Casualties of raw
I know that a ‘raw’- captured image contains bucketloads of more data than a JPEG, and it’s lots of fun spending hours getting all the detail out. But how many people realise that 99% of the money they spent on that state- of-the-art camera equates solely to processing JPEG images?
An image captured in raw format is just that: raw and not processed by the camera’s all-singing, all- dancing, on-board computer, that the manufacturer boasts about. On the other hand, a JPEG- captured image is treated to all the camera’s goodies and can be enhanced, both during the capture stage and afterwards, using the on-board editing tools.
Raw was only introduced by manufacturers in the early 2000’s to satisfy pro photographers’ demand for more control over their images and entice them away from film. Amateur photographers, especially those new to ‘proper camera’ photography became, and still are, confused by all the ballyhoo that they must aspire to become a raw image taker. In most cases, JPEGs processed by a modern camera are far better than raw images, even after they are tweaked on a computer. The only areas that they may not satisfy are blown- out skies, but so what? Just slot in a sky that you like on your computer.
Many of these ‘converted, must shoot in raw at all costs’ photographers will now not consider any camera that doesn’t have a raw option. Shame, as they are missing a real treat by not owning the Nikon Coolpix P900, which sports an optical 83x f/2.8 lens (24-2,000mm) – yes, I did say an on-board 2,000mm optical telephoto lens. Apart from not having a raw option, which Nikon obviously thinks is not necessary, it’s got every other feature that you would want, including Wi- Fi. To say that this camera is amazing is a gross understatement. I’m a semi-pro freelance travel photographer! Paul Simmons Interesting. Not everyone agrees that in- camera JPEG processing is a ‘goodie’, as you have less control over whitebalance adjustment, for example, and are not getting all the resolution that your sensor can record. With full-frame sensors in particular, this seems a shame. If JPEG works for you though, that’s great. It can mean less time spent on the computer and perhaps more focus on getting it right in- camera – Geoff Harris, deputy editor