software madness

[loebner]

I just bought a Powershot S50. It's a great camera, and I have no complaints about the *hardware*

HOWEVER - why can't I download the software for the camera? I bought a 512 MB storage card, and *always* shoot RAW format. No problem.

However, I'd like to download the pics to my girlfriend's computer, but the format is proprietary. So, I lugged the CD's for the software to convert the RAW pics to JPG/TIFF to her place. Why doesn't CANNON provide a download for the software?

I understand why a corp. whose product is software might not want multiple copies of the software. However, CANNON is selling hardware (cameras) and the software is merely an accessory.

Alternatively, the camera ought to be able to convert to RAW to TIFF or JPG so that one doesn't need the software.

[Wildman]

I have used BreezeBrowser for a couple of years after ditching ZoomBrowser. BreezeBrowser is shareware, so you can try before you buy. It has a RAW file converter, viewer, etc.

The trial version lets you deal with a limited number of picture files. BreezeBrowser is very stable and is constantly being upgraded.

[snapperv6]

loebner wrote:Alternatively, the camera ought to be able to convert to RAW to TIFF or JPG so that one doesn't need the software.

I can't believe it can only shoot RAW!?

See www.powershot.com/powershot2/s50-45/specs.html (scroll down to "IMAGE STORAGE" section), this seems to suggest it can shoot in JPEG format, if that's what you really want.