The JPEG advantage Need the ultimate burst capability? Ignore Raw…
Not everyone has the time to sit in front of a computer and tinker with their pictures. For many photographers, there’s an appeal to getting everything right in-camera rather than in software.
That said, it’s tempting to leave the camera set to Raw and rarely choose to shoot JPEGS. After all, you can create a JPEG later if needed. But there are times when shooting JPEG is a better choice – and in some cases, the only option.
If you’re taking pictures in an intense or unpredictable situation where you need to capture long bursts of shots without interruption, JPEG is the better format. It’s not the frame rate that changes when you switch from Raw to JPEG, but the number of pictures you can take without lifting your finger from the shutter release.
Take the Canon EOS R7. Its maximum speed with its mechanical shutter engaged is 15 frames per second, whether you’re shooting Raw or JPEG. But it’s possible to sustain this rate for 224 JPEGS compared with 51 Raw files. So, when the camera is shooting at top speed, it can record Raw files for 3.4 seconds before it needs to pause to clear the buffer, but it can shoot a JPEG sequence lasting almost 15 seconds.
Of course, these are just numbers on a paper. In the real world, you rarely keep the shutter release pressed for 15 seconds without a break. But if you’re shooting motor racing, extreme sports or wildlife in action, the capability to record a large number of shots over multiple seconds is very useful.
The choices you make for a JPEG, including Picture Style and white balance, are locked in when you shoot