Why shoot raw?


ChesterL

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Nov 30, 2009
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Can anybody tell me the characteristics of raw photos? Cant we just shoot jpeg?
 

Can anybody tell me the characteristics of raw photos? Cant we just shoot jpeg?


Yes you can just shoot in JPEG..... but if you PS alot.... RAW would be the better choice.
 

Can anybody tell me the characteristics of raw photos? Cant we just shoot jpeg?

Shooting in Raw records the original amount of data captured on the sensor. The retained data makes post editing work much easier. i.e. Easy correction of Exposure (salvage of details from shadow and highlight areas) & White Balance etc.. :)
 

Generally, RAW retains more information then JPEG
with each conversion, some information is loss,
with RAW, you can perform post processing and minimise information loss.

Some examples of basic pp where shooting RAW helps-
- Modify White Balance
- Recover shadow details

You can just try on your camera, shooting both RAW and JPEG at more challenging lighting condition and compare on your desktop

of course, some prefer to use straight out of camera jpeg pics, it's entirely up to you :)
 

http://www.clubsnap.com/forums/showthread.php?p=6043204

many ppl have given their opinions in above thread ...can read up for info...

ultimately, raw gives better control for the shooter...so u can customize amount of sharpening etc...oso saves u when WB/highlight goes crappy...I find shooting raw helps alot whenever there's high dynamic scene...nt exactly good results, but it saves some agony during occasion tt you dun bother to read ur histogram...haha:bsmilie:
 

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Can anybody tell me the characteristics of raw photos? Cant we just shoot jpeg?

What are the advantages of fresh (raw) vegetables. Can't we just buy canned vegetables? Hope that helps a bit :)
 

What are the advantages of fresh (raw) vegetables. Can't we just buy canned vegetables? Hope that helps a bit :)

or ...

RAW is like Prime Beef, you have the freedom to cook it in many ways and depending on your style, it comes out in different tastes. But JPEG is like Cheaper Beef, how you cook it and how it eventually tastes is bottle-necked by the quality of the beef itself ;)

Sorry im alittle obsessed with Steak and Wagyu~
 

here is a little diagram

Flowchart1.gif


linked from http://photo.net/learn/raw/, for more details.

ryan
 

why buy dslr?

Actually, that would be OT. You don't have to buy DSLR to shoot RAW... (case in point, Canon S90, Panasonic Lx-3, etc etc)...

To add to what's been said, precisely RAW captures EVERYTHING, even if your image is in total darkness you might be able to tweak it until you see something useful. Not JPEG, what you see is as good as dead (processed pixels)... which main strength (and also its weakness) is to save memory space...
 

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Especially for Nikon cameras, it'd be a good idea to shoot in RAW if you intend to make use of the full dynamic range that the sensors are capable of but are hindered because of the drastic curves applied through even the "standard" picture control setting.
 

i guess if u do alot of post processing, example for cross processing, or other effects, or even just for salvaging an under/over exposed picture. it will be useful to get ur pictures in raw.
 

i took RAW maintain due to WB. there are those moments, more often than not, where time and 2nd chance is not an option. you may have one and only one single chance to get it right, no way of reshoot. with RAW you can apply the correct WB, exposure compansation and stuff, and the best thing is you can undo them all with RAW. on jpg what its done is permanent.
 

Give you the extra details to post process your pictures..
 

if you not going to do post process, just stick to JPEG. its good quality anyway.

for Nikon(not sure about other system), you can choose RAW+JPEG format to compare before you decide which one you like. but be reminded that RAW will take BIG file size, hence need more memory cards.
 

Yes, you can just shoot in jpeg. It's quite adequate most of the time, in my opinion. I shoot RAW when I know I want to do shadow/highlight recovery. Else, even jpegs are good for some minor post-processing.
 

Yes, you can just shoot in jpeg. It's quite adequate most of the time, in my opinion. .

Second that. good for many of the stuffs i take, cuts down on processing time if not needed.

ryan