NX2 vs. CS5

<p>I finally got a new computer and updated to CS5. Previously I was opening RAW files in NX2 and liked a few of the features it offered vs. my CS2. It may be that argument does not hold water anymore, as CS5 has more features to offer, plus I much prefer the Photoshop interface. Any obvious reasons to compare NX2 ( 3 ) to CS5? There used to be an argument that the RAW conversion engine in NX2 was better because it could use the secret Nikon source code.</p>

<p>It's still true...the Nikon software seems to so a better job of "seamlessly" dealing with certain lighting issues (a little more pronounced in Capture NX2), but both PS and the Nikon software both do a good job. I switch among them as the work demands.</p>

<p>Manufacturers usually keep the best stuff for themselves and I think NX2 deals with NEF files better than Photoshop, although most of the time I use Aperture to deal with them now. But I like NX2's control points and workflow. If it had a DAM, it could move up into the Aperture/Lightroom domain. </p>

<p>As of CS5, NX2 is still better at preserving and revealing detail with a minimum of effort. That alone is sufficient reason to use it when those properties are critical to a photograph. The newest versions of ACR in Photoshop CS6 and LR4 may have improved rendering, but I've not tested the new release.</p>