Do "we" really shoot JPEG most of the time?

volosong · 05-03-2007, 04:19 AM

"Discovered" a series of photography netcasts in iTunes that I dumped to my iPod for the commute to work. One of the two guys who post the netcast is a Nikon guy while the other is a Canon guy. They rarely talk about other brands, other than in their "news" segment.

One thing that they mentioned, is that 85% (or so) of the people who have dSLR cameras shoot JPEG exclusively. Is this so? That seems kind of a high number. If true, no wonder Pentax takes a trashing for their 'out of the box' JPEG processing.

Do you shoot JPEG most of the time? Or, are we just 'different'?

(By the way, the netcast is pretty good, if you can get past the Canon/Nikon bias. Good information, good interviews. They have had Scott Kelby on a couple of times. You can find it at: TPN :: The Digital Photography Show)

macdaddy · 05-03-2007, 05:02 AM

I shoot RAW exclusively for two reasons: first, I want the digital equivalent of the "original negative" to go back to as my skills improve and I find new ways to process the images, and second, because RAW technology is constantly improving and who knows what we'll be able to pull out of a file in the future? (And I save files in DNG)
It is a large pain in the backside some days, but worth it and, once you get used to the workflow, is much smoother and almost as fast with the added benefit of no chance of degrading an image past the point of recovery.
MY question is, when are we going to get a Pentaxian to step up to the plate and start a Podcast dedicated to OUR favorite cameras and their usage?

Rob W

fletcherkane · 05-03-2007, 05:27 AM

Originally posted by macdaddy

I shoot RAW exclusively for two reasons: first, I want the digital equivalent of the "original negative" to go back to as my skills improve and I find new ways to process the images, and second, because RAW technology is constantly improving and who knows what we'll be able to pull out of a file in the future? (And I save files in DNG)
It is a large pain in the backside some days, but worth it and, once you get used to the workflow, is much smoother and almost as fast with the added benefit of no chance of degrading an image past the point of recovery.
MY question is, when are we going to get a Pentaxian to step up to the plate and start a Podcast dedicated to OUR favorite cameras and their usage?

Rob W

I'm willing to publish and host the podcast if someone else wants to produce it. I currently host and publish and produce another weekly podcast. The time involved in getting enough info together for a weekly show is more than I can commit to, however, I have the technology and software, as well as online storage space. Who's gonna step up...

**jfdavis58** · 05-03-2007, 05:33 AM

Originally posted by volosong

"Discovered" a series of photography netcasts in iTunes that I dumped to my iPod for the commute to work. One of the two guys who post the netcast is a Nikon guy while the other is a Canon guy. They rarely talk about other brands, other than in their "news" segment.

One thing that they mentioned, is that 85% (or so) of the people who have dSLR cameras shoot JPEG exclusively. Is this so? That seems kind of a high number. If true, no wonder Pentax takes a trashing for their 'out of the box' JPEG processing.

Do you shoot JPEG most of the time? Or, are we just 'different'?

(By the way, the netcast is pretty good, if you can get past the Canon/Nikon bias. Good information, good interviews. They have had Scott Kelby on a couple of times. You can find it at: TPN :: The Digital Photography Show)

Keep in mind that the number of dSLR users you encounter on the web is just a loud minority of all users. In fact, from a statistical point of view, this loud minority actually represents the 'noise' in the statistic or less. Something like 85% shoot JPEG, 15% shoot RAW, margin of error +/-3%--web users are in that 3% probably just a fraction of that 3%.

**barondla** · 05-03-2007, 06:05 AM

Most shoot jpeg. In photo class there is usually only 1 or 2 that shoot raw. Rest jpeg. Trying to change that. Remember most people are new to dslrs. Even slr people need time to get used to dslr and digital. Think many will migrate to raw after they have time to get used to the camera. Raw just makes the fairly steep learning curve steeper for the beginner. Many of these people aren't real comfortable with the computer either. The K10D could help here since raws can be converted to jpeg in camera. No computer skill needed. Raw is easier once these issues are sorted out. No worrying about WB while shooting. Just leave it on auto.
thanks
barondla

MRRiley · 05-03-2007, 08:08 AM

I shoot RAW. The flexibility for postprocessing is better and memory cards are cheaper than having to go back to Nassau to reshoot something (although maybe not as much fun).

