I know it's been discussed, but can someone just tell me if Cineform is the only way to use 5D files on Vegas 8c (which handled the EX1r files very well)?

I remember there was a way to install a different <earlier> version of QuickTime to make it work, but I have read that Vegas 9 and even more Vegas 10 has now full edit support for 5D files, without need to use Cineform

I know there are pros in still using Cineform, as it allows for a better handling and editing altogether, but also more time consuming

as I need to buy either Cineform or a new version of Vegas I just wondered what's the best way to do....

I'd buy Cineform. It's not just for editing. You can render intermediate compositions to Cineform. You can also render your final edit to Cineform as your master for rendering to various formats.

You can manually open each clip in Quicktime and re-wrap the h.264 in an AVI file using the export command, but it takes many mouse clicks per file. With Cineform, you point it at a folder and it will batch convert the contents. So, rather than click, click, click, you can get a cup of coffee while it does the work.

I have Vegas Pro 9 and if I didn't have Cineform, I would still purchase it immediately.