Going back to JPG shooting with the KP

**bkpix** · 10-21-2019, 09:09 PM - **2 Likes**

Simple question: After years of shooting almost everything in RAW (DNG, actually, on Pentax) and processing in Lightroom and, more recently Darktable, I find, to my surprise, that the KP JPG engine is so good that I've been doing a lot of all-JPG shooting. The KP is especially good at handling high-ISO shots, like 20000 and up.

The advantage is, it all feels just a little quicker and lighter. You can sort 1,000 JPGS on your computer quite a bit faster than 1,000 DNG files. I also sometimes like to shoot BW JPG. Feels almost like film.

Anyone else moving in that direction? I have been shooting long enough to be able to spot most situations in advance (usually high DR scenes) where I might want a RAW file to work with.

**manishved** · 10-21-2019, 09:14 PM

Originally posted by bkpix

Simple question: After years of shooting almost everything in RAW (DNG, actually, on Pentax) and processing in Lightroom and, more recently Darktable, I find, to my surprise, that the KP JPG engine is so good that I've been doing a lot of all-JPG shooting. The KP is especially good at handling high-ISO shots, like 20000 and up.

The advantage is, it all feels just a little quicker and lighter. You can sort 1,000 JPGS on your computer quite a bit faster than 1,000 DNG files. I also sometimes like to shoot BW JPG. Feels almost like film.

Anyone else moving in that direction? I have been shooting long enough to be able to spot most situations in advance (usually high DR scenes) where I might want a RAW file to work with.

There are times where you may want to change the highlights/saturation, change noise reduction, etc. which is not easy with JPG images.

**bkpix** · 10-21-2019, 09:23 PM - **1 Like**

Originally posted by manishved

There are times where you may want to change the highlights/saturation, change noise reduction, etc. which is not easy with JPG images.

Of course. It's a tradeoff. Just curious whether anyone else had thought of swinging back.

veato · 10-22-2019, 12:36 AM

For me it depends on what I'm photographing and why. Waiting for the sun to go down whilst photographing a castle from the beach - I'm going RAW. But walkabout type shots around the harbour - JPG will do for me.

**BigMackCam** · 10-22-2019, 12:44 AM - **1 Like**

I wouldn't want to return entirely to shooting JPEG, but I definitely have an increasing interest in shooting raw plus JPEG in certain situations, and achieving greater accuracy and consistency in my exposures instead of relying so heavily on post-processing. There are times when I'd like to have straight-out-of-camera JPEGs that are more-or-less read to use...

**wooly11** · 10-22-2019, 02:26 AM - **1 Like**

Hi, Like you I have made the change, just haven't got the will or the time to sit for hours behind a computer screen trying to correct mistakes. Much better to shoot a bit more slowly and get it right to start with. It has been made a lot easier since I have gradually started using my Pentax KP instead of Fuji, I'm getting a lot more usable shots straight out of the camera! - Michael

**reduno** · 10-22-2019, 03:38 AM - **1 Like**

Originally posted by BigMackCam

I wouldn't want to return entirely to shooting JPEG, but I definitely have an increasing interest in shooting raw plus JPEG in certain situations,

That's the default setting for all my cameras. I have the JPEG files ready for quick review (or the wife to post on-line) and the DNG files if I need to post process. It also gives me two files on the card, maximizing the chance of recovering something if the card goes bad. I only just received my Kp, so we will see if I start using the raw files less.

**microlight** · 10-22-2019, 03:57 AM - **1 Like**

^ What Mike and reduno said.

K1N8 · 10-22-2019, 04:22 AM - **1 Like**

Always shoot in DNG! In ten years you will be happy you still have the highest quality version available. JPEG is for web publishing, not archival!

I did the mistake with my old K110D, which was really slow saving RAW, but all the JPEGs from a 2007 trip are terrible to look at now :/

You still can extract the JPEG developed by the camera from the DNG. I use dcraw for that.