Mike

photo_mom · 05-03-2007, 03:01 PM

Hi Steven!

I prefer and do shoot mostly RAW, mainly for the control in post processing. I've use JPG several times due to being short on memory.

It will be interesting to see what comes out of this survey!

jthommo · 05-03-2007, 03:55 PM

I shoot raw and I suspect most people who are serious enough about their hobby to contribute to forums like this do as well. But I would think we are a minority....

SuperJared · 05-03-2007, 04:01 PM

RAW, RAW, RAW your boat...

:ugh:

Photo Tramp · 05-03-2007, 04:49 PM

RAW, RAW, RAW, That's the spirit we have here (does anyone remember Fire Sigh Theater???) The real high!! Gasoline and a clean wind shield . I shoot only RAW for about the same reasons as most I want to be in control of the processing along with creativity. I don't know where the pod cast people got their information (and I'm not saying they are wrong) but the percentages don't really tell the entire story. Lets face it those of us one the forum that shoot RAW are mostly advanced amateurs and for the most part the reasons are basically the same. If you really take a look at the whole picture What % of the people who buy DSLR's are Pro, Advanced Amateurs, Amateurs, and novice. And out of those classifications what % shoot JPEG or RAW. There are reasons to be given on both sides and no one is wrong for doing what they do. (if it feels good do it)

justuspr · 05-03-2007, 05:13 PM

Well I'm going to go against the flow here. I shoot JPG 95% of the time.

I'm a software developer and spend 8-16 hours a day at my computer. When it comes to photography I like to spend my time out in the field not at my computer. I try to get it just how I want it in the camera and take multiple exposures on almost every shot and bracket 90% of my shots.

My post production is mainly throwing out over/under exposed shots or shots that just plain didn't turn out. I do tweak some of my favorites after the fact but that is probably less than 5% of the photos I keep.

But hey thats just me.

roentarre · 05-03-2007, 05:20 PM

I shoot Raw most of the time. Sometimes Raw+Jpegs if I could not bother to do so much conversion

In low light photography, Raw format gives me the best photos

NLAlston · 05-03-2007, 05:24 PM

Hi Steven.

First, keep in mind that this (what I am about to contribute) is coming from a relative newbie to the DSLR world. I had been a LOT of shooting in the JPEG format, and that was primarily done because of the fact that I could get a whole lot of exposures on the one SD card that I had. I gave myself toward a lot of experimenting for the sake of trying to REALLY learn my K10D. The benefits of shooting RAW, however, are mountainous, and it would behoove you to navigate down that path. Do I still shoot JPEG? Yes - sometimes I do. But, for those times when something memorable (or in any way important) is desired for recording, it (for me, anyway) will ALWAYS be in RAW.

Donald · 05-03-2007, 05:50 PM

most people I have talked with shoot jpeg. Reasons I've heard:

Don't know anything about RAW,
Don't have photoshop,
Too slow when I download to computer.

Now, we know the counter arguments to all of the above, yet to jpeg shooters I assume the arguments aren't understood, they don't particularly care and / or don't want to spend any more money.

volosong · 05-03-2007, 06:43 PM

Just to clarify . . . I shoot DNG+ on the K10D and PEF on the K100D. The only times I'll go JPEG is at a high school baseball game, where I'll capture about 300-400 shots. But, now that I have a lot more memory cards, I'll go DNG+ all the time now.

Just this past week, I've switched from DNG+ to PEF+ (on the K10D). It came to my attention that with the latest firmware update, PEF files are now in the neighborhood of 10Mb instead of the former 16Mb. DNG files are still 16Mb.

I was just wondering if "that" many dSLR people shot JPEG. Didn't make sense. Then again, I learned my photography in a bathroom darkroom and a Bessler enlarger. What's "Av" mode? First time I used it was with the Ds two years ago.

