Camerabits gives way to subscription sirens for its Photo Mechanic software

[PhD69]

I have been using Photomechanic Plus for the past few years.

From the calculations I made, I estimate the annual cost of usage at +-60€/year (compared to what I paid over recent years)

I received a few days ago a communication from camerabits that informs me of their switch to subscription billing, with an amount of $249/year for the Plus version.

This is a fourfold increase in the cost of use.

Note that there is no upgrade program for former loyal customers and that the price of the perpetual licence is prohibitive.

Guess what will happen to this software on my side...

======================================

Here is the answer that camerabits sent to my request for clarification, essentially a copy/paste of their website:

"Hi Philippe,

Thanks for reaching out!

Legacy Licenses (those purchased prior to our new store, including your Photo Mechanic Plus purchase) will continue to receive development updates through May of 2024 (5+ years after its release). After that point, your License will still be able to be used perpetually on all compatible systems.


If you at some point are interested in our newer offerings, Photo Mechanic is currently offered in two Editions: Photo Mechanic Standard, and Photo Mechanic Plus.

Photo Mechanic Standard is the workflow tool used by professional photographers worldwide. View and cull down large batches of raw files to find your keepers fast. Use Photo Mechanic Standard to streamline viewing, add or edit crucial metadata like keywords, captions, copyright information, and more. Speed through complex file renaming and reorganization tasks in a few simple steps, then send or upload files where they need to go right from within the program. Integrate Photo Mechanic with your existing post-processing workflow to speed up those time-consuming tasks and get back to what you do best!

Photo Mechanic Plus contains all the features of Photo Mechanic Standard and extends Photo Mechanic with catalogs. Photo Mechanic Plus is a fast media manager and browser for viewing, organizing, archiving, and finding digital photo collections. View your new digital photos fast, or locate and manage your complete collection in one or more catalogs across many external drives. You can even manage up to a million photos at once. From right after your shoot, to finding photos for clients years later, Photo Mechanic Plus speeds up your workflow and helps you work the way you want.

Both Editions of Photo Mechanic can be purchased as either a Subscription or a Perpetual license.

• Subscription licenses include a free 14-day trial period after purchase. Users are provided with smooth software updates, full customer support, and access to features as they are released for as long as the subscription is active. Access to Photo Mechanic will be discontinued when the subscription is canceled.
• Perpetual licenses will receive full software updates and support for one year after purchase. After one year, Photo Mechanic will not receive any new updates but the license can be used perpetually on the last compatible operating system.

To purchase a license, please visit the Camera Bits Store to choose the option that best fits your needs:

Photo Mechanic Standard

• Monthly Subscription license for $14.99/mo.
  
  • includes free 14-day trial. First billing after trial, then monthly.
• Annual Subscription license for $149.00/yr.
  
  • includes free 14-day trial. First billing after trial, then annually
• Perpetual, non-subscription license for a one-time payment of $299.00
  
  • No trial. Credit card will be charged at completion of order.

Photo Mechanic Plus

• Monthly Subscription license for $24.99/mo.
  
  • includes free 14-day trial. First billing after trial, then monthly.
• Annual Subscription license for $249.00/yr.
  
  • includes free 14-day. First billing after trial, then annually.
• Perpetual, non-subscription license for a one-time payment of $399.00
  
  • No trial. Credit card will be charged at completion of order.

Thanks for your interest in Photo Mechanic, Philippe! Please let us know if we can answer any other questions for you.

Best Regards,"

 

[BarkingBeans Coffee]

Sorry for your loss. What are you looking at as alternatives?

 

[Butlerkid]

Sorry for your loss. What are you looking at as alternatives?

Seems to me this is an option .....i.e. to continue to use the current software????

"Legacy Licenses (those purchased prior to our new store, including your Photo Mechanic Plus purchase) will continue to receive development updates through May of 2024 (5+ years after its release). After that point, your License will still be able to be used perpetually on all compatible systems."

 

[PhilcTx]

Seems to me this is an option .....i.e. to continue to use the current software????

"Legacy Licenses (those purchased prior to our new store, including your Photo Mechanic Plus purchase) will continue to receive development updates through May of 2024 (5+ years after its release). After that point, your License will still be able to be used perpetually on all compatible systems."

I have used PM V6.0 for several years.