**beachgardener** · 10-22-2019, 05:18 AM - **1 Like**

raw man, go raw

aaacb · 10-22-2019, 05:37 AM

Originally posted by bkpix

Anyone else moving in that direction?

I almost always shoot raw with the k3ii, but I've come to primarily shoot jpegs with the GR III, with the positive film simulation adjusted to my taste. I will still edit raw with the GR for landscapes and such, but for the main use which is street shots and family, I don't need to adjust much from how it renders jpegs.

DeKay · 10-22-2019, 05:47 AM - **1 Like**

I always shoot with RAW+. Have the jpeg for instant use and they are great for most shots, but there has been the odd occasion that I’m glad I had the raw on hand, especially if I want to get creative in post.

Roadboat24 · 10-22-2019, 05:48 AM - **1 Like**

After shooting nothing but raw (DNG) for years I had the brite idea to do a day of JPG's. Got home and loaded in the computer to do some editing, switched back to raw. I have gotten used to having the latitude for adjustment in raw, just not available in JPG.

**termy** · 10-22-2019, 05:58 AM - **1 Like**

Originally posted by K1N8

Always shoot in DNG! In ten years you will be happy you still have the highest quality version available. JPEG is for web publishing, not archival!

I did the mistake with my old K110D, which was really slow saving RAW, but all the JPEGs from a 2007 trip are terrible to look at now :/

You still can extract the JPEG developed by the camera from the DNG. I use dcraw for that.

Curious. Why will they be terrible to look at now (as compared to back then)?

bobmaxja · 10-22-2019, 06:04 AM - **1 Like**

That a good question and I find myself having little time to post process. I will do that on my next trip to see if I can live with JPEG alone.

10-21-2019, 09:09 PM - 2 Likes	#1
bkpix Site Supporter Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Creswell, Oregon Photos: Albums Posts: 568	Going back to JPG shooting with the KP Simple question: After years of shooting almost everything in RAW (DNG, actually, on Pentax) and processing in Lightroom and, more recently Darktable, I find, to my surprise, that the KP JPG engine is so good that I've been doing a lot of all-JPG shooting. The KP is especially good at handling high-ISO shots, like 20000 and up. The advantage is, it all feels just a little quicker and lighter. You can sort 1,000 JPGS on your computer quite a bit faster than 1,000 DNG files. I also sometimes like to shoot BW JPG. Feels almost like film. Anyone else moving in that direction? I have been shooting long enough to be able to spot most situations in advance (usually high DR scenes) where I might want a RAW file to work with.

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10-21-2019, 09:14 PM	#2
manishved Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: N. Calif Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 3,651	Originally posted by bkpix Simple question: After years of shooting almost everything in RAW (DNG, actually, on Pentax) and processing in Lightroom and, more recently Darktable, I find, to my surprise, that the KP JPG engine is so good that I've been doing a lot of all-JPG shooting. The KP is especially good at handling high-ISO shots, like 20000 and up. The advantage is, it all feels just a little quicker and lighter. You can sort 1,000 JPGS on your computer quite a bit faster than 1,000 DNG files. I also sometimes like to shoot BW JPG. Feels almost like film. Anyone else moving in that direction? I have been shooting long enough to be able to spot most situations in advance (usually high DR scenes) where I might want a RAW file to work with. There are times where you may want to change the highlights/saturation, change noise reduction, etc. which is not easy with JPG images.

10-21-2019, 09:23 PM - 1 Like	#3
bkpix Site Supporter Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Creswell, Oregon Photos: Albums Posts: 568 Original Poster	Originally posted by manishved There are times where you may want to change the highlights/saturation, change noise reduction, etc. which is not easy with JPG images. Of course. It's a tradeoff. Just curious whether anyone else had thought of swinging back.

10-22-2019, 12:36 AM	#4
veato Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Nottingham Posts: 543	For me it depends on what I'm photographing and why. Waiting for the sun to go down whilst photographing a castle from the beach - I'm going RAW. But walkabout type shots around the harbour - JPG will do for me.

