than for Nikon to showcase what they think is now important software .. Nikon movie editor! )


ps. As if the futility of this software isn't enough to vindicate my point that Nikon are a fantastic conglomeration of backward thinking incompetent ... rivalling only the current Aussie governement! ... they can't get their programmer subcontractors to get the programming right either. The web feature doesn't allow you to log into Fb due to an incompatibility issue with the program. (you can get it to link to the hopelessly slow Nikon MySpace site tho).


needless to say I uninstalled it, cleaned out the registry(manually!) and reinstalled ViewNX2.10.3 again ... phew! ... that was a close call.

[Jorge Arguello]

I am using VNX2 2.10.3 and CNXD 1.0.3
Thank you for your comments Arthur, something to consider since CNXD 1.1.0 crashes (on my computer) so I moved back to 1.0.3
Something to think about... right?

[arthurking83]

CNX-D has always crashed on my computer .. from the first beta to the second last version(v1.1.0).

The crashes are so much crashes .. as in operating the software and suddenly a problem. My issue is in getting it to start in the first place.

Click the icon .. wait a few seconds and before the window starts to generate, the Windows notification pops up claiming that CaptureNX-D has encountered a problem : with the option to close the program, or to search for a solution.

Did both and up to v1.1.0 .. same issue over and over again.
In some instances I might try 4 or 5 times .. just to see if it eventually works(which it does at some point).

Once running .. apart from glacial pace, it's never crashed on me during any operation(s).

Since I wanted to see what VNX-i was about, I also updated CNX-D to the new version 1.2.0, and in 5 separate attempts to open it, it has yet to crash on opening(as before).

ViewNX-i on the other hand ... seemed to be worse(on this PC so far), than NX-D has been so far.
I did eventually get it running, and it did seem very fast(considering how bad NX-D is).

I was expecting the same programmers were working on VNX-i as did on CNX-D, so my expectations for it were lower than I ended up with.

Pity about the way they set up the keywording/metadata system tho.
This one small vital(for me) workflow setup is extremely important to me. Been there before, lost my way, re found my way and no I see any other method as a setup for disaster.
This is why I don't like Lr as a cataloging system either(where by cataloging I'm more interested in the meta data attachment to the actual raw files.

Lr seemed to start this trend of using external sidecar files, and now Nikon have jumped on the same out of control bandwagon.

FWIW: why it's important to me is that if you lose, in any way, the catalog or any of the sidecar files become corrupted or whatever, you lose the small amount of data related to the affected files.
The reason we use tags for images is that they are there to remind us on what/why/how/who/when .. etc .. the images was shot.

If any of those sidecar files get corrupted, and you don't realise it at the time .. then realise it much later .. the point may have been totally lost in adding tags to the image in the first place.
You could easily have forgotten the tagged info.

When the image store gets to hundreds of thousands, and many of those images are repeated or revisits to a particular place, it can get out of hand trying to keep up with it all.

This is why I like VNX2(and before that CNX2 and Nikon Transfer) .. you add the metadata(in Nikon speak this is ITPC data/info) .. and those programs embed the tag data in the actual raw file.
When I view those raw files in Windows Explorer, or FSViewer, the tagged info is displayed if set up to do so.

So I see via any viewing program that DSC_9899 is an image of a paddock. I can see the generated image or thumbnail. But I can also see that it was taken in Yea, near Cheviot tunnel, while I was on a drive to Mt Stirling.
This is a different scenario to a similar paddock taken a few weeks earlier whilst on a drive to Ballarat and I stopped near Pykes Creek or something.

As you can see, having the tagged data embedded into the raw file is so much more simple, as I don't HAVE to use ViewNX-i, or CNX-D to see any of this tagged info(actually CNX-D can't display any tag data at all anyhow!)

Again, it brings us to the topic of being tied down to the one software manufacturer to type .. and in the case of Nikon, have shown us to be pretty incompetent in keeping up to date with software!

My main cataloging software is one called IDImager, but I've been desperate to find an alternative as it's been discontinued .. a long time back.
It works, and that's not a problem, and it also allows to write the tag data into the raw file(if you insist for it too!) .. so this is still an option.

But I've been looking at other options for the distant future.

Anyhow, I'm curious as to your crashing issues with CNX-D 1.1.0 too .. try v 1.2.0 and see if it helps.

[MissionMan]

I gave up on NX-D. I couldn't get it to stop crashing on my Mac. It's disappointing. I can view thumbnails but the moment i start opening images they crash

[Jorge Arguello]

That is right, The tags now are on the sidecar files in VNXi, while VNX2 set tags on the NEF.
VNXi does not crash (often... LOL!) so I can work with it. But the tags outside the NEF, and I guess location as well, is not good when we backup just NEF files.
Thank you for the information, another thing to consider (while it keeps crashing... )