"1965 pontiac pariseinne native art"
Shooting in which format?
I am new to DSLR cameras, just picked up my 1st one this week. I purchased the Nikon D5000. My question is this. I shoot live models to sell my items, which format should I use. RAW or RAW-Jpeg. I'm not really sure I understand the difference between the two.
Also, should I shoot in auto mode or portrait? I don't understand that either. The video said if you are shooting a person you should use the portrait mode, but I don't want to be responsible for trying to focus as my eye sight is not that great and my wrist control is weak at times.
Thank you in advance for your help.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Pablo Paredes on -
Hi and wellcome to the forum. Well, in regard to the file formats... It all depends in the amount of time you are willing to spend behind the monitor tweaking the Raw files, since this files are not a format per se, but what professionals call "digital negative". It's a LONG technical explanation to comprehend it all, but basically you shoot in Raw (non processed data gather by the digital sensor of the camera) and made all the work you want to make the image just right acording to what is pleasing to you (both in the artistic and techical sense). The possibilities are mindblowing and the results can be, with some work and dedication, quite spectacular. But it takes time.
On the other hand, you can let the camera do all the work for you and let it convert, in camera and automatically, the raw data from the digital sensor into a Jpeg file. All cameras do this by default. The results are excellent, but the Jpeg file gives you less quality to work with if you wanna make tweakings on the image. And believe me, most of the time that would be the case. This is, of course, a pretty basic scenario on a hotly debated subject. If you google raw vs. jpeg you will find excellent tutorials on this matter. I hope this help you some.
PD sorry for my clunky english...
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Permalink Reply by Pablo Paredes on
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Sorry, a little addenda. If you shoot Raw- Jpeg you have the best of both worlds, since the camera make two files: one raw, one jpeg based on that same raw data. Since you are new to the camera and the digital medium, I would recommend to shoot Auto for a litle while in order to get good results. But, but be sure to read the manual or get help in order to understand the capabilities of the camera in order to shoot in Manual mode. Manual gives you a whole lot more control over the exposures you want to take. It's very rewarding when you get good control over the camera and leave Auto mode behind you. Again, it takes time and a lot of practice, a lot (I'm a begginer myself, so I know how you feel). But it's totally worth it. Best wishes
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Permalink Reply by Lady Days Vintage on
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Pablo, thank you so much for your help.
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Permalink Reply by Sean on -
Check you camera before your next shoot. I don't know about Nikon, but on Canon if you shoot full auto, you don't get the Raw option.
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Permalink Reply by Ed Harp on -
Hi Sean, I just tested my 50D and shot in full auto and shot in RAW + JPG. Loaded it into Imagebrowser and the RAW recorded with JPG no problem. Since I almost always shoot in in manual mode, I never thought to check to see if RAW would record in full auto.
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Permalink Reply by Fred on -
As you are new to Nikon here are a few things for you to do:
1. Set the colour space to Adobe RGB
2. Use "P" until you get used to using the camera.
3. Use Matrix metering
4. Do not use "D lighting".
5. Set the jpg file to large or fine
6. Use RAW so set the camera to RAW + JPG but you will need current software to work with RAW)
7. To start with do not use any image enhancements (only works on jpg)
8. You would have been given Capture NX2 on a disc. Use this to work on your files and update it to the latest version at your local Nikon site. I only shoot RAW and this is the only software I use now.. A very good browser is also on the disc View NX and is totally free from Nikon.
Now go and enjoy yourself.
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Permalink Reply by Bill Dobbs on -
One other thing to think about is file size. While I recommend RAW format because of the advantages described here by other members, it does take up considerably more memory than jpeg files. RAW+jpeg takes up even more.
So memory card space is important. Using RAW format with my camera (10.2 mp) I get 536 photos on an 8 gb card, but using Fine Jpeg mode I'd get about 6600 shots on the same card.
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Permalink Reply by Fred on
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Simply because RGB carries more colour than sRGB. I always use RGB when shooting as I may need to edit the photograph, I want as much colour as I can get. If you want to make large prints, it is easy for the printer to print them. If you use sRGB the printer may not be able to reproduce the quality. If I want to display on the web I do convert to sRGB. But there again I mainly shoot in RAW so it is not a problem
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Permalink Reply by Ed Harp on
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First,, I don't shoot Nikon, but Canon 10D, 30D, & 50D. I used to shoot in Adobe RGB and what a disappointment. They were almost void of saturation. Got too many complaints on the way they looked. Clients liked JPGs in sRGB and my printer (Canon pro9000) very accurately printed sRGB images. Now I shoot in Raw + JPG in sRGB. My 18 MP camera allows me to shoot large RAW with Large fine JPG, however, one usually doesn't need those large of files unless shooting in low light situations. My 50D will allow me to downsize the RAW and JPGs so they aren't so large. There's just no need to shoot in RAW + JPG at 24mb per image unless you need the capability. Small RAW-1 comes to about 13 mb and Small RAW-2 is at 9 mb per RAW file instead of 21mb for the full sized RAW file.
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Thank you all so much. I'm scared to death LOL. I have no idea why.
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