Adobe never back ports the raw converters to older versions of Lightroom. If you shoot raw and get a new camera you have to upgrade the software unless you do your additional convert to dng step. Now Adobe wants a subscription it puts us that like Lightroom but don’t use it super frequently in a bind.
The dng converter is a useful tool, though if using Lightroom it’s an extra step. Usually camera makers supply some software that can do the same.
Generally the raws have a lot more information than the lossy photos, so if you need to do some editing (up shadows or darken highlights.. it’s worth keeping the raw around.) but generally jpgs are quite good. (In photoshop I’ve converted a raw and loaded both images and did an diff.. you can see where the changes from compression happen but it’s quite minor)
I use Lightroom enough that I don't mind the subscription but that's the problem with subscriptions in general. Assuming they're priced reasonably fairly (which IMO Adobe's photo subscription is), they're fine for programs you use routinely. They're not so good for something you just need now and then and only need to upgrade for specific reasons.
Agree. The 'Photographer Bundle' also comes with PS and includes all the mobile apps. It's actually a good deal if you use any of them regularly. I even pay for the 1tb in space so it also acts as another place my photos are copied (in addition to iCloud, TM, and backblaze).
The other thing is I just compared (again) raw conversion from my z5 in LR, Raw Power, Affinity, and some others and LR still does the best job. DAM is also an issue outside LR.
I completely understand I'm an outlier though in that I still use large cameras - the z5 is nearly brand new.
The dng converter is a useful tool, though if using Lightroom it’s an extra step. Usually camera makers supply some software that can do the same.
Generally the raws have a lot more information than the lossy photos, so if you need to do some editing (up shadows or darken highlights.. it’s worth keeping the raw around.) but generally jpgs are quite good. (In photoshop I’ve converted a raw and loaded both images and did an diff.. you can see where the changes from compression happen but it’s quite minor)