Capture One VS Lightroom editing
Left a picture sample from Capture One, and the same (right) in Lightroom. I tried to match them as much as possible, but not being scientifically precise. Just doing what I normally do, but same white balance setting and black and shadow levels for example.
This is the second version of the original article. I added more thoughts and some samples. The added content is in grey boxes, allowing you to compare it with my initial impressions. There is a short period between the two versions.
Capture One vs Lightroom:
Which One Brings Out the Best in Your Leica M?
I also added Sony and Fuji at the end of the article.
I have been an avid user of Lightroom for many years, and like everyone else, I have been kind of lazy and just used this software for my editing. I know Capture One has been around, but until recently, I was satisfied with what I got from Lightroom. Until I tried Capture One. Here is a breakdown of some of the important features and differences between Capture One and Lightroom based on my experience.
When you’re shooting with a Leica M, you’re not just taking photos—you’re capturing moments with one of the most iconic cameras in the world. But once the shutter clicks, the next step is just as important: how you process those files.
There are IA tools in both L. and CO., but I avoid those as much as possible and prefer what comes closest to good old manual craftsmanship. Capture One and Adobe Lightroom both are powerful, but they handle your Leica files (+ Sony and Fuji) workflow very differently.
Let’s break it down.
Colour Science: The Soul of Your Leica
- Capture One: Known for its exceptional colour accuracy, Capture One builds custom colour profiles for supported cameras. Leica M files retain their signature tones, contrast, and micro-detail, making your images look as close to the real thing as possible, right out of the gate.
- Lightroom: Adobe’s profiles are solid, but often generic (update – The Leica M9 handling in Capture One is also generic). Leica colours can appear flatter or cooler, requiring more manual tweaking to get that signature Leica “pop.”
RAW Processing: Detail, Depth, and Dynamic Range
- Capture One: Delivers crisper detail, better highlight recovery, and more nuanced tonal control. Leica M files—especially from the M10 and M11—shine with Capture One’s rendering engine, but I also find a much better tonality from the Leica M9 files.
- Lightroom: Still excellent, but tends to apply more aggressive noise reduction and sharpening by default, which can soften fine detail. It can be corrected to a certain extent within Lightroom, but not as pleasing as Capture One, which creates a more “soft” film-like feeling.
Workflow & File Handling
- Capture One: Offers both Catalogues and Sessions, giving you flexibility whether you’re managing a full archive or a single shoot. Ideal for professionals and project-based workflows. I only need the catalogue for my kind of work habit, but it’s there.
- Lightroom: Uses a catalogue-only system. Great for long-term organisation and cloud syncing, but less flexible for one-off or client-specific sessions, as stated above, enough for me.
For flexibility and image quality, I find Capture One is the best. The winner for cloud integration and ease of use is Lightroom.
- Capture One: Built for pros. Offers deep control but has a steeper learning curve and isn’t as intuitive to learn as Lightroom. However, the big advantage, if you’re like me and have used Lightroom, is that you can change and rearrange how the different actions and palettes are displayed on the screen, making it customizable and closer to Lightroom. Nevertheless, there are some functions that you simply must learn by using them for a while.
- Lightroom: More intuitive and beginner-friendly. Seamless integration with Photoshop and Adobe Creative Cloud.
Final Verdict: Which One for Leica M?
If you’re a Leica M shooter who values colour accuracy, RAW fidelity, and professional-grade control, Capture One is the clear choice. It brings out the best in your Leica files—preserving the soul of your images with minimal effort, I find.
But if you’re looking for a simpler, cloud-connected workflow, or you’re already deep in the Adobe ecosystem, Lightroom still delivers excellent results with a gentler learning curve.
Capture One
Lightroom
At the end of the day, it matters what you are doing and why
After making more one-to-one comparisons, I will add to the above that Capture One and Lightroom have each their strengths and weaknesses.
Capture One is great at colour rendering, and when looking very closely, it handles colours well. If you are a portrait photographer or shoot commercials, this might be the go-to tool.
As a street photographer and photojournalist, I have found it difficult to edit with Capture One on the fly. I don’t need that extra care about colour rendition for my kind of work. I need speed, I need good highlight and shadow handling, and to my surprise, Lightroom does a far better job on that than Capture One is capable of.
Capture One
Lightroom
It takes a little time to adjust the workflow in Capture One, but as with everything else, it’s a matter of repetition, and it gets easy to work with. Less intuitive when compared to Lightroom.
Fujifilm Cameras
Capture One is widely regarded as the superior choice for Fujifilm RAW files, especially those using the X-Trans sensor (like the X-T2, X-T3, X-Pro2, and GFX series):
- Sharper detail: Capture One avoids the “Adobe worms” artefact that Lightroom sometimes introduces when processing X-Trans files, which influences the look.
- Better colour rendering: Capture One seems to retain Fujifilm’s film simulations more accurately and delivers richer, deeper tones than Lightroom.
- Dedicated version: Capture One offers a Fujifilm-specific edition, optimised for these sensors, which may be a clear benefit.
Lightroom, while improved over time, still struggles with fine detail and can produce a slightly soft or smeared look when zoomed in and looking at details.
Sony Cameras
Capture One also excels with Sony files, offering:
- Cleaner noise handling and better fine detail, especially at higher ISOs, this shows..
- Offering a Sony-specific version of Capture One, tailored for Sony’s colour science and RAW formats
and also shows faster preview generation and export speeds compared to Lightroom.
Lightroom supports Sony cameras broadly, but its default rendering may require more manual tweaking to match Capture One’s clarity and tonal depth.
Capture One
Lightroom
Workflow and results
After using some hours now with Capture One, it still annoys me finding the tools and making them behave like I want. The colours surely come out great from my Leica M9, but the better highlight preservation in RAW files overrules that feature.
Capture One is justified for detailed colour work for commercials and portraits, but for street, my kind of portrait shooting, and photojournalism, I simply find Lightroom is a better choice. I am a bit surprised I ended up with that conclusion, because I like details, but I also find that some details can be too much and not worth the annoying workflow.
It’s possible to adjust some features in Capture One and replace functions, but not optimal for my habits.
My conclusion
Capture One is great for very detailed work.
Lightroom is the best for speed, flow and correcting highlights.
I know I will go to Lightroom as my basic tool now, and maybe Capture One in between for specific jobs.
Lightroom