tainkc Loc: Kansas City

Why? If one sets up their shot in camera properly like they are supposed to, then what is the big deal? Is it because one has more latitude when making adjustments in post (which it does)? Oh, I suppose it is because one can fix blowouts, white balance issues, colour correction much easier when a photo is shot in raw. For the most part, this is true. But, so what? Like I stated, if one sets up their shots properly in the first place, whether shot in raw or Jpeg, the result is still the same; no need to do a lot of refinement in post either way. I hate post processing with a passion. It is just not my thing, yet I am very good at it.

These shots were all shot in fine Jpeg with no post processing other than to crop for a 4x6, 6x4,8x10, or a 10x8 if I decide to do a test print. I have yet to put my new camera in raw format because I want to put the thing through the ringer before I even think about taking any serious pictures.

Judging by the histograms alone in lightroom or in photoshop, I noticed that I have a lot of leeway available for any adjusting if I chose to do so.

They look alright to me. I am just throwing this out there for conversation is all.

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letmedance Loc: Walnut, Ca.

If you are happy with the PostProcessing that your camera does then just shoot JPEG and enjoy.

robertjerl Loc: Corona, California

Having read a lot of your posts I expected an article about taking pictures with no clothes on.

If you don't want to shoot in RAW, don't, I will. In fact my first DSLR was (is, I still have it) a Sigma SD 10 which only shoots in RAW. You might say I am habituated to RAW.

I do very little deliberate pre-setup shooting and my birds or flowers and insects I just happened to come upon often don't allow a lot of time for set piece work anyway. I will stick with the greater lee way RAW gives me. Even my backyard birds don't lend themselves to set piece work. Will the next hummer be at the feeder in full sun with a block wall background, the one usually in sun with sky background or the one in shade under the swing set/play fort? I don't know and the little dears usually don't stay long enough for a lot of adjustments. So I use manual with the shutter speed and aperture set and the ISO left to float on auto. I always put the center point on the bird for AF and I may hold the shutter and AF while I recompose. Some times I do remove that variable by using a flash with a guide number of 60m/196' even in daylight. My back yard birds are usually at 40-90 feet from the sliding door of the family room, a very comfortable photo blind. For the hummers I may use a lawn chair at less than 10 feet to 15 or 20 depending on the chair's location in regards to the three feeders. I have the camera set except for focusing and I sit very still thinking nice thoughts about the "pretty birds", yes I have nodded off doing that, (keep the strap around your neck and use a chair you can lean back in) the faint buzz of their wings is so soothing.

tbell7D Loc: Houston

First, these are all very nice images that I would be glad to have shot. I always shoot in JPEG mainly because I can get so many more photos on the memory card, more than twice as many as in raw. I do enjoy processing in Lightroom and I have found, with much experience, that I have an incredible amount of latitude for corrections and adjustments. So for me, there just does not seem to be any reason whatsoever to load up my memory cards with raw files.

tainkc Loc: Kansas City

Yeah, well, my wife yelled at me about taking pictures with no clothes on. She said something about the neighbors might see me. Seriously, that line about the salesman selling me a camera that takes pictures of women with no clothes on, I stole from a Woody Allen movie.

Truth be told, once I figure out that I can not have sex with this camera, I will be shooting 99.999% in raw. in manual. Right now, I am just testing things out, and as you already know, I can not possibly be serious when I make a post like this.

tainkc Loc: Kansas City

To be perfectly honest, I could not possibly shoot enough photos to fill up a memory card, Jpeg or otherwise. I would go nuts spending all of that time in post. I am such a crappy photographer that I had to get good in lightroom and photoshop. Then one day I discovered a real great time saver; get it right in the camera in the first place. It really works.

On a more serious note; there are a few Sony models out there that do not have the raw capability and their Jpeg images are simply superb! Just look at james56' posts. His Sony does not shoot in raw and most of his stuff has excellent reproduction and the I.Q. blows the competition away.

rmorrison1116 Loc: Near Valley Forge, Pennsylvania

I make my living as a computer programmer so I'll explain or answer the question from a computer perspective. What is a digital camera or more accurately, what makes the digital camera work? The primary difference between an analog (film) camera and a digital camera is how they gather and store data. In an analog camera the light passes thru the lens, hits the film and a chemical reaction takes place. The data that makes up the image is now stored on the film and processing the data on the film creates an image.

Digital cameras have an on board computer that runs all the devices in the camera, including the image sensor. When the light passes thru the lens and hits the image sensor, electrical reactions take place and the computer analyzes all these reactions and gathers data from them.

When you shoot in raw, all the data the computer gathered from the sensor is written, unaltered, to the storage card. If the computer gathered 27 megabytes of data from the sensor, 27 megabytes are written to the storage card. If the camera is set to JPG, the computer processes, alters, the data and writes a much smaller image file to the storage card. A good bit of data is thrown away, never to be retrieved again.

There's really nothing wrong with doing it that way, JPG only, but, you are limited to what you can do with the JPG data vs the raw data.
Sure, you can set the parameters in the camera to create the JPG the way you want it but, post processing raw data on a much more powerful computer than the one in the camera, and using different complex image processing software than what's in the camera gives you a whole lot more to work with.

If you're satisfied with the JPG'S coming out of the camera then go for it. If you want all the data the sensor gathered then shoot raw. Personally, I shoot both. As I shoot, JPG'S are downloaded to my tablet or PC for quick review. Keepers are copied, the raw data, to the PC for post processing. Best of both worlds.

I know a lot of folks won't use raw because it takes up so much space on the storage card. You can get 1/4 terabyte storage cards that will hold a boat load of raw files, or, just carry a few spare 64 gigabyte cards.

Either way, it's your camera, do with it as you please...

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

If you get it right in the camera the first time, great!
If you don't, that's where RAW comes in handy.

boberic Loc: Quiet Corner, Connecticut. Ex long Islander

What's with the venom Re: Raw. If you don't want to shoot raw then don't. There is no RAW police. Lighten up. If you are happy with your JPEG image good for you. You sound like Emily Latella (from saturday night live) Remember the Character who would allways get the saying wrong and then apologize by saying "Never Mind" Example-- Whats all this I hear about violins on televison. When it was corrected to "violence on television" she would say -- Never Mind"

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

fosgood11 Loc: oil city, La.

tainkc Loc: Kansas City

Yes it does.

tainkc Loc: Kansas City

I do know how it all works. One of my jobs is as a network designer. But there is no way I am going to use a 64 gig card. Even though they are cheap now, I don't need them. 16's are fine by me. Once I get done fooling around, I will be back to shooting in raw.

tainkc Loc: Kansas City

I'm just messing around. When I am finished exploring this camera, I will probably super glue the dial at manual mode as well as the main menu button which will be set to a 3:2 aspect ration and it will be in raw.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

Side note:
Tainck- Thank You for NOT putting the "s" after gig!
Yes, I noticed!