Tutorial : How to make DLO work with non compatible lenses

Tutorial : How to make DLO work with non compatible lenses

Postby DPP++ » Fri Jan 11, 2013 7:59 pm

WARNING
The method described below modifies the metadata in the RAW file. So use it at your own risks. I will not be considered responsible if your RAW file is damaged.
It is recommended to save a copy of your original RAW file before proceeding with this method.


Principle
The principle of the method is quite simple. We will just modify a metadata inside the raw file to let DLO believe that the RAW file was taken with a compatible lens.

You can help
The problem here is which compatible lens should we use ?
The first tests I did, let me think that you should choose the compatible lense that has the nearest characteristics (but this should be confirmed with further tests).
For instance, for TAMRON 28-75, the compatible lense that has the nearest characteristics is the Canon 28-70 F2.8L USM. This lens gave me the best results eventhough I haven't make tests with all available compatible lenses.

Edit : after new tests this assumption seems to be wrong as the Canon 28-200 USM provides better results than the Canon 28-70 F2.8L USM.

I will try to keep a table of best compatible lens to use for a given non-compatible lens and your help will be much appreciated here.
So, if you find a compatible lens that gives best results for a given non-compatible lens, please let me know (send an e-mail to dppplus@gmail.com) and I'll add it to the table, so as everyone will be able to use this information.

Correspondance Table between Non-compatible lenses and compatible lenses
The correspondance table is here : http://digitol.free.fr/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=138

Tools we will need first
To apply the method we will need tools that allow us to modify the concerned metadata.
The tools I have used are :
  1. exiftool : this is a free command line program that will allow us to modify the metadata. You can download it here : http://www.sno.phy.queensu.ca/~phil/exiftool/. Download the windows executable zip file. After downloading, unzip it in the windows directory and rename it to exiftool if you have hide the file extensions in explorer preferences or exiftool.exe if extensions are not hidden (you have just to remove the (-k)).
  2. exiftoolgui : this is a graphical interface that will use the previous program instead of us. So it will be simpler for us to use the graphical interface rather than the previous command line program. Download it from here : http://u88.n24.queensu.ca/exiftool/forum/index.php/topic,2750.0.html. After downloading, unzip it somewhere and create a shortcut for the exiftoolgui.exe executable file.

For mac users
You can use the pyExifToolGUI application, along with exiftool : http://panorama.dyndns.org/index.php?lang=en&subject=pyExifToolGUI&texttag=pyExifToolGUI
See : http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showpost.php?p=15476531&postcount=20

The method
To illustrate the method I will take as an example a shot taken with a Tamron 28-75mm.

1. First launch exiftoolgui. You should get a window like this one. Select you RAW file and click on the "Maker" button in the right part of the window. Have a look at the "LensType" tag name. This is the metadata DLO uses to identify the lens. So we will modify this metadata.

Image

2. Click on the "ExifTool direct" button which is located at the bottom left of the window and write the following text :

-LensType="Canon EF 28-70mm f/2.8L"

and press the "Return" keyboard key to validate.

Here you must be very careful because you have to enter the exact text so as DLO will recognize the compatible lens.
Don't enter the name of the lens as it appears in DLO (EF28-70mm F2.8L USM). It will not work.
And don't forget the spaces between the words, else it will not work.
I have noticed also that one should not enter the word USM.
Don't forget the minus sign at the beginning of the line also.
I will try to keep in the archive table the exact names of the compatible lenses, so as you'll have just to copy-paste them.

Image

3. If everything works well, LensType tag should have changed now.

Image

That's all. Now you can use DLO with your RAW file.

Some test shots
At left without DLO, at right with DLO.

Canon 50mm 1.8 II

Sharpness=0
ImageImage

Sharpness=3
ImageImage

Sharpness=5
ImageImage

Tamron 28-75

Sharpness=0
ImageImage

Sharpness=3
ImageImage

Sharpness=5
ImageImage

Sharpness=0

ImageImage

What is incredible is that even if I push the sharpness to the max (10) in the non DLO version and keep the DLO version at 0, the DLO version still shows more details !

ImageImage

and finally sharpness at 3 for both

ImageImage
DPP++
Pushing DPP further
User avatar
DPP++
Site Admin
 
Posts: 142
Joined: Sun Dec 19, 2010 7:46 pm

Return to DPP++ in English

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 1 guest

cron