Jpeg or Raw

[candycat1]

Hi I'm shooting a wedding soon and not sure if to use JPEG or RAW. What's the best one for this occasion?

[Bandit]

Hi I'm shooting a wedding soon and not sure if to use JPEG or RAW. What's the best one for this occasion?

RAW for everything..always and forever :)

[candycat1]

Then RAW it is. Thankyou.

[Kirsty]

always raw better if any mistakes are made

[Chris Hawkins]

RAW for everything..always and forever :)

Yep.

[pr4photos]

if you are going to shoot a wedding in raw, make sure you have LOADS of memory card space!!!

[Alan W]

I remember a wedding tog told me once that he shot everything outside as jpegs and anything inside in RAW. I thought he was mad because I have always historically shot RAW for weddings. I mean, everyone tells you shoot RAW as the camera throws away loads of information when converting in camera. RAW is safe - jpegs are scary! Jpeg-phobia abounds.

I now understand where that guy was coming from and I now shoot RAW + large fine jpeg every time. My reason for this recent change was due to the amount of time it was taking to edit all the RAW files AND the fact that my camera is pretty damn good at editing the RAWs into jpegs itself (better than me most of the time I would say).

I find that if I set my camera on standard picture style (a Canon feature) and then I am very careful to nail the exposure and or flash settings I can then use around 75% of the jpegs straight off the camera with no editing other than an occasional quick auto contrast and a crop / straighten. Part of the reason for being able to do this is the sheer quality of the file from the camera (in this case a 5D). I second shot a wedding for Andy (Photo3) the other day and he will tell you that he was well impressed by the quality of the out of the camera jpegs which he was able to use 'as is' for a slideshow presented at the couples reception.

The 25% of files that I cant use straight off the camera I then put right in ACR. I would much rather edit 25% of the RAWs that 100%. Time wasted at the computer is time that could be better spent with my family, networking or promoting my business.

Editing is such a chore.

[Alan W]

if you are going to shoot a wedding in raw, make sure you have LOADS of memory card space!!!


Cards are dirt cheap these days so there is no reason not to have at least one 8Gb card

[tonymidd]

I'd shoot RAW but don't be lulled into a false sense of security. You still have to get the exposure right for the best results, a blown highlight can be recovered to a degree but it's never as good as not blowing it in the first place. If you've not used RAW before please, please, practice processing RAW files before you do the shoot and save the unprocessed files to a dvd before you do anything with them, this is good inexpensive insurance.
I'd say yes have a lot of memory but in the form of a lot of 2 or 4 gig cards, they are less likely to corrupt and if an 8 gig goes wonkey that's a lot of images and some cameras can't handle very large cards. Also changing the cards gives everyone a small break from the photography which relaxes them.

[tinysmall]

Completely agree with Tony here. Its much better to have a lot of small capacity cards than one or two big ones. A 2 gig card should still see you through around 120 raw files so i would rather take six or eight of these than two 8gig cards. Its always best to bank on the safe side. And you realy need to get used to shootin and converting raw images before doing it for a client. Once you've got it though, you will never look back.

[Alan W]

Sorry I disagree with all this 'using lots of small cards in case you lose a bit of the job'. If cards were really that unreliable we'd all be using 256mb cards like rolls of 10 exposure films. When some of the first very high speed 8Gb cards first came out there were some reports of them failing - a bit like the early 7200rpm hard drives. This has now been well addressed aIthough I have never gone for the realy fast cards as a matter of course.

The overwhelming number of cases of well known brand cards corrupting or failing are due to the cards being fakes. I have used Sandisk 4Gb Ultra II cards for ages with no problems. However, I found it a real pain when the card filled up right in the middle of doing a close series of shots which stuffed the whole flow of things. So I now use Sandisk 8Gb Ultra II cards and again no problems there.

The most important things are that you buy your cards from a reputable dealer such as picstop.com and that you take great care of them. And consider replacing them after every three years.

I have found having one camera, one lens, one card and no bag very liberating at a wedding (although I do now have a second body with a small prime lens over my shoulder)

[george.monaghan]

Hi,

I have heard the argument about media sizes since my very early days in PC's. 1GB hard drives were way out there when the consumer PC era really started. Many warned that at that size you would be goosed if it crashed and lost "all that data". 1GB - a joke figure these days.

Technology has moved on. I shoot with Lexar 300x UDMA 8GB cards and back up (.jpeg) on Sandisc SDHC Extremes (Class 6). You are just as likley to lose a card as lose the data on it. In fact I would go further and say that cards can have data recovered - lost cards are simply that - lost! You also lose the flow of the moment with - hold on till I change this card? Guaranteed this will eventully happen during a vital moment that requires continous cover. You can argue that you watch the "counters" as the card fills up but as a soldier who relied on a full magazine in battle - I did hear the "dead mans click" more than once as events had a habit of overtaking you.

To be fair I am a bit wary as the 5D only recently got a firmware update to accept larger capacity cards so stick to 8GB. 12GB or 16GB cards are not usable on all cameras yet so once that has been addressed then no doubt I will move up to those. Carrying two main cameras means I get well over a 1000 raw files without changing cards so that is usually enough to cover a wedding.

The main problem is that you will have to move to larger cards as more and more cameras up the MP size to create larger and larger files. The smallest cards I have now are my Lexar 2GB x133. They are in a carrying pouch but are never used and are basically redundant. I guarantee yours will be fairly soon, if shooting large events.

