Each image was shot in raw, then translated by DPP or by ACR. The resulting files were then processed as similarly as possible in Photoshop CS5, with relatively minimal processing, including raw-light processing in Topaz DeNoise.

As of June 10, 2010, I'm still not very good at these comparisons and am still learning DPP. Given that caveat, my initial impression is that colors have more nuance and more richness when the original digital raw negative is processed first in Canon's DPP. Colors are subtly different, less nuanced when processed first in Adobe's ACR. That's my preliminary impression.

NOTE: My goal with each of these was not to create the most ultra-finished CS5 output but instead was to enact minimal CS5 tweaking (after the DPP and the ACR/Bridge routes of raw interpretation).