I agree that it appears we can continue to use and receive development fixes/improvements thru May 2024. After 5/2024 we still will have a valid perpetual license but no more updates. That's fine with me - it has done all I need and I've never noticed any glaring bugs or lack of a feature that caused me issues using it.

No PM subscription for me.

 

[Nextlife1]

I have used PM V6.0 for several years.

I agree that it appears we can continue to use and receive development fixes/improvements thru May 2024. After 5/2024 we still will have a valid perpetual license but no more updates. That's fine with me - it has done all I need and I've never noticed any glaring bugs or lack of a feature that caused me issues using it.

No PM subscription for me.

The problem in these situations is that eventually the software stops working with newer computer operating systems unless one can update the software. Of course this isn’t a problem if you don’t update your OS, but that has its own issues.

 

[DavidT]

I use Photo Mechanic 6. I haven’t gotten any emails. Not sure if this version is changing. What does the plus version do differently?

 

[PhD69]

I use Photo Mechanic 6. I haven’t gotten any emails. Not sure if this version is changing. What does the plus version do differently?

6 is an older version than Plus.
See the text in my initial post for details about the Standard and Plus versions.

 

[BillW]

Seems to me this is an option .....i.e. to continue to use the current software????

"Legacy Licenses (those purchased prior to our new store, including your Photo Mechanic Plus purchase) will continue to receive development updates through May of 2024 (5+ years after its release). After that point, your License will still be able to be used perpetually on all compatible systems."

That’s my thought for now. I’m using a Z9 and Z8, so I do not see a new type of camera body for me for a while. (My wife gets a funny smile on her face when I say things like that.) I do not need additional functionality in Photo Mechanic, although perhaps if they add it, I might like it. I’m using the standard version now, not Plus. So perhaps the nearest issue in time would be if it ceased to work with a new version of Mac OS.

Interesting that Camerabits thinks that this software should cost more on a monthly basis than a subscription to Photoshop/Lightroom/Bridge.

 

[SandyW]

I remember seeing this earlier this year. I really don't see a problem. My current software works fine and I will continue to use it. If/when I end up with a system that cannot run this software I will make any decisions then. Plus never interested me as I use LR for my database.

For those that need everything PM has to offer, the price is what it is. The programs do different things.

 

[agrumpybirdphotographer]

I have been using Photomechanic Plus for the past few years.

From the calculations I made, I estimate the annual cost of usage at +-60€/year (compared to what I paid over recent years)

I received a few days ago a communication from camerabits that informs me of their switch to subscription billing, with an amount of $249/year for the Plus version.

This is a fourfold increase in the cost of use.

Note that there is no upgrade program for former loyal customers and that the price of the perpetual licence is prohibitive.

Guess what will happen to this software on my side...

======================================

Here is the answer that camerabits sent to my request for clarification, essentially a copy/paste of their website:

"Hi Philippe,

Thanks for reaching out!

Legacy Licenses (those purchased prior to our new store, including your Photo Mechanic Plus purchase) will continue to receive development updates through May of 2024 (5+ years after its release). After that point, your License will still be able to be used perpetually on all compatible systems.


If you at some point are interested in our newer offerings, Photo Mechanic is currently offered in two Editions: Photo Mechanic Standard, and Photo Mechanic Plus.

Photo Mechanic Standard is the workflow tool used by professional photographers worldwide. View and cull down large batches of raw files to find your keepers fast. Use Photo Mechanic Standard to streamline viewing, add or edit crucial metadata like keywords, captions, copyright information, and more. Speed through complex file renaming and reorganization tasks in a few simple steps, then send or upload files where they need to go right from within the program. Integrate Photo Mechanic with your existing post-processing workflow to speed up those time-consuming tasks and get back to what you do best!

Photo Mechanic Plus contains all the features of Photo Mechanic Standard and extends Photo Mechanic with catalogs. Photo Mechanic Plus is a fast media manager and browser for viewing, organizing, archiving, and finding digital photo collections. View your new digital photos fast, or locate and manage your complete collection in one or more catalogs across many external drives. You can even manage up to a million photos at once. From right after your shoot, to finding photos for clients years later, Photo Mechanic Plus speeds up your workflow and helps you work the way you want.

Both Editions of Photo Mechanic can be purchased as either a Subscription or a Perpetual license.

