Nikon NEF files

[ajmall]

Do i need "picture perfect" to read and convert these files? If not, what software do I need? Can I get it off the internet as I bought my camera overseas and did not come with an english CD :/

 

[spiralout]

AAAAAHHHH! Do NOT install Picture Project! It's a bloody virus! It installs Nikons crappy RAW editor in Photoshop (which has about 10% of the functionality of Photoshop's camera RAW plugin) and imbeds it deep within your computer's memory. It's a royal pain in the arse to get out. It's truly awful. It also destroys your EXIF data. If you have Photoshop CS or CS2, it probably came with Adobe Bridge, which is a much better program than Nikon PP.

 

[hobbes28]

You can also use Nikon View which can be downloaded from Nikon's website for free. It works very well for the conversions as well as the plugin for Photoshop.

 

[SLOShooter]

I agree with all of the above advice .

 

[Digital Matt]

You have several options for converting raw files in addition to the above mentioned. Irfanview is free, and can view and convert, although I wouldn't use it to convert. Capture One, Breezebrowser, and Bibble to name the most popular, C1 being my favorite.