Purchasing a Capture NX 2 product key online?

[fvdbergh]

Has anyone purchased a product key for Capture NX 2 online? I have heard that the product keys are region-locked, i.e., you can not install any future updates (at least not easily) if your ip address does not match your product key region.

I ask because the key is only $180 in the US, but the boxed version goes for about R3000 here in SA.

I spoke to the local agents yesterday, and they said that there are regulatory reasons why they can not sell the product keys locally. Whether that is true or not is irrelevant, unfortunately. They also stated that their cost is around R1800 for the boxed product! Hard to believe, since the boxed product can be bought from B&H for R900 at the current exchange rate --- but I do not know what the import duties are for software.

Anyhow, my question: has anyone bought a product key for Capture NX 2 internationally, and used it in SA? Any problems?

 

[GTi]

I prefer using lightroom 3 over Capture NX 2. Can't help you on the import stuff. Try Liightroom free 30 day trial.

 

[noxibox]

I've read that Nikon USA will not accept a non-US credit card for payment anyway. But assuming they did you could easily buy a key, download the software from Nikon in a different country and try it out. If it doesn't work ask for a refund. If they refuse simply request a reversal from your bank.

What stops you from getting updates from Nikon USA if you can get the key and initial software from them?

All that said though the reviews I've seen indicate that Lightroom 3 is now on average as good as using Capture NX from an image quality point of view. And the user interface of Lightroom blows Capture NX out of the water. Capture NX is a truly atrocious piece of software in that regard.

 

[fvdbergh]

I prefer using lightroom 3 over Capture NX 2. Can't help you on the import stuff. Try Liightroom free 30 day trial.

Thanks for the tip. I have tried Lightroom 3, and it does appear to work very well. These things are hard to quantify, but it seems as if with Lightroom it takes less effort to salvage some of my more challenging shots.

The localized brush-based editing of LR3 is quite nice, but it would be brilliant if they could add something like the u-point controls from Capture NX too .... not that I used it that much, but it tends to "just work" when I need it.