• Subscription licenses include a free 14-day trial period after purchase. Users are provided with smooth software updates, full customer support, and access to features as they are released for as long as the subscription is active. Access to Photo Mechanic will be discontinued when the subscription is canceled.
• Perpetual licenses will receive full software updates and support for one year after purchase. After one year, Photo Mechanic will not receive any new updates but the license can be used perpetually on the last compatible operating system.

To purchase a license, please visit the Camera Bits Store to choose the option that best fits your needs:

Photo Mechanic Standard

• Monthly Subscription license for $14.99/mo.
  
  • includes free 14-day trial. First billing after trial, then monthly.
• Annual Subscription license for $149.00/yr.
  
  • includes free 14-day trial. First billing after trial, then annually
• Perpetual, non-subscription license for a one-time payment of $299.00
  
  • No trial. Credit card will be charged at completion of order.

Photo Mechanic Plus

• Monthly Subscription license for $24.99/mo.
  
  • includes free 14-day trial. First billing after trial, then monthly.
• Annual Subscription license for $249.00/yr.
  
  • includes free 14-day. First billing after trial, then annually.
• Perpetual, non-subscription license for a one-time payment of $399.00
  
  • No trial. Credit card will be charged at completion of order.

Thanks for your interest in Photo Mechanic, Philippe! Please let us know if we can answer any other questions for you.

Best Regards,"

I sacked Photo Mechanic off for that very reason, now use Fast Raw Viewer for inital culling etc. Works well enough for me at the moment.

 

[PhD69]

Seems to me this is an option .....i.e. to continue to use the current software????

"Legacy Licenses (those purchased prior to our new store, including your Photo Mechanic Plus purchase) will continue to receive development updates through May of 2024 (5+ years after its release). After that point, your License will still be able to be used perpetually on all compatible systems."

In a second email, Camerabits tells me that my " product is a one-time fee, and there is nothing else for you to pay. You may continue to use your software for as long as your systems remain compatible.".

Of course, as this is the way perpetual licences work.

But, I would have liked Camerabits to offer an upgrade program, once for perpetual licenses purchased before the pricing model change.
And/or that the new pricing is not prohibitive.

 

[PhD69]

Interesting that Camerabits thinks that this software should cost more on a monthly basis than a subscription to Photoshop/Lightroom/Bridge.

Interesting... but risky. These rates are not reasonable. That being said, a few years ago, when Adobe introduced subscription payment, there was a huge outcry, but finally, the following year, Adobe’s financial results exploded.
Let’s see if it’s the same for Camerabits.

 

[Anthony]

How long before an operating system update is incompatible with PM? CameraBits release many updates to PM, often to deal with bugs and with OS updates? I do not like the thought of having bugs which are not quickly squashed. I will continue to use PM as long as it works properly, but I am not confident that this will be a long term prospect.

In the meantime I will research the market for an alternative which meets my needs. I will not subscribe at the proposed PM rates and I will certainly not purchase a perpetual licence at the proposed price.

 

[PhD69]

How long before an operating system update is incompatible with PM? CameraBits release many updates to PM, often to deal with bugs and with OS updates? I do not like the thought of having bugs which are not quickly squashed. I will continue to use PM as long as it works properly, but I am not confident that this will be a long term prospect.

In the meantime I will research the market for an alternative which meets my needs. I will not subscribe at the proposed PM rates and I will certainly not purchase a perpetual licence at the proposed price.

100% aligned

 

[BarkingBeans Coffee]

Subscriptions has nearly sunk 23 and ME.
I have never used it and am not familiar with the benefits.
Bet there will be lots of threads discussing alternatives in the next few weeks. Please post what you discover.

 

[EricBowles]

I use Photo Mechanic 6. I haven’t gotten any emails. Not sure if this version is changing. What does the plus version do differently?

There are two versions. PM 6 is the latest version of the standard program. It will change to the subscription version at $14.99 per month or $149 per year. That's an increase from something like $159 for a perpetual license. The current version is 6.0 and build 7102. They have released new builds every 3-6 months at no charge.

The Plus version is the successor to the Catalog version they have today. Today it is something like $250 per year for the perpetual license.

I've been using PM Standard for about 15 years. I really like it and it supports my workflow well. I don't really have a need for the catalog version.

