raw or jpeg?

er111a · Feb 3, 2010

what should I use?

TJ K · Feb 3, 2010

er111a · Feb 3, 2010

TJ K said:
Both

that does not help

JSD · Feb 3, 2010

They both have uses. Raw is more fixable, it alows more tweeking in PP, its more forgiving. It also slows down your frames per second, if that matters, and takes up much more memory space becasue the files are so big. JPEGs are smaller so you can fit more on a given memory card and you may be able to get more frames per second but becasue they involve compression to one degree or another the image quality suffers accordingly. JPEGs are also not as tweekable in PP.

ChasK · Feb 3, 2010

Really it depends on several factors. How much storage space do you have, how accurate you shoot, jpeg allows for less exposure correction than raw, what are you going to do with the final file(s). Your own expectations could dictate an entirely different set of considerations. Probably, for the novice, the most important is storage space. In camera and hard drive. Jpeg will require less storage space, but being a compressed file is subject to a loss of quality with every save. Raw saves all the information the sensor "sees" and is not a compressed file and not subject to the loss of quality like a jpeg but requires approx. 10-20 times the storage space of a jpeg.

indeedies · Feb 3, 2010

I would consider myself a noob in photography. Have only been shooting about 6 months. I have hundreds of questions that I ask everyday when it comes to photography. The difference between myself and some of the other noobs on here though is that I have found the search button. It's on the top right of this forum. It reads "Search this forum". I know you haven't been on the forum for too long (it says two years in your avatar) so I thought I would help out a little.

The Photo Forum - Photography Discussion Forum - Search Forums

I don't know about others but I learn quite a bit more when I do the research rather than having someone tell me. It would be different if this was a new question that hasn't been seen before.

But alas, it has. Time and time again.