29/06/2020
The Difference between RAW and.Jpeg
1. RAW
RAW files can be considered as a "negative photograph". The camera/lens see and record what is in front of them and commit this to the memory card.as is, with no amendments or tweaks. Effectively it is faithfully reproducing whatever the camera/lens are pointing at.
Because the RAW setting is capturing all that it sees with no editing the image will take up more memory space on the card than a .jpeg will. For example, I shoot with a Nikon D850 camera and many of my landscapes are shot using a 24-70mm lens. Here I show the number of photos that can be shot on a 64 Gb memory card - with both RAW and .jpeg.
RAW - 633 imagesjpeg fine quality - 1,500 imagesjpeg best quality - 2,000 images jpeg normal quality - 2,900 images
This of course will vary from camera to camera and the space or capacity of the memory card you choose to use.
My choice is always RAW format as I later have the ability to make some changes to each photo reflect my taste and then save it as a .jpeg large file, whilst keeping the RAW file in case I may want to re-use it.
2. .JPEG
So, why .jpeg? Well, to start with, the capture speed of the image is faster so if you are a photographer of weddings, parties, sport, street scenes etc then the camera can step in and give you that faster read/write speed and especially if you are capturing fast action. You can set your camera to C (Continuous) and those .jpegs will be edited and written to the card more quickly.
Jpegs also come in different file qualities and can be set in the camera:
FINE - hi quality
Normal - medium quality
Basic - basic quality
Be aware that once a .jpeg is shot it can be harder to correct exposure mistakes on your software further down the line (unlike RAW), and is less able to accept amending highlights and shadows. These tasks have already been adjusted in camera for you.
In addition, contrast and colour saturation have already been set during the in camera process allowing you very little, if any, room for manoeuvre.
3. IN CONCLUSION
As you can see, both settings have their pro's and con's. There is no right or wrong. It is for you, the photographer, to decide what is best for you, and specifically, what subjects you prefer to photograph. Remember, you can also select in camera, both of these options, but of course this will take more time to write to the card but does allow you to edit and amend using the RAW file.
It really depends so much on what you shoot and the degree to which you wish, or are able, to processs/edit/amend later.
For me, my preference is RAW as most of my work revolves around landscapes and natural history (or sometimes commercial work). I then process/edit the shot to my satisfaction and save as a .jpeg. I DO, as mentioned, always keep the RAW file so I can come back to it later if needed.
Nick J - ARPS AWPF
www.freespiritimages.com