I heard there is an upcoming promotional rate for existing users, but have not seen any communications yet. I'll probably end up keeping the standard version, but would have no problem with keeping the current perpetual version for a couple of years if they don't have a good promotion. It's hard to justify spending more on PM than I do for Lightroom and Photoshop.

 

[PhD69]

The Plus version is the successor to the Catalog version they have today. Today it is something like $250 per year for the perpetual license.

Perpetual is not per year.
As mentioned in my initial post, for the Plus version:

• Annual Subscription license for $249.00/yr.
  
  • includes free 14-day. First billing after trial, then annually.
• Perpetual, non-subscription license for a one-time payment of $399.00
  
  • No trial. Credit card will be charged at completion of order.

 

[DavidT]

There are two versions. PM 6 is the latest version of the standard program. It will change to the subscription version at $14.99 per month or $149 per year. That's an increase from something like $159 for a perpetual license. The current version is 6.0 and build 7102. They have released new builds every 3-6 months at no charge.

The Plus version is the successor to the Catalog version they have today. Today it is something like $250 per year for the perpetual license.

I've been using PM Standard for about 15 years. I really like it and it supports my workflow well. I don't really have a need for the catalog version.

I heard there is an upcoming promotional rate for existing users, but have not seen any communications yet. I'll probably end up keeping the standard version, but would have no problem with keeping the current perpetual version for a couple of years if they don't have a good promotion. It's hard to justify spending more on PM than I do for Lightroom and Photoshop.

I agree!

 

[PhilcTx]

How long before an operating system update is incompatible with PM?

Having used both Windows and MacOS over the years - my experience was that MacOS had more s/w upgrade/compatibility issues than Windows. It's one reason (that plus 2 out of 3 iMacs with prematurely failed HDs) that I switched 100% to Windows and never looked back.

I'll continue to use my perpetual license PM V6 on W11 and future updates/versions. If my PM begins having compatibility issues with future Win versions/updates then Camerabits will lose me as a customer if they will not support their perpetual licensed software. There are and will be alternatives.

 

[Ivan Rothman]

I originally purchased Photo Mechanic as an alternative to using Lightroom for reviewing and culling my images.
But now I have FastRawViewer as another option.
But frankly, with the improvements in Lightroom Classic, I have mostly been using Lightroom to cull my images. It really helps if I take the time when downloading to let Lightroom create previews, either Standard (to see in Loupe View at monitor resolution) or 1:1 (to see magnified in Loupe view without any time needed to render image). This creation of previews takes a little time (while I busy myself with some other chore - like having lunch or dinner) and then I can go back and very quickly go through my images for culling.

 

[PhD69]

I originally purchased Photo Mechanic as an alternative to using Lightroom for reviewing and culling my images.
But now I have FastRawViewer as another option.
But frankly, with the improvements in Lightroom Classic, I have mostly been using Lightroom to cull my images. It really helps if I take the time when downloading to let Lightroom create previews, either Standard (to see in Loupe View at monitor resolution) or 1:1 (to see magnified in Loupe view without any time needed to render image). This creation of previews takes a little time (while I busy myself with some other chore - like having lunch or dinner) and then I can go back and very quickly go through my images for culling.

I was using PM in addition to Capture One.
But I am returning (after several years) to LR and PS.
So I agree with your point of view, PM is far less useful since the recent developments of LR.
As I am equipped in Sony it should not be forgotten either IEDT of Sony which has an extremely fast preview speed.

 

[MartyD]

I am not opposed to subscription models. I think that software companies are getting squeezed to maintain updates when the cycle of new cameras and new compression algorithms is happening more frequently. I don't know if they have to license compression methods like Nikon's High Efficiency RAW in order to include them in their software and that cost gets passed along.

However, I do believe that the price of Photo Mechanic is a little steep. I hesitated purchasing the software initially but I shoot a lot of sports images and with the Z9 I needed a fast way to cull thousands of images taken in a single day. I don't use it much with my wildlife images because I don't shoot nearly as many wildlife images and I can manage the culling process in LrC and I spend a little more time in the culling process. I will probably stay with Photo Mechanic as long as it works and then explore other alternatives.

As a side note, I try to complete the Adobe surveys I receive with the idea that I may get to influence new features a little. I received one a few weeks ago related to subscription services, combinations of products in the subscription, and what I was willing to pay for the subscription. I wouldn't be surprised if Adobe changes the photography plan in the near future.