Jan 28, 2015, 11:44
Raw has greater dynamic range than jpg. JPEG records 256 levels of brightness, and RAW records between 4,096 to 16,384 levels! This is described with the term “bit”. JPEG captures in 8bit, and RAW is either 12bit or 14bit.
With that extra data you can adjust under/over exposure to a greater degree.
You can adjust whiteblance and temperature to a far greater degree without causing clipping. Adjust a jpg and a raw file white balance, then look at the histogram.
The loss of data with a jpg is not just when you create it, every time you edit it and hit save, you lose data, even with the compression setting set to max quality.
The downside to raw is mandatory post processing, larger file sizes and slower shot rates.
I shoot raw for everything apart from sports or action, where I might need prolonged bursts to capture the action.
With that extra data you can adjust under/over exposure to a greater degree.
You can adjust whiteblance and temperature to a far greater degree without causing clipping. Adjust a jpg and a raw file white balance, then look at the histogram.
The loss of data with a jpg is not just when you create it, every time you edit it and hit save, you lose data, even with the compression setting set to max quality.
The downside to raw is mandatory post processing, larger file sizes and slower shot rates.
I shoot raw for everything apart from sports or action, where I might need prolonged bursts to capture the action.