jethro779 Loc: Tucson, AZ

I have noticed when I take pictures in raw & jpg fine with my D3000 the ratio is 7mp raw & 3 mp jpg fine. I am considering either the D7000 or the D7100 as my next camera. Will the raw/jpg ratios remain the same or will they change due to mp size of the sensor?

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speters Loc: Grangeville/Idaho

I'm curious why you care about that.

jethro779 Loc: Tucson, AZ

Because my mind runs in those kind of circles.

MT Shooter Loc: Montana

The ratio of file sizes from RAW/JPG will depend entirely upon the level of compression you select for those JPG images, as well as compressed or uncompressed RAW saves. Regardless, both file types will be much larger with a D7XXX as compared to the D3000.

GENorkus Loc: Washington Twp, Michigan

If I understanding what you are asking:

Raw files are basically the down and dirty files that are limited to the size of the sensor and the manufacture's design and normally cannot be changed.

Jpeg files are compressed and modified files of whatever the RAW is. This can change by whatever modifications you have told done in the menu.

The Jpeg, (on just about every camera), can be made larger or smaller which will change the ratio.

jethro779 Loc: Tucson, AZ

I was wondering about raw & jpg fine. I don't even know why I started wondering about it, but once I started i have been bugged because I don't know. I know the files change proportionally between fine, normal, & basic, with fine having the largest file size.

MT Shooter Loc: Montana

The size of the actual JPG file can vary widely depending upon the image itself. The more complex the scene, the more data that is processed, hence the larger file sizes regardless of the level of compression. (A shot of a clear blue, cloudless sky will be considerably smaller file size than a shot of a large crowd at a gathering. Even with the exact same camera settings, simply due to the amount of data recorded to process the image.) A JPG image will ALWAYS have a smaller file size simply because the image is compressed when saved.

jethro779 Loc: Tucson, AZ

I guess what I am trying to figure out is when I do both jpg & raw it runs jpg about 30% of total mp's and raw 70%. giving me a 3mp jpg file on average. Does this stay the same with a larger mp camera? In other words will a 16 mp camera give me a 5.75mp average jpg and a 24.3mp camera give me an 8mp jpg picture?

naturepics43 Loc: Hocking Co. Ohio - USA

I don't think there is a fixed ratio.

I would think that the content ( colors, shapes, etc.)of the image would affect the file size of both images but the JPEG would be affected more or less due to the type of compression used.

According to the Nikon D 7000 ( 16.2 MP sensor) manual ( pg. 320).....Approx. file size for RAW 12 bit=15.5 MB, RAW 14-bit= 19.4 MB & JPEG fine (L)=7.8 MB

BHC Loc: Strawberry Valley, JF, USA

Look at Page 348 of the D7100 manual.

mcveed Loc: Kelowna, British Columbia (between trips)

There are no averages. A 24 mp camera will give you a 24 mp raw file, no matter what the subject of the image. The camera records the RGB data for every photo site. When the camera is recording the data for a jpeg image it does not record the RGB data for every photo site. If the RGB data for a photo site is nearly the same as the one before, the camera records "ditto" instead of all the data. For a blue sky this could be repeated hundreds of times. The degree of difference required to get the data recorded instead of a "ditto" depends on the compression factor you set. So the size of a jpeg depends on the complexity of the scene. If there are large areas of very similar colour the file will be small, if the scene is complex with lots of detail the file will be larger. A jpeg image of the blue sky may only record five or six different hues of blue depending on the jpeg setting. The raw image may record 50 different hues in the same image because each photo site is recorded individually. That is why we say that the raw file has more detail than a jpeg.

P.S. This explanation is simplified and will not satisfy the technically inclined, but it captures the essence of what is going on.

dcampbell52 Loc: Clearwater Fl

I have a D70 (6mp) and a D7100 (24mp) the difference in size between the jpg and RAW in each is about the same ratio. the file sizes are greatly larger in the D7100 RAW vs D70s RAW and greatly larger jpg D7100 to D70s Jpg.

D70s Nef run about 6mb size Jpg about 3mb
D7100 Nef run about 30 mb Jpg about 15mb

D610 (24.3 mp full frame) about Nef 40 mb jpg about 20mb


Hope this helps

dcampbell52 Loc: Clearwater Fl

pithydoug Loc: Catskill Mountains, NY

True and some cameras allow one to choose the size of both the RAW and JPG picture.

joer Loc: Colorado/Illinois

File sizes for each camera vary depending on the
size and pixel density of the sensor as well as the file type.

The ratio between raw and jpg file sizes is irrelevant.