8 or 16 Bit Jpeg ?

[scomeau1]

In Adobe Bridge I see that the Jpeg files are in 8 Bit and the raw files are in 16 Bit.

And the 16 Bit Raw files look sharper that the 8 Bit jpeg files.

Do I have a setting wrong someware in the Canon EOS40D for Bridge or should jpeg files be 8 bit only ?

Thanks for any help you cav give me.

Scott

 

[ksmattfish]

The raw files from the 40D are 14 bit. Jpeg only comes in 8 bit, as far as I understand. You can open the raw files as 8 or 16 bit tiffs or psds. There is more data available to work on from a raw file than a jpeg, but I think if you are seeing significant sharpness differences (meaning it could be seen in a print) it probably has more to do with your in-camera processing settings, and the settings of your raw processor.

 

[astrostu]

The JPG file specification only supports 8-bit images, so you cannot possibly have a 16-bit JPG. You have to have a different file format - such as RAW, PSD, or TIF - in order to save a 16-bit image.

While I agree with the above poster that one possibility is in-camera processing that will take place on the JPG vs. RAW, another possibility - I would argue probability - is that JPG is a lossy format while RAW is not. In other words, JPG uses compression algorithms to make the images smaller, but it loses information in the process. RAW format does not compress the files and so does not lose any information.