Iwas just about to ask if anyone uses lightroom when I saw Mr Chris has mentioned it in Tallymans thread on polarizers.
Mr Chris. is this the only program you use to manipulate your photos?
I have a Nikon D80 which is shooting in Raw and JPEG.
I am using an old copy of PS 5 which doesn't recognize Raw so I work on the jpeg images.
I've downloaded 30 day trials of Nikon NX and Adobe lightroom.
Do you or anyone else have any views on these programs?
I can't afford, nor justify buying CS3.

If you're shooting in raw format, the best nef converter will be Nikon NX in terms of quality (according to many users from around nikonian and dpreview). I use this software as well and glad to say that I am using it for all my editing work most of the time. The only thing that I find irritating is that it does not have a copy and paste function for doing touch-up editing, though it has a dust-off function. It could do some of the more advanced editing like what PS can do but minus the complexities of layers. And the U-point technology is just fantastic. Try it.

I use Lightroom for cataloguing and manipulating (general dust clean up, white balance, exposure, black clipping, curves) my photographs, and for £150 it has been a very, very good investment.

I also own photoshop CS2 so I'll use that for more advanced work (removal of objects, HDR stuff), as I'm a designer by trade and so bought the whole creative suite (on the cheap! £280 for the upgrade box :hihi:)

As I shoot on an EOS 5D, I can't advise you on what's best for Nikon RAW files, but I heartily recommend Lightroom. It also has a cut and paste function for adjustment settings, which is a life (and time!) saver.

Any other questions, feel free to PM me.