Why should I shoot RAW?

Why should you shoot raw? If you're happy with the results shooting jpegs & money is too tight to buy another card then stick with jpeg... you don't HAVE to shoot raw.

The reasons why Raw is the better format have been explained already (I presume... I haven't read it all!) I shoot raw because it gives me more options and more control over how the final image looks especially for those times when I didnt get the exposure spot on but I'll admit most of my memory cardswere dirt cheap off ebay

Tendy wrote in post #10215104
Yes but we also have to buy new kids school uniforms, new kids shoes etc,they're the priority. I will have to get another card sometime but well,its not that simple-its complicated!

I hate to say this like this but if money is a real problem you had better find a new hobby. This one is not cheap and cards are one of the cheaper items you need.

Tendy wrote in post #10215104
Yes but we also have to buy new kids school uniforms, new kids shoes etc,they're the priority. I will have to get another card sometime but well,its not that simple-its complicated!

It's not that complicated and certainly doesn't need to be personal. You have a tradeoff between the Raw format which preserves all image data in a way that gives the most latitude in processing and the jpeg format which has had some of the original data thrown away and the rest compressed in terms of data depth (with your cameras from 12 bits per color channel to 8 bits) so that further adjustments are limited.

But, the Raw files are larger, of course, and you really can get good images with jpeg files. It's all up to you. Nobody needs to "convince" you, especially if you are tight with funds, and when someone makes an argument that memory cards aren't "that expensive" there is no need to take it personally and be defensive. If you don't want to be convinced, just say no! Of course, you started the thread with a challenge to convince you...

tonylong wrote in post #10215392
It's not that complicated and certainly doesn't need to be personal. You have a tradeoff between the Raw format which preserves all image data in a way that gives the most latitude in processing and the jpeg format which has had some of the original data thrown away and the rest compressed in terms of data depth (with your cameras from 12 bits per color channel to 8 bits) so that further adjustments are limited.

But, the Raw files are larger, of course, and you really can get good images with jpeg files. It's all up to you. Nobody needs to "convince" you, especially if you are tight with funds, and when someone makes an argument that memory cards aren't "that expensive" there is no need to take it personally and be defensive. If you don't want to be convinced, just say no! Of course, you started the thread with a challenge to convince you...

Well said Tony. If you like the results your getting with JPG rock on. Seems you've made your mind up already anyway.

for new photographers like me... I have come to realize that RAW is the only way to go for me to be able to tweak my images in PP.

maybe seasoned pros and good amateurs are very good at nailing every photos that they don't really need RAW to tweak. but mere mortals like me I think RAW has a very clear advantage for us to be able to make nice photographs.

monk3y wrote in post #10215476
for new photographers like me... I have come to realize that RAW is the only way to go for me to be able to tweak my images in PP.

maybe seasoned pros and good amateurs are very good at nailing every photos that they don't really need RAW to tweak. but mere mortals like me I think RAW has a very clear advantage for us to be able to make nice photographs.

I shoot raw because it gives me more control over things like color balance. Control over the final image is the reason I like many other professionals shoot in that mode.
It seems to me that the OP has already made up his mind to shoot JPG and if its working for him then he should continue do just that. His mind was made up before he started this thread by the reasons he has posted of why he can't shoot raw so this is pretty much a unless thread.

airfrogusmc wrote in post #10215739
His mind was made up before he started this thread by the reasons he has posted of why he can't shoot raw so this is pretty much a useless thread.

As opposed to all the other "raw vs. jpg" threads

egordon99 wrote in post #10215747
As opposed to all the other "raw vs. jpg" threads

You mean like these, for example?:

Why shoot in RAW?

Travel Holidays - shoot RAW or jpeg?

Is RAW always better than jpeg?

Benefits of RAW

To RAW or not to RAW??

Football RAW or JPG

Raw or jpg

RAW vs. JPEG?

It should be said that a lot of people come out of these discussions with valuable information, so they are not useless unless/until they end up in a head-bashing argument or a p!ssing contest of who is the better photographer based on what format they shoot.

In this case the fact that the OP seems limited to a 1GB card seems to seal the discussion for now, but other people do read these threads and hopefully gain some insight from them.

airfrogusmc wrote in post #10215214
I hate to say this like this but if money is a real problem you had better find a new hobby. This one is not cheap and cards are one of the cheaper items you need.

Best response, IMO. If you are struggling even with the consideration of a new SD card...what are we talking about??

Just skip Starbucks for a few days, you'll have a 4GB card in no time!

tonylong wrote in post #10215971
It should be said that a lot of people come out of these discussions with valuable information, so they are not useless unless/until they end up in a head-bashing argument or a p!ssing contest of who is the better photographer based on what format they shoot.

In this case the fact that the OP seems limited to a 1GB card seems to seal the discussion for now, but other people do read these threads and hopefully gain some insight from them.

Tony the problem with this particular thread is the OP was asking why shoot raw when he never intended to shoot raw. Folks stated the reason why they shoot raw and then it was followed by the reasons the OP can't shoot raw. If ya can't shoot raw, why the question.

Find what works for you and don't worry what others think especially when you already know the answer.

airfrogusmc wrote in post #10216911
Tony the problem with this particular thread is the OP was asking why shoot raw when he never intended to shoot raw. Folks stated the reason why they shoot raw and then it was followed by the reasons the OP can't shoot raw. If ya can't shoot raw, why the question.

Find what works for you and don't worry what others think especially when you already know the answer.

I understand, that certainly became clear -- I was just trying to put some perspective on the "these threads are useless" idea. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if someone somewhere got inspired by this thread, if only from seeing that great "rescue" example, to give Raw a try (new memory cards be damned!)!

I shoot RAW because I'm not good enough to shoot JPG on the scene... There's always some setting I miss (WB, picture style, etc...) that I miss, and once it's in JPG, it's really hard to get back. This way, all I really have to worry about is exposure, and I'll figure out the rest during PP, when I actually have some time.

Of course, I do this for a hobby, and can take weeks to process shots if I choose to do so. Storage is cheap, so unless you need to turn around your shots quickly, I can't think of many reasons not to shoot RAW.