RAW or JPG - what's your choice

[zaqwrx]

Nice and easy poll.

Do you shoot RAW, JPG or RAW+JPG.

[Stevo]

Re: RAW or JPG - what's your choice

JPG.
I tried RAW for a short while right after I bought my Digital Rebel but so went back to JPG. For me, the difference in quality didn't outweigh the extra time it took to process.

[ignomini]

Re: RAW or JPG - what's your choice

I'm in Stevo's camp. I have dabbled with RAW, but it just takes too much time I would rather be wasting elsewhere. Having said that, I'll be draped all over Victor at the gathering of photographers. The only problem with JPEG is you have to get your settings right. Photoshop won't create detail not in the original shot.

[T. Adams]

Re: RAW or JPG - what's your choice

All RAW, all the time.

[ramp mouse]

Re: RAW or JPG - what's your choice

Started with jpeg but switched to raw, still getting used to the camera
but still need help with photo shop.

[Victor Archer]

Re: RAW or JPG - what's your choice

I like my Jpegs raw, well sometimes medium rare...
Hey where's the salsa???

[TOR_DP]

Re: RAW or JPG - what's your choice

Ohhhh pleeese no .JPGs for final products, unless exceptionally huge to start with....

RAW, BMP, IFF, anything that artifacts less offensively!

[zaqwrx]

Re: RAW or JPG - what's your choice

You guys that have hit the "both" button ...

Is it that you started with one and switched to the other after a time or do you find you shoot one or the other depending on the event, situation etc ?

[FlyinLo]

Re: RAW or JPG - what's your choice

You guys that have hit the "both" button ...

Is it that you started with one and switched to the other after a time or do you find you shoot one or the other depending on the event, situation etc ?

I shoot in the RAW+JPG mode with my D200 and D70, which gives me both a raw NEF file as well as a JPEG file for each shot. I can do a quick batch process of the JPEGs to do a quick scan of the photos, then go back and do any edits for anything I am printing starting with the raw file.

[Victor Archer]

Re: RAW or JPG - what's your choice

My 1Dmk2 has two card slots so I can write both at the same time.
Although I mainly just use the jpegs I do have Raw files for the important shoots. The Raw files usually go straight to a DVD and if needed I'll grab one from there.

[Manonthefence]

Re: RAW or JPG - what's your choice

It all depends where I am, what the weathers like and what I am doing.

Poor light/weather = RAW

Important air to airs (whatever the weather) = RAW

An airshow on a nice sunny day = JPEG

Depending on need I may shoot small Jpeg as well as RAW but I guess I shoot 2/3's JPEG 1/3'd RAW.

Heres an occasion when RAW was the only way to go. A one chance air to air shoot with an 800ft cloud base (if I had had a choice I would have scrubbed, but I didnt)





JPEG just wouldnt have coped, even with my 1D2.

[Fight2FlyPhoto]

Re: RAW or JPG - what's your choice

Depends. If I remembered to grab all my memory cards I shoot in raw. If I only have two, well, Jpeg it is. lol

[On Site Grafix]

Re: RAW or JPG - what's your choice

We should really be discussing how the images will be used. As a large format graphics shop, I often produce images that are up to 60" wide by any length. If I contemplate much image editing, I always shoot RAW and save the unedited file for an archive. RAW allows greater latitude for image adjustments and correction than JPEG because it's lossless and has greater pixel depth.

Once I begin editing, I save in lossless TIFF uncompressed format. The reason is that continually editing JPEG (*.jpg) results in image degradation with repeated opening, closing and saving. What most people call 'artifacts' which would be the addition of unwanted or altered pixels in JPEG images are really the results of 'loss' of pixels or pixel data. That results in edge corruption, spots and color shifts. Unedited JPEGs are fine for reproduction if the image is only edited once for correction of exposure or color saturation. Each time an image is edited and saved, the compression algorythm (scheme), of JPEG results in pixels or pixel data being lost.

JPEG is fine for images for the web or when small files are required for e-mail, archiving (without editing), or when chip space is at a premium (which should never be the case as cheap as they are these days). JPEG is also acceptable for images going directly to print providing exposures and colors are correct. I produce catalogs, magazine ads, huge wall murals and even 12'x 60' banners acceptably with JPEG images. It really depends on your personal needs in reproduction.

Hope that's not WTMI!