Nik Professional Suite vs. Photoshop CS

[hm1]

I worked with different releases of Photoshop over the years and currently I'm

using Photoshop CS.

 

I just got Nikon Capture 4.3 for NEF files and I was a bit disappointed by its

limitations.

 

A very good photographer who owns a Canon system tells me that he uses Nik

Professional Suite and it allows him to make a lot of adjustments on RAW

files, sometimes up to 2 f stops, without any significant loss of quality.

 

He's usually very excited by the Nik Software, and I like to learn more about

it.

 

I know the ins and outs of Photoshop CS, but I'm always looking to expand my

horizons and use other software, if they have capabilities that Photoshop CS

doesn't have.

 

Has anyone else used Nik Professional Suite to process RAW (NEF) files?

 

When it comes to processing RAW files, how does it compare to Photoshop CS,

especially for underexposed shots?

 

Your input is appreciated.

[Ed_Ingold]

ACR in CS2 can pull up to 4 stops if at least one channel is not fried, and two stops without compromise. That's for overexposure - underexposed shots have to be really bad in RAW mode to present a problem.

[montgomery_bonner]

Capture NX is 100% improvement on 4.3. I am no expret however, so you should download the trial and try it for 30 days. www.nikonusa.com go to downloads.

[hm1]

Thanks for the info Montgomery.

 

Edward:

 

I'm curious, do you use Nikon NEF or other types of RAW?