IV. SOFT WARE AND EXTENDED COMPATIBILITY
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Digital Photo Professional (DPP) Ver.2.1 is a high-speed RAW image viewing/editing
program, using Canon’s own powerful algorithms, which yield the highest quality .CR2
RAW conversions of any application, regardless of cost, and it’s free. Interestingly, the
current 2.1 version not only adds support for the EOS 30D but also retroactively extends
support back to the EOS D6000 and EOS D2000 from 1998 with the use of specialized
data conversion software that transforms the .TIF files to .CR2. (Canon added EOS D30
compatibility with DPP 2.0.) As with the latest EOS Digital SLRs, Picture Style settings
can then be applied to the RAW images and a range of current image editing functions
can be used. Photographers and studios who have archived images in older recording
formats will welcome the opportunity to make higher quality conversions than has ever
been possible. Clearly, Canon is continuing to improve its support of RAW images for a
growing range of EOS DSLRs.
Some upgrades from DPP 2.0 are significant. Noise reduction on RAW conversion has
been added. The online instruction book is better and more hyperlinked. A Tone Curve
Assist function has been added for the automatic adjustment of failed shots. Print
specification functions have been enhanced. Images can be adjusted to any size; they
can be positioned anywhere in the layout; the user can enter a header or a footer and
the user can enter an image title or caption text. The shooting information can also be
entered in the title or caption position and printed out with the image. Contact sheet
printing now permits the user to specify from 1 to 40 images per row or column.
Headers or footers can be entered and image file numbers or names can also be entered.
Easy-PhotoPrint Pro (previously only JPEG compatible and separate) can now be
accessed through DPP and functions within DPP so prints can be made from RAW (or
TIFF or JPEG) files without conversion. This Canon-to-Canon workflow saves time and
disk space and requires no additional software to make excellent, faithful prints.
Forthcoming 8-color printers from Canon will even have enough gamut to handle the
Adobe RGB color space, wider than sRGB. Users of current EOS DSLRs will be able to
use all the new DPP features.
ZoomBrowser EX Ver.5.6 (for Windows users) and ImageBrowser Ver.5.6 (for Mac users)
are image viewing and editing applications that are ideal for users who shoot mostly JPEGs,
as opposed to DPP which is for users who shoot mostly or entirely RAWs. Version 5.6
adds support for the EOS 30D. Workflow is integrated from downloading through printing.
ZoomBrowser EX and ImageBrowser have several image display options, RAW image
processing through RAW Image Task (version 2.3 included on EOS Digital Solution Disk
Ver.12), support for sRGB and Adobe RGB, panoramic image merging through PhotoStitch
(version 3.1 included on EOS Digital Solution Disk Ver.12), convenient image managing,
JPEG editing and exporting functions. Processing algorithms are tailored to the camera,
ensuring that images are processed with the same processing characteristics as those
used on the camera. Third party software is unlikely to be able to do this.
CameraWindow MC (memory card) is image downloading software for use with card
readers. It runs in linkage with ZB/IB, which do not support card readers directly.
PTP WIA Driver (Windows Me)/PTP TWAIN Driver (Windows 2000 and 98SE) is software
for controlling communication between the camera and certain Windows computers.
If the appropriate driver is not installed for these operating systems, the camera cannot
