Third-party software for RAW support - does anyone use them?

I see there are several RAW file support packages available out there for my G6, such as PhaseOne and PhotoShop's platform. I am happy with Zoombrowser but am wondering what advantages third-party software might have. Speed? I do find that Canon's own RAW support to be a bit sluggish, but we are dealing with large files as a rule.........Funny how I didn't expect to ever do much with RAW, but now actually prefer it for many situations.

Hi,

You can download RawShooter Essentials for free and give that a try, its a highly rated program, and very easy to use with lots of features.

I only shoot RAW gives more choices when it comes to post-processing, and allows you to keep the 'negative' for future use.

al

Exactly - RAW makes you feel like you're more in control.

I second the reccomendation to try out Pixmantec Rawshooter. It won't work at all on PCs that aren't at least a Pentium III, though.

It does raw conversions in the background, so you can work with one image while another is being converted. And it's fast enough that you can adjust a picture interactively, instead of making a change and then waiting some moments to see how it turned out. That may not sound like a big deal, but I find it very liberating in practice.

It's not perfect. The interface is fairly odd, although it makes sense for the job once you get used to it. The auto-white balance function always seems far less accurate than the camera's own. I've had one or two pictures come out of RawShooter with wierd Moire artifacts that Canon's image converter somehow avoided.

Still, it's always my first choice when I have to do a raw conversion.

Interesting - the Website adamantly says it's "free," but it's only a trial demo. Thanks, but no thanks.........I am not cheap but that seems to be rather dishonest.

I wouldn't consider the "Essentials" version to be a trial or a demo. It's true that it has fewer features than the "Premium" version. But it does the job it says it does, and as far as I know it is not time-limited in any way. It's genuinely free. I've been using it for about a year.

Really? The way it was worded, I thought it was a trial version with a limited time offer, plus the fact you need to register.....I might give it a whirl. Thanks.

Disaster!

I downloaded the software and it promptly crashed my system, even after doing two reboots. My PC meets the requirements of the package. Oh well, no big deal, I will check into other RAW software platforms and buy one, as I'd have it for the next PC we have.........Downloads are nice but there's nothing like having the original CD-ROM.

I only use PHOTOSHOP. enough for everything.lol

I have been checking the cost of some of these programs, PhotoShop isn't such a bad deal, afterall.

If you have been using only ZB until now I'd reccomend trying Canon's other free converter, Digital Photography Professional. I've tried just about every third-party application and I keep coming back to DPP. However, choosing a RAW converter involves several factors - ease and speed as well the quality of the conversion, so by all means test several.
At the moment I am taking a look at Bibble's latest version which is quite impressive, very fast and at a reasonable price, although, as I said, I probably won't buy it.
Elie

Could you provide a link for DPP? I can't seem to locate it. Thanks.

http://consumer.usa.ca​non.com …egoryid=314&mod​elid=10464

click on the red "drivers/software" link at the top.

i'm using acdsee pro
last time i've checked, RSE didn't kept the makernotes from the cr2 to the created jpg, and i want them
+

Thanks for that link - I'll give it a whirl.