Ok, fastest workflow for me so far (though through expensive software):
-shoot in RAW mode, don't worry about details
-run DNG4PS2 on the entire card, converted files will be dumped on harddrive
-install NeatImage Photoshop plugin (only first time)
-open the DNG file with Photoshop (CS3)
-camera RAW appears, select AUTO on white balance and click the 'auto' hyperlink under WB which should do a fairly good job at recovering highlights and filling shadows
-tweak to your own desire, if necessary
-click open image
-go to plugins/filters, neat image and select that
-click auto-profile
-select second tab and/or click apply changes (OTOH, i do not have the app in front of me)
This gets really usable photos most of the time. Both Noise Ninja and Neat Image have custom profiles for cameras but for me auto profiling works best.
The amount of usable information returned from this process is impressive, the camera shot a 200k mostly black file (5 megapixel) which with gamma correction showed some blobs. With the process above I got a usable picture.