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02-12-2010, 10:01 AM   #1
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K-x raw or jpg?

Now I wonder.. is there a need to shoot raw with kx?
since the quality of jpeg is the same as raw (cerrect me if i'm wrong), and jpg noise control is exceptionally great. so why to shoot raw?

well, I do not count the point that you could adjust wb later.. since with LightRoom you can do that for jpg also..

So any other points as to why to shoot raw?

or could anyone illustrate?
same composition, same settings, crop from both, raw and jpg?

I think it would be interesting to many people.


Last edited by Mystic; 02-12-2010 at 10:10 AM.
02-12-2010, 10:55 AM   #2
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QuoteOriginally posted by Mystic Quote
Now I wonder.. is there a need to shoot raw with kx?
since the quality of jpeg is the same as raw (cerrect me if i'm wrong), and jpg noise control is exceptionally great. so why to shoot raw?

well, I do not count the point that you could adjust wb later.. since with LightRoom you can do that for jpg also..

So any other points as to why to shoot raw?

or could anyone illustrate?
same composition, same settings, crop from both, raw and jpg?

I think it would be interesting to many people.
quality is not the same. With a jpeg, it takes the raw image data and compresses it so that colors that are close might be called the same. Then instead of having a line of 3000 pixels of different shades of blue, it might just say 1 line of 1 color of blue. It compresses the data to save space. In doing so, however, it drops information. So the quality of a jpeg is much less than that of a raw image.
02-12-2010, 11:37 AM   #3
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Shooting jpeg is like making a pot of stew and tossing out most of your seasonings and extra ingredients before tasting it to make sure it is exactly the way you want it. With RAW you can add or subtract at will, or start over completely if needed.
02-12-2010, 11:41 AM   #4
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The K-x in no way changes the basic question of the differences between RAW and JPEG so I'd sugest reading any of the other hundreds of threads on that subject. It is true RAW is not inherently better than JPEG if you're not doing any processing of the image, since the RAW file will need to be converted to a JPEG-like form before you can do anything with it anyhow. the advantage of RAW - with the K-x as much as any camera - is if you need to do much processing of it. Doing that processing *before* the conversion to the JPEG-like form can produce better results than doing it afte, although the extent of the difference will depend on the image and the type & amount of processing you wish to do. Again, lots and lots and lots and lots of existing threads (here, int eh PP forum, and in the beginner's forum) discuss this.

02-12-2010, 11:43 AM   #5
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Shooting JPG is like developing a film in an automated machine....and RAW like is developing the photo yourself in a dark room.
02-12-2010, 12:00 PM   #6
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I don't find much benefit when I'm shooting pictures of this or that especially outside, but you will notice benefits when you're handling important images of people you want to impress, or in images that you are particularly proud of. Subtle adjustments of contrast or other levels can reveal elements in your images that go beyond sharpness and focus and help make your subject appear even better.

It's especially useful in unusual lighting situations. You might not notice or have time to adjust the WB, and your raw editor will be useful for correcting for the proper colors.
02-12-2010, 12:14 PM   #7
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I am normally a raw shooter, however, I had to shoot jpegs with the K-x a month ago because I had mistakenly used an SDHD card that was not empty. I have to say that they were the best jpegs I have gotten directly from a DSLR. Even the AWB in indoor lighting was usable.

02-12-2010, 12:58 PM   #8
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sigh .......
02-12-2010, 01:06 PM   #9
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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.
02-12-2010, 02:10 PM   #10
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well, I do understand what is raw and what is jpg, but what I wanted to stress is:

K-x jpeg engine is such good, that I do not have to spend the time, that I usually was spending to make my photos look good. From K-x they are beautiful right out of camera.. and if they aren't spot on, on what I wanted, I can use LR or other photoshop, to correct them..

of course for If I would want a lot of control over the image, i'd shoot raw..
but for everyday shooting, K-x's jpegs are amazing.

and to nod egordon99's view I do admit, the same, I always shot raw, with K10d, with K20d, and the most importantly with K-7, but now.. k-x changes it and I reserve shooting raw only to some very important shots..
02-12-2010, 02:43 PM   #11
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Sometimes RAW is the only answer (a must read story)

The Jpeg engine of the Kx is excellent... And I use it 90% of the time.

That said if I am in some tough shooting conditions I will often chose RAW.

The other day my daughters were at swimming lessons... Indoor pool, and funky merc vapor lighting...

So I switched to Raw and to beat the crappy lighting, I jumped in the pool and shot underwater. The natural UV properties of water cured the WB issues and the RAW allowed me to shoot underwater for almost 20 minutes with no ill affects on the K-x. I would not advise going deeper than 10ft without an underwater housing but.... RAW is a lifesaver in tough conditions!
02-12-2010, 03:32 PM - 1 Like   #12
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QuoteOriginally posted by Igilligan Quote
The Jpeg engine of the Kx is excellent... And I use it 90% of the time.

That said if I am in some tough shooting conditions I will often chose RAW.

The other day my daughters were at swimming lessons... Indoor pool, and funky merc vapor lighting...

So I switched to Raw and to beat the crappy lighting, I jumped in the pool and shot underwater. The natural UV properties of water cured the WB issues and the RAW allowed me to shoot underwater for almost 20 minutes with no ill affects on the K-x. I would not advise going deeper than 10ft without an underwater housing but.... RAW is a lifesaver in tough conditions!
Great story! It really is an amazing camera. I switched it to K-x raw because my doctor said I would get more of the vitamins which are lost in the cooking process.
02-12-2010, 04:09 PM   #13
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QuoteOriginally posted by Mystic Quote
Now I wonder.. is there a need to shoot raw with kx?
since the quality of jpeg is the same as raw (cerrect me if i'm wrong), and jpg noise control is exceptionally great. so why to shoot raw?
QuoteOriginally posted by Mystic Quote
but now.. k-x changes it and I reserve shooting raw only to some very important shots..
I'm confused. If you feel jpeg is just as good as RAW, then why use RAW for the "important" shots instead of jpeg?
02-12-2010, 08:09 PM   #14
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QuoteOriginally posted by enoeske Quote
quality is not the same. With a jpeg, it takes the raw image data and compresses it so that colors that are close might be called the same. Then instead of having a line of 3000 pixels of different shades of blue, it might just say 1 line of 1 color of blue. It compresses the data to save space. In doing so, however, it drops information. So the quality of a jpeg is much less than that of a raw image.
Note that the JPEG compression algorithm is far more sophisticated than this explanation suggests. I realize you're intending to give an over-simplification to make it understandable, but there's more going on than color quantification.

QuoteOriginally posted by Parallax Quote
I'm confused. If you feel jpeg is just as good as RAW, then why use RAW for the "important" shots instead of jpeg?
Are you really confused or just being argumentative?
02-12-2010, 08:51 PM   #15
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The K-x will allow you to save a shot in both RAW and JPEG formats. Process a few RAW images and see if you like the results better than the JPEG. You alone will know if the extra effort is worth it to you.
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