Surprisingly, many professionals DON'T shoot RAW, especially pro sports shooters and photojournalists. Many wedding photogs don't shot RAW either.

For pro sports, the penalty of the buffer limitation is the main factor. PJ photogs often have to send their pics off to their editors from the field, thus in-camera processing is essential.

A world famous wedding photog told me he no longer shoots in RAW at weddings because why in the hell would anyone shoot a reception in RAW unless you don't know light...meaning that the lighting is going to be the same in every corresponding section of the venue so you should have readings for correct exp/wb scoped out. Additionally, nobody that hires him for a wedding can tell the difference between RAW and jpg anyway.

When I first heard this, I was stunned. But then I started asking around, and found it to be true. I then got cocky and started shooting in jpg myself, and got a fantastic shot that I just couldn't get the wb right on,. After a couple months of fiddling with it, it's still not where I want it. If I had shot it in RAW, I could have taken care of it with a click. lol.

Have you ever heard of the Gorilla pod SLR zoom that holds 6.6 pounds, it is marketed to actually hold that lense. I trust your advice but it would be nice to put it on something other than a tripod because out tripod is big and heavy. Here is the link to the site...let me know what you think?? http://joby.com/gorillapod/slrzoom/