[Renee Marquis]

I've been shooting with Large Jpeg and not had a problem yet. I use a canon 5d and canon 1d III. Shooting raw scares me with the post processing time.

[lostmysnorkel]

I shoot 4GB and 2GB cards...typically, I'll use a 2gb card at the Bride's house. Change to a 4gb for the church, ceremony and groups afterwards regardless of how much space is left on the first card.

I carry spare cards in a hard plastic wallet in my trouser pocket and can change them out in about 5 or 6 secs, so no drama or broken flow. I just make sure that before starting to shoot an 'important bit' I have a fresh card in.

All cards are formatted the night before so I can slot 'em in and shoot straight away.

I HAVE had a card go wrong on me once. Fortunately, it was a 1gb card and only held the detail shots of the dress, the flowers, shoes, jewellry etc etc. An apologetic call to the Bride and a re-shoot was arranged within the week. (Much quicker, cheaper and easier than paying through the nose to a recovery company)

Since then, I have always been wary of having cards holding more than 250 or so RAW files.......

[BarryM]

im the same 2 gig card for getting ready shots, just bought a 4 gig card now for groom/bestman ceremony and formals cos the bigger file size of 40d, then 2 gig card does my end stuff, snogs on stairs cake speeches etc.

Same as Snorks, all cards formatted on cam night before, once used put in my pocket bag of cards and batteries, i also upload the getting ready shots to laptop on way to venue from brides house as i have allowed half an hour to do stuff like smoke myself to death, drink juice and eat marsbars....

[Alan W]

Getting back to the 'shoot RAW or jpeg debate' and why I personally shoot RAW + large fine jpeg. Here is a good example of a good jpeg straight off my camera with absolutely no sharpening or post processing of any kind. All I have done is made it smaller and much lower res for posting. I simply cannot make the image any better by editing the RAW file so why bother to try? Unfortunately not all come out like this (I wish they did) but I have the safety net of RAW to fall back on when they dont. Anyone just starting to do weddings should start out shooting RAW because you will need the safety net and you will also have to learn how to edit RAW files. As you progress you can then switch to RAW plus jpeg to see the difference between your edit and the cameras. As you start to understand more about how the camera works and become more skilled you will be able to use more and more of your jpegs and bin the RAWs.

[Alan W]

Another beauty of a jpeg - no pp or sharpening just cropped and resized for posting

[tonymidd]

Alan ...yes technology has moved on but any card can corrupt without warning so I'd rather loose 1, 2 or 4 gigs worth of images than 8 gig or more.
There are other reasons for using smaller cards mainly concerned with batch processing the RAW files especially when working under mixed lighting conditions.
As for a card filling in the middle of series surely the sensible thing to do is put a new card in for that series. This also helps with ACR processing for different lighting conditions. In the past I'd swop films before doing a set under different conditions so the ISO and/or processing could be modified if necessary; it's the same mind set. I feel my old habits, so long as they are good ones, are worth keeping for me. The way one was taught is virtually impossible to shake off. Problem today is too few togs, pro or other wise bother to get formal knowledge and training. Too many think they can buy a flashy expensive camera and whoope I'm a pro....it don't work and, fortunately for real pros, these types soon go to the wall.
We all work in different ways and so long as our clients are happy and pay and we are giving them the best we can.
As for the RAW+jpeg I'd always advise sticking with shooting RAW and if jpegs are required, for slide shows or the web, it's a click to get them. I do this after processing the RAW files to tiffs and then batch convert to jpegs. After all your main computer should have more power and give you more control than the CUP in the camera. It also means I control the quality and feel of my images rather than the camera, after all the camera can't read my mind and know what result I'm after. RAW only also uses less card space per shot than RAW+jpeg.

[dusktildawn]

CAT......I don't believe you've posted this :o) You know the difference between RAW and JPG Hon......RAW!....All the way :o) (Ask Craig)


Luv'N'stuff

Charley X

[morty]

I agree with Alan W 100% and I do exactly the same. Had a lovely sunny day on Saturday and did not need one of my RAW files but the week before when it was chucking down and dark I used about 20% of them.

[lostmysnorkel]

Getting back to the 'shoot RAW or jpeg debate' and why I personally shoot RAW + large fine jpeg. Here is a good example of a good jpeg straight off my camera with absolutely no sharpening or post processing of any kind.

Different strokes for different folks...I would have processed the Raw of this one, a little 'Recovery' and a touch of fill-light to lessen the blown highlights on Dad's head, and that annoying hotspot on her cheek and forehead.

The second image is a lovely example of a good jpeg, but still, I would run it through ACR as it looks kinda purple, and I would warm it up a little.

Probably wouldn't bother opening PS for either as both could be fixed quick and easy in ACR.

[Alan W]

I would run it through ACR as it looks kinda purple

The wallpaper was that colour - kinda metallic purple stuff so don't let your eyes be fooled. Look at the guy's skin tones and his white shirt.

All this colour stuff is a bit 'in the eyes of the beholder' but I know that his grandaughter (the bride) will love it and will treasureit, especially when the old boy has shuffled off his mortal coil.

[Alan W]

a little 'Recovery' and a touch of fill-light to lessen the blown highlights on Dad's head, and that annoying hotspot on her cheek and forehead

You must spend hours in front of your computer Snorks!