Like Canon vs Nikon and Film vs Digital this is a common debate on forums (no one ever ‘wins’ any of them). I wrote this years ago (2005?) for a different site. I thought I would reproduce it here and perhaps write a redux at some point.
After reading it, how does it reflect on my shooting these days? I shoot RAW almost exclusively, even with sports and wildlife. The only time I shoot JPEG is when I want a quick snapshot to put online immediately.
RAW Vs JPEG
What are RAW & JPEG ?
RAW is a format for storing the image data from your camera’s sensor which allows you to process the image from the data collected by the sensor into an image on your computer, instead of using the onboard computer. This, in most cases, gives you the flexibility to adjust the white balance, contrast, colour settings and to a limited extent exposure at a later date (without compromising dynamic rante as much) rather then having the camera make the decision at the time the shot is made. RAW files are larger then JPEGs but often smaller then TIFFs, i.e. on a 10d a raw will be 6mb a JPEG 2mb and a TIFF 18mb.
JPEG, or Joint Photographic Experts Group, is a format for storing images in a compressed manner, or put simply is makes the file size smaller. I wont bore you with exact details of zig zag run line encoding, but basically JPEG is a ‘lossy’ method of compression. It removes data that is least important and performs compression on the remaining data. Some image detail is lost, it can vary between virtually none and almost rendering the image unintelligible depending on the level of compression you select. JPEG performs well in photographs where there aren’t stark changes between colours. Where there is a sharp definition between two very different colours, say black hair against a while background, you will notice artifacts which reduce the quality of the image. The effect of these on image quality increases as the compression ratio increases.
What difference does it make?
Basically it comes down to a balance, on the one hand you have flexibility and quality Vs speed and space. JPEG writes to cards in less time and takes up less space on the card, it can also often allow you to shoot more pictures in a burst. The cost is the flexibility in editing your images, tweaking them, and also JPEG suffers from a fatal flaw. Every time you open and close a JPEG it recalculates the algorithm, the artifacts get worse, and after 100 saves you’ll be left with a complete mess.
When do I use each one?
If your shooting for fun then you should probably shoot JPEG anyway, save on storage space, save on time converting and printing etc. If your shooting for quality, then you have to make a decision;
Do you have ample storage space on your cards? If not then shoot JPEG.
Are you shooting rapidly e.g. a motor race? If you are and the rate at which you can shoot is critical then consider JPEG.
Are you shooting portraits when tonal quality and colour accuracy is paramount? Shoot Raw.
Now all is not ‘lost’ if you have to shoot JPEG. An important thing to remember is that if you choose to post process JPEGs, the first step in your workflow MUST be to convert them to TIFF, even if its with a lossless compression like LZW or ZIP. After post processing you can then choose your output format, but using TIFF during will mean that your image won’t degrade further every time you save it and you will have a high quality master for future use.
My Camera shoots TIFF instead of RAW, what about me?
TIFF (Tagged Image File Format) is a lossless (no data is lost in the storing of the file, unlike say JPEG) format used for storing images. It can be compressed using standard lossless algorithms such as ZIP or LZW which reduce the file size with 0 degradation in quality. TIFFs are generally larger then RAW images so you should be careful about using them. I would personally only use TIFF in a situation where card capacity and burst rate aren’t an issue but your cameras inbuilt JPEG compression degrades image quality too much for your intended usage. Compare the file sizes, compare the quality and consider what you need the most. With TIFF, you almost certainly wont have the same breadth of options as with RAW with respect to white balance etc. With RAW images this is done by reinterpreting the data from the sensor, there isn’t that information in a TIFF.
Conclusion.
As with so many things there is no clear overall winner, you have to decide in your situation which is best. Often I will start a day shooting RAW and when I’m down to my last memory card or two I switch to JPEG. If I’m shooting my brother playing rugby I tend to shoot JPEG as it allows me to clear the buffer faster to take another burst of shots. If I’m shooting landscapes, in fact most of the time, I will shoot in RAW anyway only switching to JPEG when circumstances demand it. The downside is I’m constantly burning DVDs, my hard drive is stuffed, and it takes longer to post process the images. The upside is I have more flexibility to rescue shots that are slightly wrong and to get the best out of good shots.
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