Best Raw conversion software

Hi there,

I was wondering what you think the best RAW conversion software is? I read that to some people the Adobe RAW converter introduces substantial noise and that there are better converters such as RAW converter pro (if I got that right.)

What are your thoughts?

Thanks for any comments.

Regards,
Christoph

I love ACR 4.2. I've tried quite a few RAW converters, in fact I used to be a huge fan of Capture One. Once Adobe came out with ACR 4.1 I switched and have not looked back. There are just too many useful tools in ACR. I actually think ACR handlea noise really well.

I agree with Zack that ACR 4.2 is a huge improvement over the older ACR versions, but I still prefer Capture One even over the new ACR. I've only done 3-4 direct comparison using identical settings, but in each the C1 version (C1 ver.3.7.7) handled the conversion slightly better IMO. Capture One has just come out with Capture One 4 beta that you can try for free. It's got all the usual beta issues, and they will definitely need to tweak it to bring it up to snuff, but it offers many of the same tools ACR 4.2 now offers, and a couple ACR doesn't offer. I particularly like the Variant feature, and the HDR feature too.

I used to use Capture One LE and loved it. I prefer ACR though, and that's what I use now.

I use a product called Zoner Photo Studio, which is a very effective tool for performing most of the quick adjustments ie crops, levels, sharpening etc and it also has good cataloging/photo browsing features, plus a few other features some of the other products don't have. Can't wait for it to bring out the Canon 40D patch so I can convert my recent shots.
Andy

Thank you all for your feedback. What are the new features on ACR 4.2?

Regards,
Christoph

I've used BreezeBrowser Pro, RawShooters Premium, and Capture One Pro ($400) over the last few years. After all that, I now feel that Adobe finally got ACR right. It's integrated with PSCS3, works fast, and does as good as or better than all of the above IMHO.

Christoph, ACR 4.2 is just a slightly enhanced 4.1 (a few bug fixes and some additional camera support added). 4.1 was a big upgrade. It added some "real" sharpening and noise reduction tools and also the amazing Clarity adjustment (local contrast enhancement really) among other things.The same version of ACR is included in both CS3 and Lightroom. I used to use Capture One LE, but ACR is so good now, that I've switched. BTW, there is currently a beta out for Capture One v 4. I'm testing that, but I still like ACR better, if just from a workflow standpoint.

Thanks for all the feedback, guys! I guess I will just stick with ACR 4.2 - have spent enough money on software already.