I have finally purchased my first ever full frame camera - the very impressive 1DX MkII - a good deal on a pristine model. I took it out for the first time today and am now struggling to understand how to download and open my raw files. In the past I always used BreezeBrowser but would need to pay $95 for an upgrade so was wondering what other software you use. I want to do the majority of my editing in Photoshop so just want something to view the RAW images and decide if they are keepers and then transfer them to PS for editing any recommendations? Thanks Victor
Adobe made a shift back around 2016 to only support newer raw files in their cloud offering. I have the same issue with my 5d4, you can either get the DNG converter and convert the raw files to adobe negative files (DNG)... and you should be able to bring that into your older Photoshop copy, or you consider the subscription service. And I know people have plenty negative to say about being forced into a subscription model, and I personally haven't jumped into it yet but it is only 10 bucks a month to have CC for Lightroom and Photoshop and be up to date on the newest release. It's a bit of a drop in the bucket each year compared to the cost of the gear. If I shot more frequently would have just got the CC subscription already. But I work sometimes 80 hours a week so it leave no time to shoot much these days. It really is cheaper than the cost of upgrading into the newer CSx versions over the years as they came out.
Johnsey, new gear is not a issue for me, can not afford it but have you tried Gimp. Very similar to Photoshop and free.
I have used it for a variety of purposes, mostly not photo editing as I find it not to be the ideal tool for the job. But yes you are right Craig, Gimp is a fine option for making photo edits for free. My advice was directed at the situation of the original poster. The original poster asked about reading raw files, and gimp still needs you to convert the raw to a tiff or a jpg. His issue was being able to read the RAW, I have used the DNG converter but have not gone into other not so user friendly options. He uses Photoshop so I would imagine his best bet is to use the DNG converter from Adobe. And I brought up the notion of investing in the CC as it is a small cost compared to the equipment and will make is workflow more simple if he does not need to convert the Raw file to something else first. The OP has a 5k pro body and a few lenses that price out even more than that so he may be ok with 100 bucks a year to simplify his work flow..
I second 100% what Johnsey has said. You have one of the best cameras on the market (I have a 1Ds - the first one in the digital D series) so why not make life easier by getting the best photography software available, namely the Adobe Creative Cloud Photography Plan. It's the best bargain available and you get all the latest updates. This week's updates are amazing. I could never afford to buy the boxed versions of Photoshop but I did not hesitate to get the subscription version which includes not only Photoshop but also Lightroom Classic, Lightroom CC and Adobe Camera Raw plus cloud storage. It just makes perfect sense.