RAW or JPEG

Hi,
I'm an newbie to digital SLR and am travelling to Australia for 5 weeks with a Canon 5D. My question - should I concentrate on capturing RAW pics or JPEG's for processing / printing when I return home?
Sorry if this isn't the correct forum. Need direction.
Thanks
Lagnagoushee

I guess real limitation is how much memory are you bringing?
Are you bringing way to store images so you can reuse cards?

Remember RAW files take quite a bit more space than .jpg... you don't want to get half way through trip and need to start culling photos on location just to squeeze more shots in.

As far as processing images once you get back:
If you shoot RAW only, you can use Zoombrowser (that came with 5d, right?) to always batch process your RAW files to almost exactly how camera would have processed the .jpgs. That way if you're not comftorable with RAW, or want some quick shots to share, you don't need to shoot RAW+Jpg and use MORE of that card space. (DPP can be used to batch, but its default parameters differ from in-camera images... I would use DPP for more serious editing of the RAW files than for quick, no-edit batching out.)

For sure I would shoot RAW when going on a trip to Oz.

I usually shoot RAW anyway, unless it is something like a childs BD party, reunion or some other event like that.

However, when I am shooting something special - especially when I have flown thousands of miles to it and may not be flying back again anytime soon - shoot RAW so you capture every last detail!

For personal shooting on trips I always go with JPG since I am really there for the trip and not the pictures.
Anytime the reason I am there is for the pictures I shoot RAW.

I'm 100% RAW. You can easily batch to JPG, but if you get it wrong you can tweak things more easily.

Lagnagoushee wrote in post #5985215
Hi,
I'm an newbie to digital SLR and am travelling to Australia for 5 weeks with a Canon 5D. My question - should I concentrate on capturing RAW pics or JPEG's for processing / printing when I return home?

Shoot in RAW, the people and places here are very colourful...........

Seriously though, I always shoot in both RAW+jpg.
Memory is cheap now so don't risk it by just shoot jpgs especially since your using the magnificent 5D.

Hope you have a great time over here.

when you get "down-under", you can purchase a cd burner and dump your raw files
to CD and then format your cards for the next day's work.

Click the link in my sig

Considering how cheap cards are now (8gb extreme iii cards were at 50 bucks after rebate), it's best to just get cards and shoot raw.

Welcome to the forums.

I HIGHLY recommend the search function for this topic. There are hundreds of threads on the forum that address this same question. In fact, there are books devoted to it too!!!

Good luck.

mattograph wrote in post #5988542
There are hundreds of threads on the forum that address this same question.

And - just like this one - they all have the same answer:

shoot RAW,

or jpeg..!



(100% RAW, myself - I can't think of a single good reason to choose jpeg over it).

Keith R wrote in post #5989774
And - just like this one - they all have the same answer:

shoot RAW,

or jpeg..!



(100% RAW, myself - I can't think of a single good reason to choose jpeg over it).

and I'm with you!

If you shoot in RAW for your trip now, when you get a little better at your PP you will be thankful.

If your shoots are mainly going to be shared with friends and family, keep a 4mb CF card marked for jpeg Medium only, you'll get tons more shots, just remember to change your settings when you put in in.

The important shots, shoot RAW, mark your cards.

Steve

Enjoy the Sun.

Another vote for RAW here.

It might be just me, but buying a 5D and shooting jpeg is just a bit too close to buying a Porsche and putting tractor tyres on it in my mind.

Lagnagoushee wrote in post #5985215
Hi,
I'm an newbie to digital SLR and am travelling to Australia for 5 weeks with a Canon 5D. My question - should I concentrate on capturing RAW pics or JPEG's for processing / printing when I return home?
Sorry if this isn't the correct forum. Need direction.
Thanks
Lagnagoushee

I'd learn the camera inside and out, know all the settings and how to use them. Get a spare battery and always keep an extra charged.

If you are like me, you are going to have 1000's of pictures to cull through and process when you get back. Not the time to learn the processing flow for RAW or 'play' around with it. If you are used to processing and printing JPG from a point and shoot, and are happy with the results, I'd stick with that.

Memory is cheap, but if you don't have an external card reader with firewire or USB 2, it is going to take some time to get those RAWs on a cumputer, not sure of your situation, but time isn't cheap for me AT ALL.

I shoot JPG about 80 of the time, when I can't chimp or lighting is really bad I switch to RAW. But the camera has settings for a reason, no need to use one or the other exclusively, a photographer can and will change for various reasons.