I have been playing with Lightzone 2.3 and have been finding it a pretty good raw converter for NEFs. I also really like the control with the ToneMapper and ZoneMapper. I did some prints direct from LZ using my custom Premium Glossy Photo Paper profile that I created for my Epson 1290, and the results were very good indeed.
Here is a raw NEF converted with some tone and zone mapping done:
The detail, saturation and general look I find to be very good compared to Capture One Pro and NX.
Here is a raw NEF converted with some tone and zone mapping done:

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The detail, saturation and general look I find to be very good compared to Capture One Pro and NX.