05-03-2007, 04:19 AM	#1
volosong Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: North Idaho Photos: Gallery Posts: 696	Do "we" really shoot JPEG most of the time? "Discovered" a series of photography netcasts in iTunes that I dumped to my iPod for the commute to work. One of the two guys who post the netcast is a Nikon guy while the other is a Canon guy. They rarely talk about other brands, other than in their "news" segment. One thing that they mentioned, is that 85% (or so) of the people who have dSLR cameras shoot JPEG exclusively. Is this so? That seems kind of a high number. If true, no wonder Pentax takes a trashing for their 'out of the box' JPEG processing. Do you shoot JPEG most of the time? Or, are we just 'different'? (By the way, the netcast is pretty good, if you can get past the Canon/Nikon bias. Good information, good interviews. They have had Scott Kelby on a couple of times. You can find it at: TPN :: The Digital Photography Show)

05-03-2007, 05:02 AM	#2
macdaddy Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Dahlonega, GA Photos: Gallery Posts: 141	I shoot RAW exclusively for two reasons: first, I want the digital equivalent of the "original negative" to go back to as my skills improve and I find new ways to process the images, and second, because RAW technology is constantly improving and who knows what we'll be able to pull out of a file in the future? (And I save files in DNG) It is a large pain in the backside some days, but worth it and, once you get used to the workflow, is much smoother and almost as fast with the added benefit of no chance of degrading an image past the point of recovery. MY question is, when are we going to get a Pentaxian to step up to the plate and start a Podcast dedicated to OUR favorite cameras and their usage? Rob W Last edited by macdaddy; 05-03-2007 at 05:12 AM.

05-03-2007, 03:01 PM	#7
photo_mom Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Virginia, USA Photos: Gallery Posts: 545	RAW Hi Steven! I prefer and do shoot mostly RAW, mainly for the control in post processing. I've use JPG several times due to being short on memory. It will be interesting to see what comes out of this survey!

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05-03-2007, 05:27 AM	#3
fletcherkane Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Illinois Posts: 299	Originally posted by macdaddy I shoot RAW exclusively for two reasons: first, I want the digital equivalent of the "original negative" to go back to as my skills improve and I find new ways to process the images, and second, because RAW technology is constantly improving and who knows what we'll be able to pull out of a file in the future? (And I save files in DNG) It is a large pain in the backside some days, but worth it and, once you get used to the workflow, is much smoother and almost as fast with the added benefit of no chance of degrading an image past the point of recovery. MY question is, when are we going to get a Pentaxian to step up to the plate and start a Podcast dedicated to OUR favorite cameras and their usage? Rob W I'm willing to publish and host the podcast if someone else wants to produce it. I currently host and publish and produce another weekly podcast. The time involved in getting enough info together for a weekly show is more than I can commit to, however, I have the technology and software, as well as online storage space. Who's gonna step up...

05-03-2007, 05:33 AM	#4
jfdavis58 Site Supporter Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: 13 S 0357397-3884316 Photos: Gallery Posts: 887	Originally posted by volosong "Discovered" a series of photography netcasts in iTunes that I dumped to my iPod for the commute to work. One of the two guys who post the netcast is a Nikon guy while the other is a Canon guy. They rarely talk about other brands, other than in their "news" segment. One thing that they mentioned, is that 85% (or so) of the people who have dSLR cameras shoot JPEG exclusively. Is this so? That seems kind of a high number. If true, no wonder Pentax takes a trashing for their 'out of the box' JPEG processing. Do you shoot JPEG most of the time? Or, are we just 'different'? (By the way, the netcast is pretty good, if you can get past the Canon/Nikon bias. Good information, good interviews. They have had Scott Kelby on a couple of times. You can find it at: TPN :: The Digital Photography Show) Keep in mind that the number of dSLR users you encounter on the web is just a loud minority of all users. In fact, from a statistical point of view, this loud minority actually represents the 'noise' in the statistic or less. Something like 85% shoot JPEG, 15% shoot RAW, margin of error +/-3%--web users are in that 3% probably just a fraction of that 3%.

05-03-2007, 06:05 AM	#5
barondla Site Supporter Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: midwest, United States Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 5,714	Most shoot jpeg. In photo class there is usually only 1 or 2 that shoot raw. Rest jpeg. Trying to change that. Remember most people are new to dslrs. Even slr people need time to get used to dslr and digital. Think many will migrate to raw after they have time to get used to the camera. Raw just makes the fairly steep learning curve steeper for the beginner. Many of these people aren't real comfortable with the computer either. The K10D could help here since raws can be converted to jpeg in camera. No computer skill needed. Raw is easier once these issues are sorted out. No worrying about WB while shooting. Just leave it on auto. thanks barondla

05-03-2007, 08:08 AM	#6
MRRiley Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Sterling, VA, USA Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 6,275	I shoot RAW. The flexibility for postprocessing is better and memory cards are cheaper than having to go back to Nassau to reshoot something (although maybe not as much fun). Mike

05-03-2007, 03:55 PM	#8
jthommo Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Canberra, Australia Photos: Gallery Posts: 338	I shoot raw and I suspect most people who are serious enough about their hobby to contribute to forums like this do as well. But I would think we are a minority....

