Ramm Francis

Perhaps I misunderstood the question.

E.L.. Shapiro Loc: Ottawa, Ontario Canada

I think the OP had the traditional concept of cropping, after the fact as opposed to finalizing the composition in the camera- framing as some put it.

As I alluded to in my other post, so much depends on the conditions it which one is generally shooting. Many photographers prefer to utilize the full potential of their format and fill the frame as the see fit. If I decide on a tight shot or the use of negative space, I usually make that decision while shooting and still might make some minor compositional adjustments in post processing.

Even if a photographer adheres to this school of though, there are always practical and valid exceptions due to circumstances, limitations or certain equipment issues. Obviously there are many scenarios where we can't get in close enough, do not the have a long enough lense of zoom capability or have no time to compose carefully and just need to grab a fleeting shot. Cropping in post processing can oftentimes salvage a less than perfect shot.

There are cases where a photographer may prefer not to select a longer telephoto lens or zoom in or even move in closer so as not to change the perspective or bring on distance compression that occurs with longer focal lengths.

One photographer mentioned that his zoom lens performs rather poorly at its maximum setting and therefore prefers to shoot shorter and crop later. Every photographer can't have every lens for every purpose and has to improvise and work around certain limitations. It's a matter of making certain judgement calls.

In the olden days some photographers were more darkroom oriented than shooting biast. Seemed they would shoot any way almost willy nilly just to gather raw materials to create with in the darkroom. Perhaps some photographers lean more toward computer art.

All kinds of habits, good and bad die hard. After so many years of working with transparency films in my commercial photography,I tend to operate in the old manner. Transparency films had comparatively little latitude and more the most part, there was no remedial solutions for a poorly composed or exposed transparency or slide. Composition wise, most busy photographers and darkroom technicians were not crazy about "re-shooting" and re-composing everything in the darkroom. Even with color and black and white negative film, the rule of thumb was "put it on the negative". Expect for tweaking certain things and making minor adjustments, I carried this philosophy into my digital work.

As far as editing or any kind of post processing in the camera, I can't see doing that as a routine practice. If there is a matter of rapid production or instant transmission of an image, I would go to tethering the camera to a laptop or tablet and editing on the spot, that is, if there is time and practicality.

I feel each photographer should operate within their comfort zone unless they wish to experiment or embrace other methodologies- that's what keep the fun of discovery in photography.

bpulv Loc: Buena Park, CA

For the best results in terms of maximizing megapixels (assuming that is how you define quality), shoot in RAW and crop in the camera, but consider the tradeoffs. If you crop a seascape in the camera for example, and the horizon isn't exactly level, you will not have left yourself the space surrounding the main subject to level the image in post production. Personally, I prefer to crop tight in the camera but, leave a little space around the image so I have the option of making corrections or improvements in post. Any loss in image quality is unnoticeable.

Blenheim Orange Loc: Michigan

Aren't you talking about composing, as opposed to cropping? If I am not mistaken the OP is saying the following: given that he is going to be cropping certain photos should he do that with the in-camera crop function after he takes the photo, or should he crop it with an image editing program on his computer. Apparently there are cameras that allow you to define and save cropped versions of the photos you have taken.

I love this thread. Nothing ever gets resolved, yet it never turns nasty, either.

Mike

armandoluiz Loc: Oppland, Norway

Exactly, that was/is my question.

armandoluiz Loc: Oppland, Norway

😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣

mrussell

Ideally, you would do a bit of both. It isn't always possible to get the best composition in camera, but you do need to consider how you will ultimately crop the image in post before you push the shutter release.
For example, if you're shooting a fast moving scene, you may not have any opportunity to compose the image in camera, but what you take may not be amenable to a good final crop for composition unless you've considered it before making the image.

Blenheim Orange Loc: Michigan

He has a camera with an in-camera crop function, for cropping images in camera after he has taken them. He is not asking about composition, he is not asking about post processing.

Here is the question:

Given that he is going to be cropping images - it doesn't really matter why, and he is not asking whether or not he should - is it better to use the crop function in the camera, or to crop the images with an image editing program on the computer?

Mike

James Slick Loc: Pittsburgh,PA