J.Peg or Raw

Of course, if you shoot RAW and keep the Pentax converter software on your PC, you can always batch convert using the camera settings and get the JPG you would have got out of the camera.

Except for card space (which lets face it is pretty cheap) it's the best of both worlds.

I paid good money for my DSLRs, as I want the best quality and low noise.
Why would I want to select JPEG and throw information away.

I shoot 99% DNG Raw. If In am running out of card space I may reluctantly switch to JPEG. I see the arguments for using JPEG where high Frames per Second are required.

If you want the best Low Light/High ISO noise performance, then Raw is required. Have a look at in-depth tests on Pentax DSLRs, you will see that in Raw, they perform equal to Nikons and Canons, at high ISO.

For k-7 jpeg shooters what are the jpeg setthings adjustments you guys use ?

You sure? link

I don't see any reason to change John's settings from one model to another.

My settings from k200d to k7 seems pretty diferent... that's I was asking

Thank you for all the replies, on my KM the settings are Vibrant with adjustments to Hue , and saturation, D-range on, sharpness to fine +3,using J-peg, at 10mpx and quality at 3 star and that's about it.
Thank you all again for replying to my post,have a blameless weekend, and enjoy the weather & your photography.
Paul

I'm sure I'm sure.
What I am unsure about is what your point is Stefan.

I'm not sure I understand either, that link just seems to confirm that JPG is the best option for long bursts.

I'm not sure I understand either, that link just seems to confirm that JPG is the best option for long bursts.[/quote]I think the point was that it was only very marginal.

I'm not sure I understand either, that link just seems to confirm that JPG is the best option for long bursts.[/quote]Exactly. The K-7 processes a lot faster than my old *istD did but it's certainly not in 7D territory so being able to clear the buffer more quickly by using jpg has an advantage.

"I paid good money for my DSLRs, as I want the best quality and low noise.
Why would I want to select JPEG and throw information away"

Just because one option has the 'higher' numbers or the higher bit count is totally irrelevant if the viewer of the photo is totally unable to see them.....

You might buy a Ferrari which is clearly FAR superior to a Ford Focus, but you will never get anything like the performance available out of the Ferrari under 95% of UK road conditions...likewise under many shooting conditions AND depending on how the finished photo is enlarged/printed/displayed, a RAW shot may be totally pointless unless the finished article can show the possible RAW improvement.

Do not be fooled by numbers or test conditions, as many cameras & lenses can be seen to perform quite differently in real world useage.

I have always thought that JPEG is for experts, and RAW for amateurs and newbies.

It's all about nailing exposure. If you can be confident that you will get the exposure right every time, use JPEG. If not, use RAW.

I use RAW.

G

Yep. That about says it for me. With the proviso that if you do lots of mixed light work, it can be handy to alter White Balance later (if you get it wrong). And with RAW files, there's definitely more information retained in highlights which may be recovered on a computer.

But it's such a fag and processing is so slow I can never be bothered. (Second rate photographer, I suppose!)

George: I can't agree with that. RAW gives control and choices while JPEG is like a slide requiring I agree excellent technique but is the finished article. As in the darkroom RAW lets you make slight adjustments that can alter the whole way the image is finished.

Andrew: Damn sure Ansel Adams didn't find his PP a fag. Damn sure Bill Brandt didn't either. HCB did and relied on his technicians to process his B&W as I recall but took a different line to the first two. If I'm wrong then I'll happily be corrected and learn.

For me it's a lot about aspirations. I aspire to solid technique to permit my creative side more freedom.

Mike