Opinion

[Lon Howard]

A very interesting topic, Larry, since I wondered about it for quite a while after I discovered RAW. Thank you for posting it. I am a relative newcomer to photography and my age and lifestyle don't allow me to take a lot of pictures but after experimenting with RAW and then RAW + JPG, here's where I'm at with the pictures I do take:

After about ten tries at editing the same images as both a RAW and a JPG, every time I edited a JPG I asked "why am I putting myself through this when I know I'm not going to use it?" So now the only JPG images I work on are the ones posted on CiC I reply to.

Maybe if I took a larger volume of images I'd feel differently, but that's where I ended up.

[William W]

Processing in camera, I haven't tried yet but I will. I've seen the settings but have been working with other things right now.

I suggest you seriously 'work with other things now' and relegate creating your user defined picture styles to a lower priority.

Making a set of User Defined JPEG Picture Styles, can send one completely mad.
There is only one quicker route to insanity - and that's trying to match up the Picture Styles between different camera models.

WW

[ajohnw]

This subject crops up a lot and always gets a fair few replies. I take the simple flexible approach. I always shoot raw plus jpg and the highest quality jpg that the camera can give as well. Memory cards aren't exactly expensive and can hold a lot of shots so why not? If I need a quick jpg I check it in the camera but some processing is often still needed how ever well the jpg was exposed. Otherwise I either process the jpg or the raw file according to need.

I've toyed with the idea of using smaller cards and using them as another back up when full. May sound daft but the data retention time in this style of memory is rather long. I just wish that camera manufacturers would add a facility to to date and time stamp folders rather than shots. It would make life so much easier.

John
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[Slabstick]

Thanks Bill,
I think my priorities are simple right now. Work on the things I have questions about. A lot of things as I come across them sort of take " back seat" to most issues I have about exposure, lighting, getting the shot I want rather than trying to figure out a cool feature. In time that cool feature will be my next question, ill work on it as it arises.

[Slabstick]

Lon,
Right now I am just shooting RAW. I don't process every photo. Ill look through the ones I upload and choose the best shot.

[Didace]

Lon,
Right now I am just shooting RAW. I don't process every photo. Ill look through the ones I upload and choose the best shot.

I've switched to shooting only RAW. After I upload onto my computer and convert to DNG using LightRoom, the first thing I do is use a preset export to get JPEGs in a reasonable size and saved on the computer - no post processing. This fills the purpose that used to filled when I used a point and shoot, "Let's see the pictures!". I can then take my time going through the DNG files and keep only the ones I think I can do something with.

[SteveF]

File size and convenience keeps me with JPEGs. On a 1DX a raw is 23mb and JPEG 6mb. Over 1200 JPEGs on an 8gb card compared to 280 raws in Canons 'controlled testing conditions'.

Colour control is another thing in that I shoot to disk. JPEG in sRGB to PC to disk to client. I don't print and don't use calibrated screens as I rely on my initial shooting capabilities. Most folk don't view on a calibrated screen anyway and the printers will colour balance automatically if you ask them (here in the UK).

It's what you want out of photography I look for and that's enjoyment behind the camera, driving it with the controls I paid for and not spending all my life either waiting for files to load/convert/ or PP.

Neither format is a life-long noose and change if you feel the need I say. When you see the nicely baked JPEGs zipping along that hard drive knowing you don't have to spend anytime at all PP'ing them makes me feel good.

Occasionally in the past I've loaded the days wedding images on my Epsom viewer and let the B&G view them whilst enjoying their meal. It does wonders for sales.

Give me partial, multi-spot metering with custom white balance and presets with JPEGs against the inevitable PP work on raws anyday.

But the file size is the real killer ...

[jcuknz]

. I just wish that camera manufacturers would add a facility to to date and time stamp folders rather than shots. It would make life so much easier.John
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Oh NO ... not another feature to be set wrong