J.Peg or Raw

Basically, if you are happy with the JPG's out of your camera, that's whats important.

But if you are dealing with any kind of challenging shot, a picture says a thousand words :




Left image was shot Raw but displayed using the in-camera settings - i.e. same as the camera could make a best-quality Jpg. Yes it would have looked like that, was shooting into the sun.

Middle image is converted to Jpg, reimported, then Fill Light recovery tool in Lightrom.
Right image is the same tool on the Raw version.

Look in particular at how blotchy the red is on the middle image...

This isn't a strict comparison as had been in/out of a few programs to knock this together in a simple form, but the effect isn't particularly exaggerated by that.

For a fair comparison, the middle example above should have been shot in JPG, not converted. But to be fair, this is one of the situations I would have considered RAW.

RAW vs. JPG is 14 bit linear vs. 8 bit progressive, i.e. most bits are used where it matters most. So the difference is not as much as it seems. (ref. the article linked by Pete).

Agreed. John sets the example to aim for. Why shouldn't we all manage similar images? (No offence, John, I am thinking technical quality, not your excellent compositional gifts).

I've found that shots that are hazy, for example aerial shots, pretty much anything in India (pollution) and here (dust), RAW files seem to cope better with contrast adjustments for mitigating the effect of the haze. When viewed at 100% the RAW files retain a lot more detail. Now I've just got into the habit of always shooting RAW.

However, if anyone has a few pointers on removing haze from JPEG's without degrading the image I'll give it a go.

I started off with JPEG's when I first got my camera, after a while, I tried shooting in RAW, and since then I have had no real reason to go back to JPEG's.

I totaly agree

Excellent thread topic! I'm with John - JPEG at 14MP and **** quality straight out of the k20d is perfect. Interestingly, I also use the same settings as John in terms of sharpness etc. No real need to shoot raw and personally I cant be bothered with hours and hours of PP on the computer - would far rather spend the time getting the shot right in the first place. Makes me happy to know that I'm not alone and that most forum users seem very happy with JPEGs.

Another consideration is available storage capacity - if I'm shooting in the UK or our favourite Greek Island, then I'll use RAW all the time because I've enough SDHC cards to cover the number of images I'm likely to take.

However, if its a long trip and/or new ground, then I'll go to 4* JPEG. If I'd stuck with RAW last time away, I'd have needed at least 16 cards of 4 Gig capacity - double my inventory. I'm v happy with the K7's 4* JPEGs and the quality's excellant - as can be seen by the early morning shot of Mt cook I've posted.


Steve

Here is another read. http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/RAW-file-format.htm

I shoot RAW because I like to process my photos and RAW give me the most capabilities to do that without loosing details. It just depends on what type of shooter you're.
I would only suggest RAW if you're willing to put time and effort in your photo at home.

John I'm going to try those settings in my KM post some and see how close my 10.2 sensor compares with a 14.5 sensor, I've got plenty chances of taking pictures Friday ,as I'm off to Norwich for a look around including the museum.
Paul

I've posted one with the settings ,It's a violet flower

That's fast

I couldn't wait until Friday

My hoarding instincts mean that I shoot RAW: I like the idea of deciding I suddenly want the exposure to be three stops less, drastically changing the colours, or being able to non-destructively fix WB issues on the odd occurrence (mainly inside).

EDIT: Should add that I'm also a computer geek, so an excuse to spend time in Lightroom (which I got for free from Amazon Prime) is welcome.

I use RAW all the time for the flexibility & what I can get out of a file but at sport on 5fps I'm inclined to go with jpg.