Capture One has officially killed off Nikon, Fujifilm and Sony-specific versions of Capture One 22

Capture One has announced that they’ve officially discontinued their brand-specific versions of Capture One for Nikon, Sony and Fujifilm cameras. This means that now, there’s only one version available; The more expensive one. The change, they say, is due to “preparation for the launch of new and existing products, including a powerful new way to collaborate with Capture One Live, and the brand’s first iOS app with Capture one for iPad”.

It seems, though, that all may not be quite lost. If you own a perpetual license for the Sony, Nikon or Fujifilm version of Capture One 22 (which is still available to purchase today at B&H for $199), they will continue to work forever and Capture One says they’ll still see updates throughout the life of Capture One 22. However, you’ll get a free upgrade to Capture One Pro (which is $299) in early April 2022.

According to a FAQ that Capture One have put up on their website about the removal of brand-specific versions, subscribers to Capture One for Sony, Nikon or Fujifilm will get a free update as part of their subscription. Perpetual license owners of a brand-specific version of Capture One 22 will also see a free update in early April 2022. Perpetual license holders of brand-specific versions of Capture One 21 and older can upgrade to Capture One Pro 22 at a 25% discount. This 25% discount brings that $299 down to around $225, so you’re still going to save another $25 by just buying the brand-specific version of Capture One 22 for $199 and waiting until April for the free upgrade.

Capture One says that they’re streamlining their offerings to focus on their “goal to become the most efficient E2E photography and collaboration platform for photographers” and after having listened to feedback from its users, they plan to release Capture One Live next month and we’ll finally see Capture One come to the iPad at some point during the spring.

If you do own a brand-specific perpetual license and choose not to upgrade, your existing copies will still keep working forever and Capture One says they will still be updating them during the life of Capture One 22, but as soon as Capture One 23 is released (due to be released in the latter part of 2022) there will be no more and it’ll be too late to claim the free upgrade at that point as the free upgrade offer ends when Capture One 23 is announced.

Right now, if you don’t own any version of Capture One or you’re using Capture One 21 or older, your best bet for max savings may be to buy a brand-specific version of Capture One 22 from B&H (you can’t buy them from Capture One directly anymore) and then wait for the free upgrade to the full brand-agnostic version of Capture One Pro 22 in a couple of months.