Why so low kb?

[vandergus]

Alright folks, RAW is not the answer to everything. The OP is concerned about having enough resolution for large prints. Shooting RAW has nothing to do with this. Even if you shoot RAW in camera, you have to process that file into a jpg before you send it to the printers. So you always end up with a (gasp!) compressed jpg whether you shoot RAW in camera or not.

maxharvard, Chip, and dcclark have already addressed the fact that MP /= MB, which is really the heart of the issue here, not how much more flexibility you get when processing a RAW file.

Mini-rant over.

[eNZee]

Originally Posted by vandergus

Alright folks, RAW is not the answer to everything. The OP is concerned about having enough resolution for large prints. Shooting RAW has nothing to do with this. Even if you shoot RAW in camera, you have to process that file into a jpg before you send it to the printers. So you always end up with a (gasp!) compressed jpg whether you shoot RAW in camera or not.

maxharvard, Chip, and dcclark have already addressed the fact that MP /= MB, which is really the heart of the issue here, not how much more flexibility you get when processing a RAW file.

Mini-rant over.

but dont you increase the SIZE of the file by first shooting in RAW then converting it? example: most of my pics in RAW come out like 7-9mb sometimes more, then when i convert it, it goes to about 5 (give or take depening on what im shooting). that right there is a bigger file. Husker is asking why the large files are only 2mb if the camera is 12MP. fine the issue between mb and mp has been addressed but theres another issue of why the files are so small and we're just trying to help out.

wouldnt it make a difference if it was shot in raw then saved as "highest resolution" when converting it to jpeg. thats what i do...

errr im getting all confused now i dont even know if im making sense anymore
ps. no need to rant and rave over a simple discussion

[Chip]

eNZee -

If I have this right, then ability to print at a large size depends on the # of pixels in the photo you want to print.

On my camera, the image dimensions, and therefor the # of pixels, are the same when the camera is set to JPEG/large and RAW/large. So, since I get the same # of pixels when I shoot in JPEG or RAW, as long as I shoot in the large format, the resolution when I print will be the same, regardless of format.

Now, I presume that if I were to edit a JPEG image a bunch of times, then to a certain extent info will be lost and the pixels will start to degrade. But, regardless of the # of times I edit the JPEG, the # of pixels will still remain the same.

So, when shooting in RAW, you get a lossless format and you use up more space on a memory card, but you don't (1) capture more megapixels or (2) use more of the sensor than you would shooting in JPEG.

My 2 cents. If I'm off here, just let me know.

[LoveDSLR]

Originally Posted by eNZee

I would suggest to start shooting in RAW. the quality is the highest at that point (I think - somebody please correct me if im wrong) and you have alot more opportunity to edit your photo without hurting the image itself.

One difference between RAW & TIFF and JPEG is that RAW & TIFF are loseless formats. JPEG by specification is a lossy format which removes information at the time your camera or software creates the file.

Even for an unedited image, some if not all software will try to remove more information from it if you choose to save it as JPEG, thus the subsequent image has less information than the previous one.

[LoveDSLR]

Originally Posted by HuskerFan

I've got my D90 set for High resolution and Large photos, but the largest they come out is around 2MB or so. I want to get some of my shots put onto canvas, but I'm afraid the lower resolution will not hold up when it gets printed so large. Why only 2MB when I have 12MP camera?

I check the D90 manual, 'Memory Card Capacity' section on page 262 and cannot match 'High resolution and Large photos' with 2 MB file size.

May I suggest you set Image Quality to FINE and Image size to L. Then the file size should be around 6.0 MB.

Of course RAW (NEF) is better but may not be necessary for some people.