[Bob_Gates]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Iron_Dreamer /img/forum/go_quote.gif I wouldn't be too worried, Bob. I have a MUCH slower system (2.4GHz S754 A64, 1GB DDR1-400...) and editing RAW isn't much of a bother for my system, despite the insane size of my camera's RAW files (about 18Mb each). With all the horsepower in your computer, I'm sure it will hardly break a sweat.

Thanks for the quick response.

Ive been trying to get some good HDR pictures lately and it is just impossible to with this dslr-like megazoom crap. Don't get me wrong, its a nice camera but not for what I need. 400D here I come!!

 

[nogrot]

I shoot only NEF and process them with Capture NX.

While on the subject, does anybody here use Adobe's DNG format? I know the Leica DMR and M8 utilize this, and I believe the new Pentax DSLR's have it as an option.

 

[HiWire]

RAW only. Does anybody else use JPEG2000 yet?

 

[rb67]

I use JPEG most of the time, but when there is something I really want to work on, I use raw.

 

[Filburt]

I shoot RAW a lot now, but used to shoot JPEG mostly. As I got larger memory cards, I was able to shoot RAW more. It helps in some cases, others not. I gradually moved towards RAW back when I had the D70, but a lot of my best pictures were shot in JPEG and I honestly didn't feel like it was that big a problem. However, I still worked on a RAW workflow and now that I have a D200 I don't find it that big a deal to work with the compressed NEFs. I know some folks scoff at the slightly lossy compression but I've yet to come across an instance where, when I tried to compare the two, uncompressed gave me a visible advantage without doing the sorts of tweaks that I wouldn't even bother doing when actually producing the photo for print or otherwise.


Quote:

Originally Posted by Iron_Dreamer /img/forum/go_quote.gif I shoot RAW currently, as it was one of the reasons I acquired my current camera (Fuji E900). It's as much about learning what can be done (before I step up to a DSLR) as it is preserving image quality. I really enjoy PP'ing now, and it's just a part of the whole photographic experience for me. Now on to pondering K100D vs. K10D and lenses

K10D is OK. I wanted to like that camera better; I really, really did. I have old Pentax MF glass that I'm very fond of, and would have really enjoyed making use of again, but I just could not get into the K10D when using it. The ergonomics didn't work with my hand and the control layout was worse than on my D70; I felt, anyhow. Very menu-based which I don't care for. The SR didn't work as well as I'd hoped it would (although it still worked decently; just not as well as optical), and the AF wasn't as good as I'd expected given the rather impressive specs. I still think it's one of the best deals in its price range, and offers some really impressive *overall* performance for the price I think. However, I ended up going with the D200 even though I would have really liked to save $400 on body and then whatever else by being able to use my old lenses. I'm still happy with my decision, though; the D200's performance has been highly impressive to me and the ergonomics are much comfier.

 

[minktoast]

21% RAW only - I find that hard to believe! Head-fier's must be serious photographers as well - do the two go together?

 

[davidd]

with my D50, I used JPG most of the time and RAW rarely, with the new Rebel XTi I ordered I think I am probably going to use RAW+JPG most of the time.

 

[sorrick]

For me it totally depends on the shooting situation. For family snapshots/ shooting in good light, I usually just shoot jpeg b/c my d200's auto white balance in almost 100% correct when the lighting is decent.

If I'm doing a commissioned shoot, I usually shoot raw so my clients get the best possible results.

For underwater photography, I ALWAYS shoot raw. lighting conditions underwater (not to mention white balancing) are very difficult to meter, and those inconsiderate sharks never wait for you to fiddle much with camera settings!

I would shoot RAW exclusively if I had unlimited storage space, but my primary computer is a laptop, and even with an external HD storage can become a concern.

Also, I always shoot NEF compressed when I shoot raw on my d200. I've done some testing on the differences on compressed vs. uncompressed and I can't tell the difference so I opt for the smaller files.

 

[uofmtiger]

Both. It really depends on where I doing the shooting....if I am going to be away from the computer all day, I just shoot in the largest jpeg available. If I am going to be able to donwload off the card to a computer after a few hours, I generally use RAW. I do not do a lot of adjusting after the shot, but I like to use "white balance". I usually just archive in jpeg after I make the necessary adjustments.

 

[nogrot]

...there's this really great program for Nikon shooters that makes using RAW+JPG mode obsolete.

http://drchung.new21.net/previewextractor/

Every RAW file from a D70 and D2x (at least, other models may also work) have a Basic, full-size JPEG embedded in the file. Using this program, it quickly extracts them all. I've had lots of fun extracting quick pictures at a hotel while on vacation and posting them on flickr for friends and family from my laptop, instead of having to wait until I returned home to edit them on my desktop.

Anyway, it seemed worthy to mention it while on the subject.

 

[dj_mocok]

I only use previewextractor for checking my shutter count, it's quite interesting, but it also makes you worry at the same time, since basically a camera has this "estimated shutter life" and when your number increases, you feel more and more like your camera is gonna give up on you.
I know shutter life is just an estimation, but it's as if you know when are you gonna die, lol.

 

[nogrot]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dj_mocok /img/forum/go_quote.gif I only use previewextractor for checking my shutter count, it's quite interesting, but it also makes you worry at the same time, since basically a camera has this "estimated shutter life" and when your number increases, you feel more and more like your camera is gonna give up on you. I know shutter life is just an estimation, but it's as if you know when are you gonna die, lol.

I recall hearing plenty of D70's failing at 70k shutter actuations, but I never even got close to that, personally. I bought my current camera used with around 10k on it, and although I haven't checked, I can't imagine I'm above 15k yet. I believe all of Nikon's newer cameras are rated for 100k, so I don't really see what you're worrying about.

 

[dj_mocok]

Yeah, come to think of it, 100,000 are lots of clicks actually huh?

Say, 300 pictures a week,

100,000/300 = 333

333/52= 6.4 years?

Yeah good enough. I'll buy a new Nikon D500 by then.

So far I've done 2000+ pictures, long way to go, hehe...

 

[AdamP88]

I shoot almost exclusively RAW, for many of the reasons mentioned above. I'll shoot jpeg if I'm just experimenting or doing quick snapshots.

 

[jnev]

I don't think my rebel xt has ever shot a jpg shot.. it's been raw all the way for me. I couldn't live without being able to adjust white balance and whatnot, the auto settings are almost never set correctly.