MRPin1963 wrote:
Ah, and one more thing: I think that part of the answer lies in the fact that I set the in-camera sharpness at 9 (max level) and that NX-D was already applying this setting to its interpretation of my NEF files.
This must be so since, as per recommendation, I reset the sharpness to 0 and ACR, however, shows no difference in images with or without sharpening.
If you re-read my comments above, you will see that I already said this twice...
"The significance here is that it affects the sharpness of the NEF's embedded image preview. If you have in-camera sharpness set to 'high', it will influence the appearance of both the embedded preview and the default rendering in View/CaptureNX. Maybe this is why you think Adobe's rendering is too soft?"
"So, you're comparing ACR with an embedded JPEG and default rendering in CaptureNX with maximum sharpening set. ACR software will ignore the sharpening setting and use its current default, which, if you haven't changed it, will be a relatively low 25."
Looking at the picture you have posted above, it looks like the capture could have been sharper. The subject is slightly out of focus. Applying maximum sharpening in-camera is one way of compensating for this, but it would be better to get more accurate focus, or use a better lens.
If you want to recreate the in-camera sharpening, I would suggest changing the ACR default sharpening setting to 50.
Also, do you have chromatic aberration correction enabled? This will sharpen some images at the edges too. CaptureNX will apply all in-camera settings to the default preview, including CA, vignette, and distortion as well as the Picture Control you have selected. ACR can do all these things, but you must change the defaults to see this every time.