RAW image converter; where and the best

Where do I get a RAW converter??? CANNON? ADOBE? Which is best? Does a PS upgrade have one? I have PS E 2. and a EOS solutions disk.

I was under the impression that the Zoom Browser software came with the camera, but if not you can get the RAW Shooter Essentials as a free download from Pixmantec and it's almost as good as the Adobe Camera RAW plug-in that works with PSCS and the latest "Elements".

The Zoom Browser EX 5.5 software (free download at Canon) has the task that does the conversion from RAW, but it is pretty basic and only allows a limited flexibility of settings.

I would start with www.pixmantec.com and get Raw shooter essentials for free, or you can use the one that comes with your camera.

Sam

I use RAW Shooter Essentials; it's free and easy to use.

If I may suggest; seriously read the help file that comes with RSE; it has a TON of valuable information about processing RAW images that will help no matter what application you choose to stick with.

It can be daunting at first; but you'll get the hang of it.

I thought the Canon RAW SW is DPP not Zoom browser, I'm not sure since I don't use either. I tried RSE ACR but didn't find them better then what I been using, Phase One Capture One. DPP are great being that they cost nothing more but I just gotten use to using P1C1. I think it is a matter of personal preference. Let your workflow decide.

I use DxO as my favorite raw converter.
Its not cheap.
But I like the workflow.
I can do much corrections including WB, exposure, noise and much more in a very short time with high quality results.
I do the settings at night, and let the computer calculate the whole bunch of picts when I sleep. The next day, I have a decent JPG file for those images good enough for printing, anf 16bits TIFF images for those needing PS.

Olivier

Looking for more input. as well as bring attention to another...

I use RSE and Adobe's Camera Raw, they both work great for me, it just depends on how much time I have and what all I need to do.

Bibble pro is expencive, but definatly the fastest and best IMO.

I did some comparing here and would welcome some input

I also use C1, mainly because its very quick for adjusting a lot of shots at once and the colours are very good.
I dont need to shoot RAW but i do mainly because of the quick workflow that C1 gives.
Ofcourse i still need to PP in PSCS2 but i get most of the exposure and WB right in C1 first.

I still use C1 Pro as my mainstay of my converters. I like its interface and it gives me the results that I want. I do have Raw Shooter Premium and Essentials, Breezebrowser Pro and of course ACR for PSCS2.

There are lots of converters out there and, as evidenced by this thread, they are a very personal decision. Find one that works best for you and then stick with it.

A google search will get you the location on all of them. Try their free period and then make the purchase if it works for you.

DXO is worth a try. http://www.dxo.com
Evaluation version allow you to load your camera + lens parameters and provideyou with the full power capabilities. The only limitation is that you cannot process more than 5 files at a time (unlimited in full version).

Pros:
DXO is good at noise reduction because they do the noise reduction with a specific algorithm calibrated exactly whith the camera sensor, lens and light conditions you are using.

DXO uses the Exif data to automatically parameter the workflow. So manual settings are reduced to a minimum.

Cons:
Calculation is slow. I usually do the computation overnight.