TIFF & RAW

[dandan]

what is the difference between TIFF and RAW??

which is better? are they both the same concept?
:confused: :confused:

[robertwgross]

RAW is one of the native file types for the "raw data" from the camera. It is non-lossy and compressed. Typically 12-bit color depth. RAW is not a very portable format. You can't just ship a RAW file to somebody and expect them to be able to do anything with it.

TIF is what you make out of the RAW file conversion. It is non-lossy and non-compressed. Typically 8-bit color depth, sometimes 16-bits. TIF is large, but it is portable, and you can view it across many computers.

---Bob Gross---

[dandan]

hmm.. thanks

so... if there were 2 identical cameras but one shot RAW and onw shot TIFF.. which would you choose?

[tim]

Cameras don't shoot TIFF, at least not any I know about, but there might be some out there. RAW is different from TIFF, RAW is data straight from the sensor, TIFF is a processed file more suitable for sending to a printing company. RAW will be smaller because it's compressed.

[KennyG]

You would have to pick RAW. Anything else you are relying on the in-camera processing to produce the image. I personally prefer to control the image and not leave it up to what the camera designer thought was right.

[maderito]

RAW - data from the camera sensor that requires decoding and conversion to TIFF or JPEG for image viewing, editing and printing. Camera generated RAW files have proprietary formats. They are compressed using lossless algorithms. The RAW file is commonly referred to as the "digital negative."

TIFF - an 8 bit or 16 bit image file that uses a universally recognized file format to store image data. TIFF files are lossless - the image data can always be accurately recovered from the file. There are lossless TIFF compression algorithms to decrease the size of the file. The compression is not especially effective, especially with 16 bit files. One TIFF compression algorithm (LZW) is the subject of ongoing patent/royalty issues and thus is not supported by all applications. Thus TIFF files typically are not compressed to ensure that they can be universally read.

JPEG - an 8 bit image data file format that can be compressed to variable degrees with corresponding loss of image data.

Some digital cameras can output RAW and TIFF files. All can produce JPEGs.

File sizes: TIFF > RAW > JPEG

For an 8 MP camera
-RAW=8 MB
-TIFF=24 MB (8 bit) or 48 MB (16 bit)
-JPEG=2 MB (approximate size for a high quality, low compression file)

[PacAce]

hmm.. thanks

so... if there were 2 identical cameras but one shot RAW and onw shot TIFF.. which would you choose?
In some of the older cameras, such as the EOS 1D, .TIF was the extension used for the RAW file. There really is no .RAW file written out by cameras that I know of although Photoshop is capable of writing our .RAW file but that's proprietary to Adobe, I think.

But, to answer your question, because some camera really do create the standard TIFF file while others just use the extension as a designation for their own RAW format, it's best to determine exactly in what format the "TIFF" file is written before you can decide.

[Hellashot]

Some cameras do shoot TIFF. 4 years ago all the high end cameras shot TIF. Now that's replaced by RAW which is a better concept. On my Drebel, a typical RAW image is 6 to 7MB. When I convert that into a 16bit TIF, the file size goes to 36MB. I'd rather have 6MB than 36MB taking up space on my CF card.

[Bodog]

My old Dimage 7 gave me an ouput choice of .jpg, .tif, or Raw. Raw files are smaller than Tif not because they are compressed, but because they only contain 1/3 ofthe color information ncessary to build the image. Interpolation creates the other 2/3, making a larger file.

[maderito]

. . .Raw files are smaller than Tif not because they are compressed, but because they only contain 1/3 ofthe color information ncessary to build the image. Interpolation creates the other 2/3, making a larger file.
Every time I read about interpolation of sensor image data, I feel like I've been cheated. When will I get my 8 megapixels worth of true RGB data? :confused:

[PacAce]

Every time I read about interpolation of sensor image data, I feel like I've been cheated. When will I get my 8 megapixels worth of true RGB data? :confused:
What you need is the Sigma SD 10. ;)

[maderito]

What you need is the Sigma SD 10. ;)
Yeah ... I know. Foveon Forever. LOL.

[Steven M. Anthony]

Every time I read about interpolation of sensor image data, I feel like I've been cheated. When will I get my 8 megapixels worth of true RGB data? :confused:

The way non-foveon sensors work is similar to the human eye. The 6 - 7 million cone (color receptors) in our eyes come in 3 types, each sensitive to a different color. Our brain interpolates the colors we see from that info--just like the computer converts the ccd or cmos data to RGB.

[Bodog]

Every time I read about interpolation of sensor image data, I feel like I've been cheated. When will I get my 8 megapixels worth of true RGB data? :confused:
When the Foveon sensor (or something similar) is perfected... :D