05-03-2007, 04:01 PM	#9
SuperJared Inactive Account Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Portland, OR Posts: 167	RAW, RAW, RAW your boat... :ugh:

05-03-2007, 04:49 PM	#10
Photo Tramp Inactive Account Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Lancaster, PA. Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,041	RAW, RAW, RAW, That's the spirit we have here (does anyone remember Fire Sigh Theater???) The real high!! Gasoline and a clean wind shield . I shoot only RAW for about the same reasons as most I want to be in control of the processing along with creativity. I don't know where the pod cast people got their information (and I'm not saying they are wrong) but the percentages don't really tell the entire story. Lets face it those of us one the forum that shoot RAW are mostly advanced amateurs and for the most part the reasons are basically the same. If you really take a look at the whole picture What % of the people who buy DSLR's are Pro, Advanced Amateurs, Amateurs, and novice. And out of those classifications what % shoot JPEG or RAW. There are reasons to be given on both sides and no one is wrong for doing what they do. (if it feels good do it)

05-03-2007, 05:13 PM	#11
justuspr Inactive Account Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: SLC, UT Posts: 81	Well I'm going to go against the flow here. I shoot JPG 95% of the time. I'm a software developer and spend 8-16 hours a day at my computer. When it comes to photography I like to spend my time out in the field not at my computer. I try to get it just how I want it in the camera and take multiple exposures on almost every shot and bracket 90% of my shots. My post production is mainly throwing out over/under exposed shots or shots that just plain didn't turn out. I do tweak some of my favorites after the fact but that is probably less than 5% of the photos I keep. But hey thats just me.

05-03-2007, 05:20 PM	#12
roentarre Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Melbourne, Australia Posts: 11,783	I shoot Raw most of the time. Sometimes Raw+Jpegs if I could not bother to do so much conversion In low light photography, Raw format gives me the best photos

05-03-2007, 05:24 PM	#13
NLAlston Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Amherst, NY. Posts: 334	Hi Steven. First, keep in mind that this (what I am about to contribute) is coming from a relative newbie to the DSLR world. I had been a LOT of shooting in the JPEG format, and that was primarily done because of the fact that I could get a whole lot of exposures on the one SD card that I had. I gave myself toward a lot of experimenting for the sake of trying to REALLY learn my K10D. The benefits of shooting RAW, however, are mountainous, and it would behoove you to navigate down that path. Do I still shoot JPEG? Yes - sometimes I do. But, for those times when something memorable (or in any way important) is desired for recording, it (for me, anyway) will ALWAYS be in RAW.

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05-03-2007, 05:50 PM	#14
Donald Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Toronto Posts: 329	most people I have talked with shoot jpeg. Reasons I've heard: Don't know anything about RAW, Don't have photoshop, Too slow when I download to computer. Now, we know the counter arguments to all of the above, yet to jpeg shooters I assume the arguments aren't understood, they don't particularly care and / or don't want to spend any more money.

05-03-2007, 06:43 PM	#15
volosong Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: North Idaho Photos: Gallery Posts: 696 Original Poster	Just to clarify . . . I shoot DNG+ on the K10D and PEF on the K100D. The only times I'll go JPEG is at a high school baseball game, where I'll capture about 300-400 shots. But, now that I have a lot more memory cards, I'll go DNG+ all the time now. Just this past week, I've switched from DNG+ to PEF+ (on the K10D). It came to my attention that with the latest firmware update, PEF files are now in the neighborhood of 10Mb instead of the former 16Mb. DNG files are still 16Mb. I was just wondering if "that" many dSLR people shot JPEG. Didn't make sense. Then again, I learned my photography in a bathroom darkroom and a Bessler enlarger. What's "Av" mode? First time I used it was with the Ds two years ago.