Other's experience with RAW

[naeno]

I'm not trying to start a flame war between RAW v. JPEG. Understand that upfront.

My experience with RAW is that I can't get it to look as sharp or as good as when I'm working on JPEGs. I'm not a newbie at PP, but even when I've taken the picture in RAW+JPEG, the jpeg looks better than my processed RAW.

Are there others out there like me? I've heard about how good RAW is, but I just can't seem to make it true in my experience.

[kirbinster]

Your camera applies sharpening to your jpegs, it does not do that to raw - you must apply it yourself. You should be able to get it as sharp or sharper in raw. Remember, when you press the shutter button the camera takes a raw image no matter what. If you told it to save jpeg then it processes the raw and saves only a jpeg unless you tell it otherwise. Thus, you are implying that the little processor in your camera is able to do a better job of conversion that the big processor in your computer. Something is not right about this.

[sk66]

The problem with RAW can be you have to know how much of what, and in what order, to get the best results.....Sometimes the JPEG default (or auto adjustment) is smarter than I am.

[Raoul Isidro]

I have a confession to make...
I never use RAW.
The client couldn't care less, as long as I deliver the goods to them.

[Indigo November]

Originally Posted by Raoul Isidro

I have a confession to make...
I never use RAW.
The client couldn't care less, as long as I deliver the goods to them.

But what if you get some setting wrong, and it can't be saved in jpeg? That's my biggest fear.
I would so love to do less processing, but I am afraid not to shoot in Raw......

[BigFuzzy]

In the end, if you want to get the absolute most out of your images, you need to shoot RAW, I think that's pretty much the standard. But of course, where your are in your own personal development will also dictate if you need RAW. It's just like when one considers upgrading lens/camera... only do it when you've reached the limit of the kit. So, when you reach the limit of what you can do (PP-wise) with your jpegs, then you need to go to RAW.

I feel I NEED raw, particularly if I'm doing any heavy duty PSing (such as with my montage series) and I just hate not having full control over my images.

[tasmo2]

Originally Posted by Indigo November

But what if you get some setting wrong, and it can't be saved in jpeg? That's my biggest fear.
I would so love to do less processing, but I am afraid not to shoot in Raw......

which is why I shoot jpeg+raw. LOL that way if its good i need little pp, if something is off I can grab the raw.

[sk66]

Originally Posted by Indigo November

But what if you get some setting wrong, and it can't be saved in jpeg? That's my biggest fear.
I would so love to do less processing, but I am afraid not to shoot in Raw......

Save in Raw+Jpeg; gives you both options.

[sk66]

Originally Posted by BigFuzzy

In the end, if you want to get the absolute most out of your images, you need to shoot RAW, I think that's pretty much the standard. But of course, where your are in your own personal development will also dictate if you need RAW. It's just like when one considers upgrading lens/camera... only do it when you've reached the limit of the kit. So, when you reach the limit of what you can do (PP-wise) with your jpegs, then you need to go to RAW.

I feel I NEED raw, particularly if I'm doing any heavy duty PSing (such as with my montage series) and I just hate not having full control over my images.

Actually, the better I get the less I find I "need" RAW. But I get better results manipulating the RAW file as opposed to the same adjustments to a Jpeg, so I still shoot in Raw.

[dcclark]

Originally Posted by sk66

Actually, the better I get the less I find I "need" RAW. But I get better results manipulating the RAW file as opposed to the same adjustments to a Jpeg, so I still shoot in Raw.

This is pretty much how I feel, except that I still shoot jpeg. The convenience, smaller size, and ease-of-use of jpeg vastly outweighs the benefits on the post-processing end for me. As I've learned more about my camera, I've avoided the need for really extreme changes in my post-processing -- at least, the kind of changes which really show the limits of the format.