Photomatix V Niks HDR pro

[dulvariprestige]

Hi all,
Has anyone compared photomatix against niks HDR pro, looking at getting a HDR program and would like to get some peoples opinions on both if possible.
Thanks

[Mr Lensbaby]

Timely question Jayde im in the same position at present and think the best suggestion would be try both they both come with a 30 day trial . My dilemma is weather i can get away using just Lightroom

Im finding a lot of great information on the H D R groups on flickr where this question has been answered a few times although nothing conclusive


COPY PASTE I think this is what it all comes down to

* Anytime there is any significant movement in a bracketed series such as trees in the wind or shooting hand held HDRs, I almost always prefer to process with CS5 HDR Pro due to the unparalleled alignment capabilities. The ability to select one image as the source image for the HDR alignment makes all the difference in the world.
* For landscapes captures when using a tripod, I’m really starting to prefer the results from Nik HDR Efex Pro. Some of my most recent landscape images have turned out beyond my expectations without having to spend tons of time merging and blending layers in CS5.
* Photomatix Pro 4 continues to be the king of grunge and architecture HDRs. When I want to unleash the creative not so realistic possibilities of a HDR image, I’ll almost always go to Photomatix Pro which is hands down the fastest HDR processing tool.

[dulvariprestige]

Thanks for, very helpful, I have that CS5 has really stepped up, but I don't really want to spend too much atm, played around with Niks today, must say it's very user friendly and I'm getting some ok results so far, but I can't expect perfection after only a few hours lol.
I'll definitely be putting in some hrs over the next 2 weeks.

[dulvariprestige]

Thanks for, very helpful, I have that CS5 has really stepped up, but I don't really want to spend too much atm, played around with Niks today, must say it's very user friendly and I'm getting some ok results so far, but I can't expect perfection after only a few hours lol.
I'll definitely be putting in some hrs over the next 2 weeks.

[ricktas]

The best way is to download the trial versions and give them a test run. What I like, may not suit you etc. Try them out and then decide which one you like more.

[daletron]

i find that Nik software is very very easy to use and you can get some great results with it.

Photomatix is also a great program but can take a little longer to acheive the result you are looking for.

either way they are both great.

cheers

[patriciaann]

I have been using a beta version of Oloneo Photo Engine
http://www.oloneo.com/ which is still available, and as they are working on it they offer upgrades. I use Photomatix also, Photoengine seems to give a more realistic result, but it depends on the individual tastes. Pat

[baldrick]

I have tested trial versions of all the above, but I always seem to come back to Mediachance Dynamic Photo. Works for me.

[macmich]

i ordered hdr pro the other day after playing with it
i got the student price of 78 dollars which is pretty good
cheers macca

[dulvariprestige]

Thanks all for your replies,

I ended up buying Nik's, out of the three mentioned, it was the easiest for me to get my head around.