Why Raw?

Blue · 09-07-2010, 09:27 PM

One thing that can be done with raw is being able to shoot 1 to 2 stops underexposure. I guess that would be analogous to push/pull in film.

Also, some bodies give an option to shoot in TIFF rather than JPEG or Raw. Several Nikon bodies and Pentax bodies like the *istD and 645D have TIFF as an option.

egordon99 · 09-08-2010, 01:08 PM - **1 Like**

First off, your camera ONLY shoots RAW. When you select JPG, the camera takes the RAW data and pipes it into its on-board JPG processor to generate the JPG "image" to save to the card.

When you shoot RAW, the RAW "data" goes directly to the card and is not an image.

To generate an image, you use a RAW processor (software on your PC) which turns the data into a viewable image, much like the camera's JPG processor. The difference is that YOU have complete control over the image generation process. You can change the white balance, adjust the contrast/brightness/black point/etc....

So you can leave these decisions up to the camera's little processor (and hope it makes the right decisions since they are irreversible), or save the decisions for later where YOU have complete control over it.

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09-07-2010, 09:27 PM	#16
Blue Moderator Site Supporter Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Florida Hill Country Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 17,377	One thing that can be done with raw is being able to shoot 1 to 2 stops underexposure. I guess that would be analogous to push/pull in film. Also, some bodies give an option to shoot in TIFF rather than JPEG or Raw. Several Nikon bodies and Pentax bodies like the *istD and 645D have TIFF as an option.

09-08-2010, 01:08 PM - 1 Like	#17
egordon99 Inactive Account Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Outside of Philly Posts: 1,561	First off, your camera ONLY shoots RAW. When you select JPG, the camera takes the RAW data and pipes it into its on-board JPG processor to generate the JPG "image" to save to the card. When you shoot RAW, the RAW "data" goes directly to the card and is not an image. To generate an image, you use a RAW processor (software on your PC) which turns the data into a viewable image, much like the camera's JPG processor. The difference is that YOU have complete control over the image generation process. You can change the white balance, adjust the contrast/brightness/black point/etc.... So you can leave these decisions up to the camera's little processor (and hope it makes the right decisions since they are irreversible), or save the decisions for later where YOU have complete control over it.