Fast Raw Viewer is not a DAM — but it is worthy of a full review.

I use it as a pre-screening tool in my post processing flow, which goes as follows: copy to PC, scan with FRV, reject anything with blown focus, and looking at histograms, if I haven’t taken full use of the camera’s DR, if I have multiples, reject all but the one that does use it. It can also rate photos, which gets stored in an adobe combatable sidecar file — but I don’t bother with that.

Like it says on the tin, it analyzes and renders very quickly. Takes just a moment for each photo to come up.

You might also think about adding Adobe Bridge to your list of DAMs. I understand it’s a lot like LR (non LR person here) and comes for the very attractive price of free. I would caution anyone still hanging on to a non-subscription version of PS, it might mess up your licensing with that product if/when you go to uninstall it. Adobe tries to make fixing that not-a-PITA, but still just be aware.

As I am an amateur, I’ve mostly been using OCD (dates and location) file system organization. I’m aware that this doesn’t let me do more than put photos in a single folder — but it’s been almost sufficient — and as it isn’t much different from my old transparency organization, it feels more like ‘just carrying on. I realize I could save some frustration, and get the urge every so often to evaluate DAMs, but it seems that whenever I get a trial license for one, life intervenes in that trial period. Further, I keep all my data on servers, which puts me into the ‘photography shop with multiple employees’ pricing for some of these. And if I’m faced with the choice of new organizational software (not PP, which I’m happy so spend $$ on) and a new lens, I’m an old school photographer (always buy the glass)

I’ll be reading you series on DAMs with a good bit of interest.

Speaking of glass, I just picked up a Rokinon 14mm f/2.4. I like it. Every bit as sharp as my Nikon 14–24 and a pound lighter.