Shooting in Raw

[aja]

I first tried shooting Raw when I bought my 8 GB Compact Flash card, and I loved it ever since. Here are some observations on why I do:

• Easier control of colors, exposure, lighting, etc. when post-processing.
• More detail is saved in the photograph. (i.e., 14-bit or 12-bit samples, depending on the camera, compared to 8-bits per sample on a JPEG)

...and possibly more. Please add your observations below.

The only drawbacks I saw are the following:

• Bigger file size.
• Continuous shooting capacity is lessened. e.g., on my camera (EOS 40D) from 75 JPEG (Large+Fine) to 17 Raw @ 6.5 fps

Since I don't primarily shoot sports and action, the second disadvantage is not so much of an issue.

I will leave you with these questions: Have you tried shooting Raw? What are your thoughts and experiences about it? If you haven't tried yet, would you like to?

[markmywords]

I almost always shoot in RAW, kahit vacation/travel shots.

My main reasons for shooting RAW is precise WB control. Hirap habulin ng WB kung JPG eh. And of course, recovery of blown out details (to some extent).

[unclesam]

i shoot raw always. the data is not compressed compared with jpeg and other formats which gives you more info/data
whenever you process it using ps,lr etc. yeah its a bigger file however if you export it you can always adjust the quality to your liking. 

good thing about raw. i start adjusting it at ACR of ps the adjustments there is already enough and will give you great results.

[© spaniard]

I agree with everyone on how valuable it is to shoot in RAW. On the otherhand, I shoot mostly in JPEG if the need for RAW doesn't arise but if it does, no complaints, I'll shoot in RAW specially if its for special projects. 

[NikkiMD]

Very much well said, sir katch, sir mark and sir karlo, for a newbie like me, what would you advise? if you ask me my preference, well, im not sure. Thanks

[unclesam]

Very much well said, sir katch, sir mark and sir karlo, for a newbie like me, what would you advise? if you ask me my preference, well, im not sure. Thanks

hi nikki,

if your sure that you'll be processing your pics i highly advise you use RAW format. If not, you can always shoot using Jpg. There's so much detail stored at Raw that you can practically enhance everything without clipping compared to Jpg. There's always an option to store Jpg and Raw at the same time but this would require a lot of space.

much respect,
karlo

[NikkiMD]

Thank you bro karlo, appreciate the inputs, yeah, im learning now to shoot in raw, better control of the WB just like what sir mark said, looks okay over all, it eats up your space but if you have a 4gb then its just fine.

[jaypi]

how "big" is the file size difference? i normally use the small-fine setting na jpeg. also, i dont have PS, what's a good alternative that is already built in sa windows?

[NikkiMD]

Hmm...going back at this topic and learning something everyday, you can actually do with a JPG format, it can be PP and no hassle on the storing of memory, meaning, jaypi, you might want to shoot in Large format fine settings not the small setting, kailangan kasi magamit mo ang full MP ng camera mo para ma ma appreciate mo siya. With regards to file size, konti lang din ang difference. HTH

[kenchix1]

Never tried it because I don't play with the color/hue etc of the images except for cropping and resizing. I don't like PP unless it is really needed for a project.

[NikkiMD]

True, i agree with you sir jick, not everyone is a fan of PP, for projects naman, mostly, now a days, kailangan ng PP. Sabi nga nila, kanya kanyang trip lang yan.