Raw converter D 700

I am thinking of buying a D700, yet I understand that the raw converter is sold seperately. Do I need this to

convert the raw files? Could I buy anything else to do the same job? Are alternatives possibly better? I know

nothing about converting raw files and have no experience. I just feel peeved that this is not bundled with the

camera.

 

I currently use Photoshop CS2 to work on scanned B&W negatives and am very familiar with it for that limited

purpose. Will this also serve to work with D700 files, or must I upgrade?

View NX is free from Nikon. Capture NX/NX2 is not free but is probably a good idea to get. CS2 does not support the D700. You will need to upgrade to CS3 with Adobe's latest version or ACR (4.6)

That should read "...Adobe's latest version OF ACR (4.6)."

Some options:

 

(1) Use the free ViewNX package that comes with the camera. It lets you make basic adjustments and save the output as tiff, which you can then load into CS2.

 

(2) Buy Capture NX2. As (1), but you can make more sophisticated adjustments and open the image directly in CS2 without manually saving (a tiff will in fact be saved in the background).

 

(3) Get a recent version of Adobe's DNG converter, like 4.6 (free download). Rather confusingly, the converter can't be downloaded separately, but comes bundled with an Adobe Camera Raw (ACR) plugin with the same version number. Don't attempt to upgrade ACR itself (CS2 only works with ACR 3.x), but use the (freestanding) DNG converter to copy your Nikon raw (NEF) files to Adobe's own raw (DNG) format (don't throw the NEFs away - you might need them later). The DNGs can then be loaded into your existing (3.x) version of ACR.

 

(4) Upgrade to CS3 or CS4 and just use the latest available ACR plugin.

 

Note that Nikon's and Adobe's converters don't give identical results - try both and see what you prefer. You might also be interested in Adobe's Lightroom 2, or other 3rd party converters like Phase One's Capture One, or the free UFRaw converter

Convert to DNG. and also save the NEF. I download twice to my computer.

 

The D700 comes with a very basic converter and a 30 day trial of NX2.

 

I think you should get CS4 up grade with the $300 instant rebate Nikon now offers probably good only thru end of month.

 

La Grange Camera and video in La Grange Ill. is going to run an next Thurs for the rebate. Mail order from them if you can`t get it locally. Nice people. I got my D700 there today. 1-708-352-0070. Heather or Ray will take good care of you and if you are out of Illinois, they do not charge you sales tax. This is a real brick and mortar store that has been there decades.

That would be Nov 6 when the add runs. No one seems to know exactly when the sale officially ends, but they are generally short.

I received a copy of NX in the box. Do that not do this anymore?

the newest version of ViewNX has a much better selection of tools for making basic adjustments to NEF files than the earlier ones, and converts to .jpg of .tif. that comes in-box with the camera. the trial version (a full version with time limit) of CaptureNX 2 is also included. you have 3 months to try it out and decide whether to keep using it -- or consider some other product. in any case, you can convert your files from day 1 without having to drop another dime on software.

I have been using BibblePro since I got my first D1, 8 years ago. It's worth a look.