Question for Casey-nfld, Alisande, Jasdip & other photo buffs

14 years ago

I know I really should post this question in the Photography forum but there has been almost no traffic over there for a month, so if I am violating any unwritten rules I will appologize in advance, but I think my question may be of interest to many ppl in this forum as well.

I am shooting both a Pentax K10d (10.2mp) & a Pentax *ist (6mp) and I have a vast collection of true Pentax & Takumar lenses as well as a few Sigmas, all of which have have very good ratings for optical quality and in reviewing photos on this and other sites I know that my cameras are capable of much better resolution than what I am achieving.

I will admit that generally I shoot in JPEG mode, so I am sure that has a lot to do with it, but occassionally when I have a shot that I really want to stand out I shoot in RAW mode, but I am not seeing a whole lot of improvement with the RAW photos.

Now I am left wondering, if my problem perhaps the file type that I am saving in after converting the RAW file?

Generally I have been saving in JPEG so I can email or upload the files without compatibility problems, but it is my understanding that JPEG is a compressed file mode.

When saving in my post processing program my options are, JPEG, TIF, PNG, GIF & BMP. Would I see a noticable improvement if I were to save in another format, and if so, which would be the best?

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Comments (8)

jeaninwa
14 years ago
WoW..I'm very interested in the answer also
Jasdip
14 years ago
The pics I see most are BMP and JPEG. I automatically use JPEG, so I'd love to see what Alisande, Casey and Nicole have to say!
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Jodi_SoCal
14 years ago
LP, a RAW file is just that. You get any details the camera lens sees, warts and all. JPG come out of your camera massaged a bit by the camera's software.

RAW files require RAW specific programs (they often come on the CD you get with your camera) to properly work with them. You will quickly become overwhelmed with all the adjustments you can make with RAW software.

By the way, some cameras have a setting that allows you to take both JPG and RAW at the same time. So in your pic folder you will see the two versions of one pic with the RAW file quite a bit larger (because it has warts and hickies in it :-)

Hope that helps.

Jodi-
mboston_gw
14 years ago
I'm interested in this also as I was told some of my pictures of hummingbirds were terrible. They were cause I was shooting them through a sliding glass door and pool screen. Anyway, it was suggested to me to use the Raw setting, instead of JPEG. I found that on my camera I can do what Jodi suggested and use the JPG and RAW. The only thing is that I haven;t yet installed the software so that I can see the RAW ones on my computer and of course it takes alot longer to download them.
alisande
14 years ago
The problem with JPG as I understand it is that every time you do something with the file it degrades a little bit. My guess is that this is one reason images are saved in other formats.

As Jodi said, RAW images require considerable post-processing. In effect, you need to do all the things after the fact that the camera does for you when you shoot in JPG mode.

I've seen some stunning JPG images, and I don't think your image quality is going to be improved by switching to another format.
iowagirl2006
14 years ago
Just curious about your camera settings - do you have your camera set to the highest settings? Not sure what that would translate to in Pentax syntax - but in Nikon, mine is set to Fine. I have also set the colors to "vivid".

I shoot only in JPEG - I don't have the time to mess with RAW. I fiddled with it a bit, and saw no difference in what I was doing.

I have both Prime and Zoom high quality Nikor lenses - the quality of the image with the prime lens is very noticable.

Are your lenses new? Or are they older lenses made pre-DSLR? I know that some older lenses are compatible with the new DSLR cameras, but lack the vibration reduction of their new counterparts - and on that note - do you have the vibration (or stabilization) turned on on your lenses if applicable?

Post processing makes a big difference also. I have seen some "ok" photos that had a "HDR Action" applied to them in Photoshop - and they went from OK to STUNNING!
nicole__
14 years ago
Let me preface this with, I don't think shooting in RAW as opposed to JPEG is where the problem lies. Also what your shooting matters. Still life? Underwater? Flying? Reflective?

*Over cropping, making it grainy, ruins it.
*Shoot with as high an ISO as possible.
*Lighting is everything.

I think the quality of your lens is essential. Your camera sees through the lens....right? I can shoot with a SLR Nikon with a 70-300 ($150 lens)that's crap, my point & shoot 5mp camera is better by comparison, but a 300 2.8($7K lens)....the difference is night and day.

Look at the clarity on the birds feathers.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/metherit/6551126241/in/photostream
This is the lens it was taken with, in this next link:
http://www.amazon.com/Canon-300mm-2-8L-Telephoto-Cameras/dp/B0000ALKBU

If what you've got isn't getting results, it may be what you've got and not technique.

Here is a link that might be useful: 10 Famous Street Photography quotes...
nicole__
14 years ago
OOps....I meant a low ISO...it's a typo....sorry....

Question for Casey-nfld, Alisande, Jasdip & other photo buffs

Comments (8)

jeaninwa

Jasdip

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