The value of raw

Shortly after I purchased my first DSLR I began shooting in raw and jpeg.  Jpeg is probably the most common format for images.  Raw is as we saw earlier on the course the image as it is captured without the in-camera processing.

Main reasons for shooting in raw:

1. Modern sensors operate at a higher bit-depth from the JPEG and TIFF formats that are saved, they have the potential to capture a wider range of brightness.  This range may vary from one to two stops. 
2. The original camera settings like white balance and contrast are saved and kept separate from the original capture data.  With JPEGs and TIFFs the camera processor applies the settings you have chosen and removed the other possibilities.  A raw file lets you go back and select any setting you like afterwards on the computer.  

The shooting options for my camera are as follows:

NEF (raw)

TIFF (RGB)

JPEG fine

JPEG normal

JPEG basic

NEF + JPEG fine

NEF + JPEG normal

NEF + JPEG basic