[asp1880]

Will this be OK for a "Cloudy" preset or is it still more or less clear sky and the "daylight" can be used?

The same question. What preset to use with this sky? (Sry, not much of a sky... but it is right before the rain)
Attachment 259068

The daylight preset works best with high sunshine from a clear blue sky.
The cloudy preset matches a completely overcast sky, such as your second example.

For partly overcast skies like your first example, I'd go vith AWB, it'll be better than either preset.

Regards,
--Anders.

[BrianR]

No definitely full resolution (6016x4000) preview. If I uncheck the "user embedded preview" option it takes WAY longer to load the image (like 10 seconds vs less than 1).
Actually looking at the data the preview is slightly lower res - the rendered raw image comes in at 6028x4024. Weird...

The jpeg previews stuffed into the raw files will vary from camera to camera, a full resolution jpeg (along with a smaller thumbnail or two) seems to be the norm these days but I don't think this was always so. However, the full resolution jpeg in a k5iis raw file (for example) is at a lower quality level (higher jpeg compression) than even it's 1-star jpeg (but still reasonably high).

Some raw converters toss the border pixels, some don't, I'm not exactly sure why.

[Odisseus]

Thank you all for your answers! I can say that generally I'm happy with the AWB, yet the shade and clouds tend to fool it. At least in comparison with k200. Also there is not much of a difference between AWB and daylight preset with the clear sky or with a few clouds as on my first example, just a few Kelvin. So what's the point of having an extra preset if AWB does a good job in this case?

So there is a more or less full res jpg embedded in RAW and it affects the file size which is never the same as it was in k200. Now, what about RAW+, how is it different from RAW, why is it bigger?

[clackers]

Thank you all for your answers! I can say that generally I'm happy with the AWB, yet the shade and clouds tend to fool it.

Like many other automated features, it's guessing, Odisseus, and you're better off setting it yourself in Lightroom afterwards.

You can buy gray cards that you can take a shot of for later reference with RAW files, or use them on the day to do a custom WB for the session if you only do Jpegs.

[GoremanX]

I dont think this is exactly true - if you open a raw file in irfanview (for example) it shows the embedded preview unless you disable that in the options settings. This is a perfectly fine full resolution jpeg with all the settings applied, at least it is when shooting raw in DNG format. It might be somewhat lower quality than the camera would save in jpeg mode but it is by no means "really poor".

The embedded JPG in a RAW file is full resolution, but it's "really poor" in that it's super compressed. Compression artifacts are all over the place.

You can see this for yourself very easily. Take a photo in RAW (not RAW+), then take the exact same photo in JPG. Helps if you do this on a tripod. Then view those pictures on your camera at full magnification. The differences are obvious. JPG "squares" are visible all over the RAW photo. Even if you take the photo at the lowest JPG quality (I said lowest quality, not smallest size), it still comes out better than the RAW snapshot.

Can you imagine if they put a high quality JPG inside the RAW file? Don't you think 24MP RAW files are already plenty big enough as it is?

[Odisseus]

You can buy gray cards

Actually I already have an ExpoDisc and it is a great thing. But the color temperature changes from shot to shot in a dynamic surrounding so a new measurement needs to be taken before each shot...
I keep comparing with k200 and it feels like the whites there are significantly whiter. Or maybe I am wrong

[clackers]

But the color temperature changes from shot to shot in a dynamic surrounding so a new measurement needs to be taken before each shot...

Okay, you're never going to leave it up to the camera or software to get that right.

It's so fundamental that's why the WB sliders are at the top of the Lightroom interface.

[stevebrot]

Okay, you're never going to leave it up to the camera or software to get that right.

It's so fundamental that's why the WB sliders are at the top of the Lightroom interface.

...and why we shoot RAW to make the best of it.


Steve