RAW vs JPG

Which do you shot, or do you shot both? I personally shoot almost entirely RAW.  Before I get too far into the subject, I feel that I should give a brief explanation as to what RAW and JPG are. They are simply file types or formats that most DSLR’s can shoot in. JPG’s are pretty common and are widely used for images of all sorts. JPG’s are simply compressed versions of RAW files. RAW files are essentially digital negatives. Ask yourself, if Ansel Adams was alive today which format would he shoot in? Mr. Adams is famous for his work in the dark room as much for his work behind the camera.

So I said I almost entirely shoot RAW files, so let talk about times that I might shoot in JPG format instead. If you are shooting sports you might want to choose to shoot in JPG format as the shots will write to your card faster, allowing you to shoot longer continuously. You might want to shoot in JPG format if you are shooting an event that requires you to have a quick turnaround to produce your pictures. If you were shooting an event such as a wedding or for a news outlet, might be some examples where you might be shooting a lot of shots and need a quick turnaround for your shots to be available. If you don’t have a program to process RAW files or if you are just lazy are some other reasons why you might choose to shoot JPG’s.

OK, so I’ve talked down about JPG’s so far, so let’s take a look at some Pro’s & Con’s of shooting RAW format.

Benefits To Shooting RAW Format:

• Added control: You can adjust white balance, exposure, saturation, darks, sharpness, contrast, etc.
• Greater processing freedom: RAW files can be pushed WAY further without adding noise or degrading the picture.
• Lossless format which allows you to process without degrading the image.
• 16 Bit Depth compared to 8 (jpg).
• Your friends won’t make fun of you for shooting in JPG format.

Drawbacks To Shooting RAW Format:

• RAW files tend to be 3x larger file size than jpg’s. This means they take up more hard drive space and more space on your card.
• You have to process them (well if you want them to look good).
• Not all programs are compatible with RAW files, but Canon gives you a program that will edit them and most photographers will have some kind of program that will work.

So what it comes down to is that RAW files give you the control on how your shots come out and allow you to push the pixels harder in post processing. Trust me I’ve saved some shots because I shot RAW files and if I had shot them as JPG’s I wouldn’t have been able to save them. For me the choice is clear, give me RAW any day over JPG.

If you are currently shooting JPG, then I would strongly recommend that you at least start shooting both and playing around with them in post processing. After you do this you’ll eventually drop shooting JPG all together.