[Sanglant]

for browsing raw files FastStone is fast(if you set it to use the preview jpeg) and free.

[WheresWaldo]

So, it doesn't venture a guess with an average? I suppose at some point I will start seeing the number of photos left not decreasing after a shot or decreasing at a smaller rate.

Yes that is exactly what will happen

[GeneV]

Yes that is exactly what will happen

So, will it need to take a few PEFs to get an average? It is not estimating much of any savings now.

It occurs to me that it really should not be that much different from Jpegs, which also vary in size depending upon the scene.

[WheresWaldo]

So, will it need to take a few PEFs to get an average? It is not estimating much of any savings now.

It occurs to me that it really should not be that much different from Jpegs, which are also different depending upon the scene.

No, it was as Marc described. It will guesstimate based on little or no compression but after taking a few images the number may not actually go down. With memory as cheap as it is (I carry 2 16GB SDHC cards, one in camera, one stored in battery grip) I do not worry about how many shots are left on the card. In my case I set item 31 in the custom menu to on. This displays ISO Sensitivity rather than number of shots left.

[Marc Sabatella]

No, it was as Marc described. It will guesstimate based on little or no compression but after taking a few images the number may not actually go down.

More particularly, you'll see the number go down by one every two shots taken (if you're accustomed to seeing 50% size savings from compression). Basically, at *all times* the estimate is off by the amount of the compression. So if you're getting an average of 50% compression, you at all times actually have about twice as many shots left as the counter says.

How well do picture management software like Aperture or Lightroom work when you shoot RAW+? I mean does it get confusing when you're importing the same picture as a JPEG and PEF/DNG? Will you then have annoying double pictures visible?

EDIT: trying to make the text resamble English...

[NickC]

When going on a trip, such as last year's trip to Egypt, I set the camera to take RAW + *** 2M JPEG. That way I've got the RAW for manipulation and printing, and the JPEGS can be quickly turned into a slide show using Pictures 2 Exe or emailed.

I can't see the point of RAW plus a full size JPEG as it's too big to email sensibly anyway. 2M is just about right for projecting or emailing.

Nick

[mrgnomer]

I'm thinking the same as NickC.

My background is totally manual but amatuer 35mm SLR. My former set up was a 35mm K1000 with a few good lenses and a flash.

The flash and a good macro lens remains but the rest was traded in for digital, which I find I shoot in exclusively now.

Being new to digital SLR and just getting familiar with RAW format I really, really like the control of the RAW format. Only problem is displaying the pics. I can't just download them and play them right from the camera like JPEGs. They need to be processed/converted first.

Maybe the RAW+JPEG is to facilitate the viewing of the pics before processing? Kind of makes sense.

Personally, even though I just started with digital, I don't see myself shooting in JPEG too much. I'd rather preserve available memory and shoot in only one format that is closer to a true negative. To compensate for the additional memory demad I'm carrying two SD cards and I'll get more if I need them. One 4GB SD card looks like it's still worth about 5 rolls of conventional film in the 4 star RAW setting which is a real bonus for me. I used to hate running out of film and stopping to change it with a 35mm SLR.

[Marc Sabatella]

How well do picture management software like Aperture or Lightroom work when you shoot RAW+? I mean does it get confusing when you're importing the same picture as a JPEG and PEF/DNG? Will you then have annoying double pictures visible?

I'm not sure about those. I use ACDSee Pro, which wouldn't make it easy. But what it *does* make easy is simply shooting RAW and not worrying about the JPEG, and I know LR and Aperture are similar in that respect. That is, if you currently shoot RAW+JPEG because having the JPEG somehow simplifies things for you when working with old-fashioned software, I think you'll find it the other way around with LR or Aperture.

[ILoveVerdi]

There are plenty of great reasons to use RAW, but I've found that I've recently been doing so little post-processing that it's not really necessary. The K20D seems to be very conservative in AE, so I've rarely had to back out highlights, and unless I'm going to do major tweaks to the tone curve or color temperature, it's just adding time. One of my favorite things about the k20d is the RAW button: If I see a shot that I might later want to make a print of, or that I might want to do some major tweaking to, I can make the decision to shoot RAW quickly and easily.

[Violet]

All those people that shoot Raw+Jpeg to make it easier to view for approval or later PP may not fully understand the intent of installing a Codec. The PEF codec was listed earlier in htis thread. Once installed Windows users can view the JPG portion of PEFs within Explorer and by extension Windows Photo Gallery or Windows Photo and FAX Viewer. No applications to install! Works with computers at the minimum Windows hardware configuration levels! Not any slower than viewing JPGs!

Thanks for this bit of information. Do you have a link for that codec?

[WheresWaldo]

Thanks for this bit of information. Do you have a link for that codec?

http://www.pentaximaging.com/files/software/PENTAX%20Raw%20Codec.exe

[laissezfaire]

Thanks for this bit of information. Do you have a link for that codec?

as noted before, this link is for vista:

Software Downloads : Support & Service : PENTAX

[Violet]

Thanks. I'm still on Win XP Pro and not all that excited about switching to Vista