10-22-2019, 12:44 AM - 1 Like	#5
BigMackCam Digitiser of Film Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: North East of England Posts: 20,660	I wouldn't want to return entirely to shooting JPEG, but I definitely have an increasing interest in shooting raw plus JPEG in certain situations, and achieving greater accuracy and consistency in my exposures instead of relying so heavily on post-processing. There are times when I'd like to have straight-out-of-camera JPEGs that are more-or-less read to use...

10-22-2019, 02:26 AM - 1 Like	#6
wooly11 Site Supporter Join Date: Jan 2019 Posts: 49	Hi, Like you I have made the change, just haven't got the will or the time to sit for hours behind a computer screen trying to correct mistakes. Much better to shoot a bit more slowly and get it right to start with. It has been made a lot easier since I have gradually started using my Pentax KP instead of Fuji, I'm getting a lot more usable shots straight out of the camera! - Michael

10-22-2019, 03:38 AM - 1 Like	#7
reduno Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Central NY, USA Posts: 965	Originally posted by BigMackCam I wouldn't want to return entirely to shooting JPEG, but I definitely have an increasing interest in shooting raw plus JPEG in certain situations, That's the default setting for all my cameras. I have the JPEG files ready for quick review (or the wife to post on-line) and the DNG files if I need to post process. It also gives me two files on the card, maximizing the chance of recovering something if the card goes bad. I only just received my Kp, so we will see if I start using the raw files less.

10-22-2019, 03:57 AM - 1 Like	#8
microlight Site Supporter Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Hampshire, UK Posts: 2,129	^ What Mike and reduno said.

10-22-2019, 04:22 AM - 1 Like	#9
K1N8 Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2018 Posts: 242	Always shoot in DNG! In ten years you will be happy you still have the highest quality version available. JPEG is for web publishing, not archival! I did the mistake with my old K110D, which was really slow saving RAW, but all the JPEGs from a 2007 trip are terrible to look at now :/ You still can extract the JPEG developed by the camera from the DNG. I use dcraw for that.

10-22-2019, 05:18 AM - 1 Like	#10
beachgardener Site Supporter Join Date: Sep 2013 Location: Australia Photos: Gallery Posts: 3,842	raw man, go raw

10-22-2019, 05:37 AM	#11
aaacb Pentaxian Join Date: May 2016 Photos: Gallery Posts: 3,723	Originally posted by bkpix Anyone else moving in that direction? I almost always shoot raw with the k3ii, but I've come to primarily shoot jpegs with the GR III, with the positive film simulation adjusted to my taste. I will still edit raw with the GR for landscapes and such, but for the main use which is street shots and family, I don't need to adjust much from how it renders jpegs.

10-22-2019, 05:47 AM - 1 Like	#12
DeKay Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2018 Photos: Albums Posts: 208	I always shoot with RAW+. Have the jpeg for instant use and they are great for most shots, but there has been the odd occasion that I’m glad I had the raw on hand, especially if I want to get creative in post.

10-22-2019, 05:48 AM - 1 Like	#13
Roadboat24 Pentaxian Join Date: Jul 2017 Posts: 486	After shooting nothing but raw (DNG) for years I had the brite idea to do a day of JPG's. Got home and loaded in the computer to do some editing, switched back to raw. I have gotten used to having the latitude for adjustment in raw, just not available in JPG.

10-22-2019, 05:58 AM - 1 Like	#14
termy Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Jan 2019 Posts: 1,154	Originally posted by K1N8 Always shoot in DNG! In ten years you will be happy you still have the highest quality version available. JPEG is for web publishing, not archival! I did the mistake with my old K110D, which was really slow saving RAW, but all the JPEGs from a 2007 trip are terrible to look at now :/ You still can extract the JPEG developed by the camera from the DNG. I use dcraw for that. Curious. Why will they be terrible to look at now (as compared to back then)?

10-22-2019, 06:04 AM - 1 Like	#15
bobmaxja Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Laval, Quebec Canada Posts: 2,171	That a good question and I find myself having little time to post process. I will do that on my next trip to see if I can live with JPEG alone.

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