Raw or JPeg 2nd shooter Wedding Recp.

I will be a 2nd shooter at a wedding recp. coming up in Feb.

I have never really played with Raw before, but would it be worth for me to shoot in Raw?

I know the theory of what Raw will do for me in relation to post processing, but not sure what everyone else here does.

Mostly Raw or Mostly JPeg for a Wedding Reception?

Thanks all in advance for your comments!

Dave

Shoot whatever format the primary shooter prefers.

I know I am going to be overruled in this, but I tested RAW and wasnt all that impressed. I expected more from it. The only thing it seemed to do better/easier is whitebalance correction.. everything else I was able to fix just as well with JPEG images.

But I know that lots of people will feel the opposite way

I’m sure the primary will let you know what they want……………

song4themoon wrote in post #2475130
I know I am going to be overruled in this, but I tested RAW and wasnt all that impressed. I expected more from it. The only thing it seemed to do better/easier is whitebalance correction.. everything else I was able to fix just as well with JPEG images.

But I know that lots of people will feel the opposite way

I found that RAW allows me to balance the highlights and shadows better. Having said that, the Fuji S3 Pro balances them for you and saves as JPEG too which saves a ton of hassle.

Use whatever your comfortable with if your not told otherwise.

My second shooter will be instructed to shoot in RAW format, as that's my preference.

Can you guarantee your exposures will be spot on in possibly difficult lighting? If not I'd seriously consider RAW. However don't wait till the wedding to try it. Get some experience in post processing first.

How many compact flash cards will you have? And will you have access to a laptop or something to dump the cards onto during that day/night?

Those questions should help you determine whether you are even capable with the current equipment you have.

song4themoon wrote in post #2475130
I know I am going to be overruled in this, but I tested RAW and wasnt all that impressed. I expected more from it. The only thing it seemed to do better/easier is white balance correction.. everything else I was able to fix just as well with JPEG images.

But I know that lots of people will feel the opposite way

Well, i think it depends what software you have or use. It can really make a difference between hindering/limiting and allowing you to expand your capabilities. And then of course what equipment(camera bodies, flash cards, laptop, mobile hard drive devices) you have.

ModernPics wrote in post #2475110
I will be a 2nd shooter at a wedding recp. coming up in Feb.

I have never really played with Raw before, but would it be worth for me to shoot in Raw?

I know the theory of what Raw will do for me in relation to post processing, but not sure what everyone else here does.

Mostly Raw or Mostly JPeg for a Wedding Reception?

Thanks all in advance for your comments!

Dave

SHOOT BOTH - SHOOT BOTH - SHOOT BOTH ....

Sorry for the shouting but I strongly suggest you to shoot both in the highest resolution.

Good luck and Happy New Year.

RAW+small JPEG, best combo for the big events. Also, just get extra CF cards if you need to. I have about 8 GB for weddings now that I have the 5D. With a 4 GB card, it takes about 220 pictures.

I used to be a JPG only shooter. Coming from film, it seemed like a great choice. And I can totally see how shooting JPG isn't a bad thing at all.

I now shoot RAW just for the better batch processing options. Other than that, I would still be using JPG only. RAW still kinda annoys me though, with it's huge filesize requiring some serious computing horsepower.

I think both methods are great. RAW for pro works, JPG for everything else.

I was thinking of trying out the RAW + JPEG setting on my camera. I've shot JPEG with my new camera and RAW. The RAW takes FOREVER to load an image using the Canon DPP program. I'm still trying to see if I noticed anything different between the two modes other than the very long load time.

I would just shoot raw unless you do not have a lot of flash space available. I see no reason to not shoot raw all the time unless you know there is no editing needed. Life is so much easier in Raw.

I shoot nothing but RAW as does my second. I've never seen much of a requirement to shoot a JPG in addition. If I want that JPG I can get it from the RAW file. In most cases you will get a good enough JPG but then you have that one occurrence where you could have used the RAW format to your advantage. This in itself is enough for me to shoot just RAW.

I have enough CF space to shoot over 2K images. CF space is so affordable these days that this just can't realistically be used as a reason to shoot only JPG.

If one is shooting for themselves it is then a matter of personal preference and there is really no right or wrong answer to this question. When you are working for someone else you should do what the boss wants. This should be cleared up well in advance of the wedding day.