I just wanted to throw it out there that DNG is an attempt to create a universal file format for raw files. If you are having trouble opening the raw files from any camera, see if your editing software supports DNG format. Adobe DNG Converter is free.
Also, a raw file allows you to do baseline editing, so you can control things like the color temperature, white level, black level, fill, recovery, color saturation, and lots of other options that you don't get when you open a JPG or other file types.
I just downloaded paint.net and am beginning the search for the best raw file plugin.
