[Macworld]

Post your comments for Expo: Hydra 2.0 Aperture plug-in coming at Expo here

[Mattshoots]

I can't comment on 2.0, but from 1.x it has a huge mountain to overcome to be anything close to as good as Photomatix. I did a basic test of the 2 against each other and it wasn't even close in terms of the results. Perhaps the effect you are looking for is subjective, but the overall control of the HDR is much, much better in Photomatix.

[mike3k]

Hydra's big win is that it plays better with Aperture than Photomatix. I also use the Photomatix plugin with Photoshop, but it has the disadvantage of not being able to accept RAW files directly from Aperture.

[Mattshoots]

I don't know, my number one goal is to get the exact picture I want. In the case of HDR, it's also not a regular thing for me, so my workflow can be interrupted for it. I can see how it would be easier in Aperture, but in any event I'm a lightroom person. :)

[nhaukap]

Hydra currently requires exif exposure information in all of the photos to process its HDR, which doesn't sound like a limitation until you attempt to create an HDR from photos taken with a Lensbaby, which does not generate complete exposure exif info. So I'll stick with Photomatix, too, unless they fix this problem and can also match Photomatix overall image quality.