[adam]

If it can go wrong, it will go wrong and at the worst possible time :~(~

Wouldn't want to risk now

[peter]

uahua i might risk it one day ..
when they have better hacks .. huauhuha

[Toad]

A couple of more reaons for shooting RAW:

- jpegs degrade every time that they are accessed - RAW does not.

- your photos can gain from improvements in RAW processing software that are released AFTER the photo was taken as well as before.

- ever have a great photo that is overexposed in one area and underexposed in another? In your RAW conversion software - change the RAW exposure to compensate for the over exposure and save a copy. Make a second copy that compensates for the underexposure. Layer the 2 images in PhotoShop and use layer masks to get rid of the over/under exposed bits. Voila - perfectly exposed shot in all areas. Try that one with jpeg.

What I hate about RAW:

- limited compatibility with browser software including Windows XP viewer.

- limited ability to do anything at all with the photo (printing, emailing, viewing) without proper conversion software.

- limited (none on most cameras) ability to zoom into the photo on the camera LCD to review it for sharpness, details, etc.

- large file sizes - and photos which need to be replicated into another form (TIFF, jpeg) to be used. Uses hard drive space like water.

Bottom line: for the serious photographer, the benefits outweigh the extra complications to your workflow. If you are not comitted to processing every shot you take with your PC, however, TIFFS or jpegs are much easier.

My A2 allows me the option of taking RAW and a jpeg at the same time. For those that don't mind 20 MB photos, that might be an option - for me the space requirement is prohibitive.

[shuttertalk]

- ever have a great photo that is overexposed in one area and underexposed in another? In your RAW conversion software - change the RAW exposure to compensate for the over exposure and save a copy. Make a second copy that compensates for the underexposure. Layer the 2 images in PhotoShop and use layer masks to get rid of the over/under exposed bits. Voila - perfectly exposed shot in all areas. Try that one with jpeg.

Hey great tip, toad...

[peter]

- limited (none on most cameras) ability to zoom into the photo on the camera LCD to review it for sharpness, details, etc.

on the 300D i dont find that this is a problem at all ..
the preview for raw seems to load up no differently then the preview for JPG

[Toad]

You are lucky. Neither of my digicams will pan/zoom RAW pics on the LCD.

[peter]

ahhh thats gotta suck .. even though i dont use the preveiw that much anyways ..

[StudioJ]

RAW is a wonderful tool, my main use for it is the ability to change your white balance and the exposure compensation, quite often I will superimpose two images together with different exposure levels to keep all my highlights and shadows. Capture One is the only way to go, well Adobe Raw isn't too bad either but I won't go back to that.

As for the 300D firmware hack, I installed it and it works just fine, it gives you quite a few of the CF's including 2nd curtain, mirror lockup, flash compensation etc. Of course most of those are worthless if you have a 550EX on top as it allows you to override. At ISO 100 and changing to Raw + Small JPG gives you around 8-10 additional shots per 512mb card.

Oh and the only thing that I've found that doesn't work with the hack is the servo focus. Its well worth playing with though.

[Lak]

Hey a little off topic here, but can anyone post up how to get RAW photos displaying when i run windows explorer when i switch it to thumbnail mode??

[Toad]

Don't think that works - that is another little problem with RAW workflows.

[shuttertalk]

Did a bit of Goooogling - that feature certainly is not out of the box functionality. There's a plugin here for Canon RAW (CRW) files:
http://www.robgalbraith.com/ubbthreads/s...&fpart=all

Also this one, there's a free and commercial version:
http://www.dpmagic.com/

[slejhamer]

- ever have a great photo that is overexposed in one area and underexposed in another? In your RAW conversion software - change the RAW exposure to compensate for the over exposure and save a copy. Make a second copy that compensates for the underexposure. Layer the 2 images in PhotoShop and use layer masks to get rid of the over/under exposed bits. Voila - perfectly exposed shot in all areas. Try that one with jpeg.

Hey great tip, toad...

By the same methodology, you can also blend RAW conversions with different white balances ... e.g., a warm WB in the foreground of a beach scene, receding to a much cooler WB in the distance. Fun to play with.

[Petographer]

I haven't been shooting raw nearly as much as I should be. I have another 512 megs of memory on top of the 256 I already had.
As far as a raw viewing software that opens quikly I recomment irfanview which also has batch conversion. Excellent free software.
Toad- with the tip you gave on layering the over and under exposed images, are you referring to layering tiff?
Jamie- I was under the impression that the ia servo does in fact work but it takes practice to pump the button. I haven't tried it as I've yet to install the hack. If I do, it will be so that I can change the size of the embedded jpg in the raw file.

[Toad]

Export the output of the raw converter (Adobe Camera Raw in my case) twice - once for each desired exposure level, and copy the output as layers into a .psd (PhotoShop) file. When you have finished working with the photo, flatten it, and save it as whatever you like (TIFF, jpeg, etc.).

[StudioJ]

Do you have a particular technique for combining the layers cleanly Toady?

[slejhamer]

Jamie, get "Bill's Dynamic Range Action Set" here:
http://www.outdooreyes.com/photo80.php3

You load your two different exposures into PS, select the darker one at the first stop, the lighter one at the second stop, and voila!

[StudioJ]

Magic Slej! I usually do it by hand and infrequently because of the time involved.

Another good excuse to shoot RAW more often.