Nikon Capture NX vs. Photoshop CS3

[Volvofally]

Hi all,

Other than price, what's the major differences between these two software packages? I'm very much the amateur/hobby photographer, but I also believe in making my amateur pictures look professional :P

Could anyone explain what the best features are of each? Is there a lesser grade Photoshop program that would be better to start with that wouldn't leave me frustrated wanting to do "neat" effects and overall nice photos? What about Photoshop Elements 6.0? I want to be able to work with RAW images and the NEF file extensions too.

I currently run a D80 (not that this should matter). OH...and on eBay, I noticed there is a "retail" version of CS3 and also an "extended" version. The extended version appears to go for $150-200 more than the "retail" version. Is there really a difference in the program that would be detrimental for a photographer not to have vs. retail?

Thank you,

Fally