For photography classes, or plain photo buffs, Adobe just released Photoshop Camera Raw 5.5, Photoshop Lightroom 2.5 and DNG Converter 5.5, available immediately for download at Adobe Updates.

These updates add raw file support to five new popular camera models, including the Nikon D300s, Nikon D3000, Olympus E-P1, Panasonic DMC-FZ35 and Panasonic DMC-GF1.

Adobe reports these features for the Camera Raw 5.5:

• Correction to the demosaic algorithms in the raw conversion process for Bayer sensor cameras with unequal green response.
• Aids photographers to achieve greater artistic control and flexibility with their images. Provides fast and easy access within Photoshop to the raw image formats.
• Supports the same functionality for TIFF and JPEG files.

Pricing and Availability
The Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2.5 update is available as a free download for existing Lightroom 2 customers. The Photoshop Camera Raw 5.5 update is available as a free download for existing customers of Photoshop CS4, Photoshop Elements 7, Premiere Elements 7 and Photoshop Elements 6 for Mac.

Adobe also provides a free download of DNG Converter 5.5 for anyone with an internet connection.

Additional information and to download the updates is available at Adobe Downloads & Updates.