Canon's DPP vs Lightroom

I have just purchased a 60D and was planning on shooting RAW only. I was going to use Canon's DPP as the raw converter, and use Elements 9 for final editing such as stitching or brushing out problems. Does this seem like a reasonable approach? I recently scanned some of my old 35mm slides as tiff's and used DPP to correct color and was very happy with the results. I am new to this digital processing game so maybe my expectations are very low. The guys at the camera store were really pushing Lightroom over using Canon's DPP.

I've used both...DPP is fine especially considering its price. Where it lacks imo is in speed(amount of time to edit large amounts of images) and noise reduction. LR3's noise reduction made me go from using none to using it all the time. It's simply that good.

check out bibble pro also....bibblelabs.com

Thanks for the heads up about noise reduction capability. I'm so new to this that my head is starting to hurt. I have a big wildlife photography trip planned for July so I really need to get up to speed in the digital world (I'm kinda pining for my Kodachrome slide days!) before then.

I would strongly suggest working with the free included tools for some time before worrying about additional software purchases.

Thanks, that was the way I was originally leaning, but you know, you start reading about all the possibilities and next thing you know you're sinking under all the info. So back to the drawing board: shoot and play in DPP for the next month or two, then see where I'm at. I suppose if I still can't decide before July, I'll just save all my raw files and deal with it when I get back from my trip.

CyberDyneSystems wrote in post #11817170
I would strongly suggest working with the free included tools for some time before worrying about additional software purchases.

This is good advice and I'm glad you are going that way. Yes DPP may have limitations, but it will probably help you to become a better photographer. Having access to too much PP can sometimes make us lazy and take the "she'll be right, I can always fix it later" attitude. Having less access to PP makes you think more about your shots and settings to try and get better straight out of the camera images.

CyberDyneSystems wrote in post #11817170
I would strongly suggest working with the free included tools for some time before worrying about additional software purchases.

GREAT ADVICE - don't spend any money until you know there is a need. DPP may meet your needs.

DPP is the best raw convertor for CR2 files. I uses it a lot and normally finished up in another program (CS5). But CS5 is so good now that I am leaving DPP behind a little. As it is free I think use DPP and get a good feel for it. Do a search in Google for DPP tutorials there are 20 or so video's that were created for Canon. They are very good.

Thanks all for the encouragement to keep it simple for now!

Aah...'tis a difficult distinction to make...the difference between "need" and "want" I mean.

DianeK wrote in post #11816982
I have just purchased a 60D and was planning on shooting RAW only. I was going to use Canon's DPP as the raw converter, and use Elements 9 for final editing such as stitching or brushing out problems. Does this seem like a reasonable approach? ....

Definitely a reasonable approach. I got started this way, using DPP to produce a TIFF, and then learning how to use PSE9 to do additional editing. After going back and forth a few times I decided that I liked using Adobe Camera RAW to process my files better than DPP, but that is a purely personal thing. (I like the controls and adjustments of ACR better, and with ACR 6 the noise reduction has gotten really good. Again, it's a personal preference.)

DianeK wrote in post #11817867
Thanks all for the encouragement to keep it simple for now!

I'm with everyone here who is encouraging you to take the time to learn with DPP and Elements. One thing to bear in mind -- the Elements Organizer has keywording as a very valuable tool -- if you use that then if you ever make the move to Lightroom or Photoshop CSx then those keywords will be there waiting!

In the meantime, take your time -- get out and shoot, and do some research on what you are doing shooting and processing in Raw.

If you haven't seen this, check out our RAW Conversion Thread for some inspiring examples of what can be done.