2. Camera settings for raw files

Do you need to set your Nikon up differently for shooting Raw (NEF) files?

there’s no difference between shooting JPEGS and Raw files, in principle – all that’s happening is that you’re saving the image at an earlier stage in the digital process. In practice, there are a few things you need to be aware of and to take into account when you shoot Raw files.

One of the advantages of Raw is that it lets you save some of your digital decisions until later, such as the white balance setting or the ‘Picture Control’ you want to apply. However, there are often advantages to getting this right in-camera anyway, as it can save a lot you time and effort later on and perhaps give you better and more consistent results.

Raw files are much larger than JPEGS. This has practical implications beyond the number of images you can fit on a memory card (you can easily buy bigger memory cards) because it will have a big impact on your camera’s continuous shooting mode.

Finally, one of the key reasons for shooting Raw is to gain a little more exposure leeway, but that can mean thinking slightly differently about your exposure technique.