JPEG vs RAW

Ok boys, this is a total newbie question.

Tell me what should I shoot in and why.

I shoot mainly portrait type stuff, mostly of my family and friends for now.

I know there is a ton of stuff on the web regarding this topic, but I wanted to hear from those that actually use these formats.

Thanks.

Tell us what u want to do with the pictures, online gallery, prints(small? large?), or possible exhibition?

In general, Jpeg is enough for personal use, such as gallery, albums and to a reasonable size print(depends on camera) without lose any quality of images. Raw is more of a format for pros/serious amatures, it's much more flexible and much more complicated for image manipulation, in order to achieve the results u want, and of course, u'll be needing suitable software to process RAW data.

I've been primarily using jpeg on my 10D, and lately i've started to play with RAW. Give it a go, see which one suits u the most, u might find jpeg is a lot more straightforward tho'.

i shoot in raw exclusively because i like the control that format provides me.

once i get a 10d (almost there) i will most likey shoot in RAW with jpgs just for easy emailing sake....

shoot a couple of pics in raw and give them a go... u might not want to go back to jpg

Since I had gotten my 300D I have shot the vast majority of my pictures in "large/fine". And I have been pleased with them since most of my stuff is for online display.

However, after reading the hoohaw around here about Raw I deicded to give it a go for print work. And I was not impressed. It seemed like a waste of memory space on my already too small card and added work. Then I got the tip that you can set your output resolution during the conversion from RAW to TIFF.

Man have I seen the light! RAW is an AWESOME tool that affords you all the creative ability that you will ever get out of an image. With the raw you can produce any resolution image you need, you can adjust the image's contrast, tone and color temp and lots more. Sounds like PS? Well what photoshop can't do with a 4 meg JPG is use every single bit of information that the 6.3 pixels on the sensor pick up!

This is the RAW file. It hasn't been compressed, compiled or altered by the camera the way any level of JPG is. This isn't the meat and potatoes, it's the frigging cow! This is the all that the image will ever be. No JPG will ever have as much information or be able to be pulled as extremely in any direction as a RAW file can. Why? Because in order to get from RAW (which every image starts as) to JPG the image goes through the compression algorithm. So what you get as "large/fine" is really "moderate/compressed".

Since I started to shoot RAW I have been getting better results with the final images. Do I still shoot JPG? Sure! Any image that is for "fun" or practice or meant only for the web is JPG baby! But if it is gonna go or even might go to print, then it is RAW for me all the way.

And it doesn't god bad if you don't cook it!

- Digital Prophet -

http://www.cps.canon-europe.com …sp?article.arti​cleId=1240


http://www.rogercavana​gh.com/helpinfo/35_raw​or.htm


But the best reason to shoot in raw is here;

http://www.kleptograph​y.com/b-index.htm

Digitl Profit.. I LOVE your post! Now that's enthusiasm!

Please pardon me for cross posting. However, I do read and participate in various forums because each has it's own character and resident experts. I just posted my own experience of RAW in a wedding photography forum. Instead of retype the whole thing, here is the link.
http://www.robgalbrait​h.com …collapsed&sb=5&​o=&fpart=1

Regards,
Alan

I only shoot Raw.
The main reason is because I never have to worry about setting White Balance when shooting. I can do it all (and do it much better) later in software (C1 Pro).
Software exposure compensation is very nice too!

After learning how to process my RAW images, I shoot in that format almost exclusively now. It allows me to fix my screw-ups easier (which happens often!), and allows me to molest the colors and contrast with no decline in quality.

I recon it really comes down to what you want to do w/ the pics you take and if you want to tweek them a lot or a little...

You might want to read these:
From Canon, their point of view:
http://www.cps.canon-europe.com …sp?article.arti​cleId=1240

Another Forum...Rob Gailbraith...
http://www.robgalbrait​h.com …collapsed&sb=5&​o=&fpart=1

Roger Cavanaugh's ideas...
http://www.rogercavana​gh.com/helpinfo/35_raw​or.htm

YOU GUYS ROCK!

OK

Looks like I have some work to do tonight. Reading and shooting everything in site in RAW.

Yes, you have some homework...there will be a pop quiz in the near future!

JPG vs RAW

Hello:

Not to sound snooty, but given that you're starting out, I'd suggest that you go for the best, which is the RAW format. Get into the habit of shooting raw now. Other's have mentioned the higher level of file control, which I agree with completely. Even if our client's end need is a jpg, we still shoot raw, and then convert the sharpened tiff to a jpg. You will notice the difference versus shooting jpg's natively. In my opinion (the snooty part! ), anyone that tells you otherwise is just plain not into the best quality that their camera/files are capable of producing. People have lots of reasons for shooting jpgs natively, even some high-end wedding shooters do it. I don't buy any of it. Shoot raw, get used to the workflow and enjoy the great quality your equipment is capable of produucing!

Okay--another newbie question.

To shoot in raw, is there anything special I need to do other than to switch it under the menu?

I've only shot in jpeg and only had the Digital Rebel for a couple of weeks.

And...I'm shooting an outdoor wedding with digital for the first time this weekend, any idea on how many images I can expect in raw on with a 512mb?

Thanks--great forum.

All you have to do is convert them from RAW to TIFF in the Canon software after you download them.

As for the capacity I have a 256 meg card and I get about 40 RAW's per card. Man I need a new card. RAW's average about 7 megs each as opposed to about 3.5 megs per JPG in "large/fine" mode. So whatever you were getting cut it in half. I would guess-ti-mate about 75-80 images.

As for the software just read the manual. That or you can pop for that C1 software that some people here use. I would but I am strapped for cash. I need a second job to support my camera habit.

Crack would have been cheaper.

- Digital Prophet -