Camera Labs

What do you shoot in and why?

What are the advantages of shooting in RAW? do you have to digitally process all raw files and save them back in to jpeg after? are the pictures much sharper and better?

My 4gb card can take 900+ photo's in jpeg but only 250 in RAW, im just trying to work out if it is worth shooting in RAW or not.

_________________
Tobywuk personal website || My Flickr
Gear: Sony a700! || CZ 16-80mm! || Sony 75-300 || bag: Crumpler PB xxxl / Lowepro slingshot 200

Shooting in RAW is for the serious photog! Many things can go wrong when converting the original picture (that's stored in the RAW) into a jpeg in-camera. E.g. white-balance, or clipped high-lights or drowned shadows. Much of this can be very elegantly corrected from the RAW with a software RAW-converter after the shot, whereas when you're trying to correct these things from a jpeg you quickly run out of luck!
In the case of Nikon the RAW converter (to jpeg) in the software makes for sharper pics than the in-camera RAW-conversion. this may also be the case with other makes of cameras...
To make your life simple you can shoot in RAW+jpeg. Thus having the original RAW for serious work but not having to convert every pic you shoot to jpeg...

_________________
Thomas (beware: Nikon-fanboy and moderator!) My Lens Reviews, My Pictures, My Photography Blog
D800+assorted lenses

So if i Shoot in RAW, when i upload my pictures to my computer I have to convert them all on the computer before I can start working with them in a program like adobe lightroom which is what I use.

_________________
Tobywuk personal website || My Flickr
Gear: Sony a700! || CZ 16-80mm! || Sony 75-300 || bag: Crumpler PB xxxl / Lowepro slingshot 200

Lightroom can work directly with your RAWs too!
Read my thread here http://www.cameralabs.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1594

_________________
Thomas (beware: Nikon-fanboy and moderator!) My Lens Reviews, My Pictures, My Photography Blog
D800+assorted lenses

RAW - nothing else.

If I'm working on a slow computer, I'll use RAW + JPG (like in the photography class) and look at the jpgs decide which ones are keepers, then only open those raw files.

_________________
Canon EOS 5DmkII + BG-E6 + Canon EOS 40D + BG-E2N + Canon EOS 33
Canon 17-40 F/4L USM + Canon 24-70 F/2.8L USM + Canon 28mm F/1.8 USM + Canon 70-200 F/2.8L USM IS + Canon 85mm F/1.8 USM
Canon Speedlite 580EX II + Canon Speedlite 540EZ + 2 x Nikon SB-80DX
Cactus V2s Wireless Trigger - 5 x Cactus V2s Wireless Reciever

MY FLICKR!

I shoot in RAW because of the flexibility it gives me in Post processing. I use Adobe ACR through Lightroom and find it very affective and also fun. I really like I can "develop" the pictures. Canon DPP really does a great job too, but I like the look and feel of Lightroom. I just shoot in RAW and export the photographs to jpg as I need for the interent/email etc.

Some advantages I find from using RAW vs. JPG are:
1 - Noise Reduction processing
2 - White balance processing
3 - The original file is never touched
4 - No compression, better quality - although I am not sure if this would be readily noticeable in prints, and I have never tested this.

Disadvantages that I have to deal with:
1 - File size, this is especially an issue if you have a slow computer and with cameras now shooting in 14bit the file sizes can get HUGE.
2 - frames per second. If I was really into my 5fps the buffer on my 30D will only take so many pictures, whereas in JPG I could shoot non-stop.

I may add more to this: have to start the commute home.

Cheers,

Jim

_________________
Jim Hawksworth Flickr
Canon 30D | EF 17-40 f/4L | EF 70-200 f/4L USM | EF 50 f/1.8 II | 580EX II | Berleback 2420 Tripod | and other various tools

I shoot RAW for the shots I plan to edit later or really just want the maximum quality. JPEG for everything else.

_________________
Graham
Flickr

As I never know which of my shot turn out as keepers, I always shoot RAW+jpeg. Memory prices today should not hold you back on this optimal combination...

_________________
Thomas (beware: Nikon-fanboy and moderator!) My Lens Reviews, My Pictures, My Photography Blog
D800+assorted lenses

just thought id post two comparison crops from two photos, one taken with raw the other the jpeg taken by the camera:

jpeg crop: NEF (raw) crop:

quite obvious if you look at the crow looking bit, the difference in sharpness.

_________________
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

There's a nice tutorial at this link about RAW files and their relationaship with JPEGs over at the CambridgeInColour site.

Bob.

_________________
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.

I only got a 1gb memory card so far so i often shoot in .JPEG due to size. I got photosop CS3 so i can restore and fix most that don't turn out perfect, but i also work for my school newspaper. There i only shoot raw because i don't got much time to adjust settings.

So it really depends on the situation for me

i shoot in jpeg for now, but i'am thinking of using RAW in the next load of my photos, RAW is more for serious photographers and photoshoppers you will also use ALOT of space using RAW but it does have it small advantages, from now on though i'am thinking of shooting in RAW for speaical shoots that i might not allways be able to go back to or if its a nice shot etc (you might need to invest in a RAW converter but you can find some free ones on the net)

I shoot RAW and normal jpeg. I usually convert from the RAW into a TIFF for my photo assignments - jpegs don't cut the mustard for me but with memory so cheap, I like to have it as a backup, even though it's unlikely to be used.

_________________
Nikonian

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

just started using RAW as my major choice...have been tinkering around, in photo shop, and also in the program that Canon has, just baby steps.
I turned one of my shots into a sepia (sorta) color, and it turned out just right, I think..will try and post it. Most likely in Portraits..but still want to look at it more to see if is CLW....(camera lab worthy).

didja see the coffee shop photos, and more of the vineyards from BigPix?
cool.

Raw.


patti.

_________________
canon 7D, Mark iii 5D, ef 70-300 f/4-5.6, ef 28-135mm canon 100-400mm L IS 4.5, and a little 24-70 L f/2.8...

I only shoot in JPEG. If it ever happens that I get that killer-shot that I want to blow up to 2 feet wide, and I can't because JPEG is not good enough, I will change to RAW + JPEG.

So far, that hasn't happened. JPEG seems to be just great for me. Somehow, even with almost a terabyte of storage, I end up filling up my harddisk too fast.

Cheers