Camera Labs

Hi I have a new Olympus and it is a while since having a SLR Camera. I am just wondering should I shoot in RAW or HQ jpg mode?.

File size is not an issue.

Cheers

Hi Geoff,

It doesn't have to be either/or. Shoot in Olympus ORF format plus JPEG unless you need to fire off long continuous bursts which fill the camera's buffer too quickly.

Bob.

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OM-D E-M5 + ED 12-50mm, H-PS14042E, H-F007014E, L-RS014150E, M.ZUIKO DIGITAL 45mm 1:1.8.
Gitzo GT1541T, Arca-Swiss Z1 DP ball-head.
Astrophotography: TEC 140 'scope, FLI ML16803 camera, ASA DDM60 Pro mount.

Shoot in RAW in almost every situation. It gives you a lot more possibilities for post-processing.

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Jake

Canon EOS 400D + EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS + EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS + EF 50mm f/1.8
My Photos - My webpage (danish)

Well I think my 4GB compact flash cards should hold a few pictures, I just hope the battery can keep up.

RAW.

Zorro

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http://zorrofox4.deviantart.com/



Various lenses, SB800 & Manfrotto 190 with 460MG head

I think i can shoot around 370 RAW pics with my EOS 400D, also on a 4gb card.

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Jake

Canon EOS 400D + EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS + EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS + EF 50mm f/1.8
My Photos - My webpage (danish)

Raw Vs Jpeg
http://www.audiotstation.com/forum/show ... hp?t=34954

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I've upped my Iso, now up yours.
Nikon D700, Nikon D80, Micro Nikkor 105 f2.8 AI-S,Nikon 85mm 1.8D, Nikon 50mm 1.8D, Nikon 35mm F2D, Nikon 16-35 f4 VR, Nikon 24-70mm F2.8 AF-S, Nikon 70-200VRII, Nikon 70-300mm VR, 300mm f2.8 AI IF ED, SB-800, SB-900. Noiseware pro,NIK Dfine, Nik Colour Effex, Nik Sharpener Pro

It depends on the final use of the photo and your available time to post process it.
If you want your photos for large printing and serious stuff, then go RAW. Image quality is just superior.

If you want your photos to publish them in your blog or sharing through internet just for fun, then I see no problem using HQ JPEG.

Cheers

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Carlos - Caracas Venezuela
EOS 40D
Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 XR Di II LD/50mm f1.8II
my flickr

I choose raw for the flexibility in post processing. Since memory is so cheap it shouldn't necessarily be a factor anymore. Another argument is the post processing time involved with using raw files, but I don't think that's much of a concern anymore either. ACR, and Lightroom both have very efficient workflows that allow you to edit raw images as fast as jpegs. Any extra time that you might save editing jpeg images is far outweighed by the IQ benefits of raw.

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Leica M9, Nikon D300s, Leica X1, Canon S95, Zero Image 6x9

I have to second what's already been said here. If you don't intend to print large versions, or severely post-process, then fine jpegs will be adequate. But shooting RAW will give you more flexibility afterwards to edit, generate HDRs and increase print size with much less IQ loss. And with RAW, you generally do not have to worry about white balance when you shoot; that can be easily corrected.

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Nikonian

http://www.edtangphotography.com
http://journeysintophotography.blogspot.com/

Well said, this is probably the biggest reason for me to shoot raw. White balance can be taken care of much easier in raw.

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Leica M9, Nikon D300s, Leica X1, Canon S95, Zero Image 6x9

Shoot RAW if file size is not an issue.

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Graham
Flickr

The difference between RAW and high quality JPEGs is not really noticeable until you blow up the image quite a bit.

That being said, JPEG is a compressed format.

It's an eternal dilemma: most shots are not really that noteworthy and JPEG is just fine for that. Then one day you get that killer-shot - you now the one that you'd like a movie poster-size blow up of..and then you're set for JPEG..lol.

If you frequently do large prints of images, I'd say RAW - just in case that award-winning shot happens

.
Yes, not only is JPEG compressed spatially meaning a potential loss of resolution at high compression settings but at 8 bits per channel it has less graduations between white and black than the 12 or 14 bit resolution of RAW files. Hence the potential problems recovering shadow detail.

Bob.

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OM-D E-M5 + ED 12-50mm, H-PS14042E, H-F007014E, L-RS014150E, M.ZUIKO DIGITAL 45mm 1:1.8.
Gitzo GT1541T, Arca-Swiss Z1 DP ball-head.
Astrophotography: TEC 140 'scope, FLI ML16803 camera, ASA DDM60 Pro mount.

Thanks everyone for the input, Memory is not a problem so I shall try RAW and see how I get on, I have also downloaded a valuation copy of Lightroom. If I like that then I shall buy.