RAW vs. Jpeg

[Mike in Cincy]

I've always shot JPEG and i'm looking for a more serious camera. One of them is the Oly EP5 but was told that it does not have in-camera RAW processing. Hate to sound stupid, but does this mean I simply can't view the file has been processed through RAW software?

also, is Lightroom considered a RAW processor?

 

[seabee1999]

For a fuller explanation of RAW and JPEG, I'd suggest do a Wikipedia search of the 2. However, I can say this, I shoot RAW files all the time because it is just information created by the camera and I can manipulate that information later in prost processing to achieve a desired effect without losing information or creating artifacts. Each RAW file is proprietary to the camera manufacturer. RAW processors like Adobe Camera RAW or Nikon Capture NX will process this digital information to create an image. If the camera you are looking at shoots RAW files and process them in camera that seems to be cool to me. With that being said though, I'd prefer to process RAW files on a computer rather than in camera. I feel I have more control. To answer your second question, Adobe Lightroom has a RAW processor with the program. It is Adobe Camera RAW, the same processor as Photoshop. Where Photoshop and Lightroom differ is that Lightroom is an image management system where as Photoshop is solely meant to process images. I hope this helps.

God Bless,
David

 

[Blooze]

I shoot only RAW on my Nikons. Many times, though, if I'm wanting a baseline for editing the RAW files later on I'll shoot RAW+jpeg and go off the jpeg. ViewNX and CaptureNX will actually let you apply the camera jpeg settings to the RAW file I believe. Most DSLR's give you a display of the capture with the jpeg settings.

 

[Bossies]

Mike,

I could launch into a big attempted explanation of what's what, but my suggestion is this - go to DPReview's website and read the review about the Olympus PEN E-P5 which is here: http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/olympus-pen-e-p5/

From the bit I read, you will be able to instantly review the images you capture using the camera on the camera's display. It can output RAW and JPEG image files. It also has many settings for how it processes the RAW files in-camera.

It may be a better choice to opt for the RAW+JPEG shooting mode so you have the JPEG immediately, and if you want to give it further attention or more specific processing, then you can use the original RAW file.

HTH

EDIT: I forgot to answer your other question - Yes, Lightroom is a RAW processor, but it doesn't ONLY accept RAW files, it can accept JPEG files and others as well. RAW (proprietary), DNG, JPEG, TIFF, PNG, and so on.

 

[Legion]

Lightroom will be a raw processor, providing the program has the necessary updates to know what the raw file your camera uses is.

Myself, I've been shooting a raw + Jpeg for a while now. Think of the raw as the negative with all the info, and the jpeg as the print.

The reason I like to shoot both is the jpeg shows me in live view, and in the preview, the image as it is with any effects or adjustments I might have applied. I shoot a lot of B&W, but there are a lot of other things you may choose to do. So I get that, plus I get a raw image, which has all the info captured, without all the frills, and I can use that later to create or do whatever in post production. Win win, as long as you have sufficient memory.

You do not need in camera raw processing if you work like that (IMO).

 

[dcc]

Jpeg is like mp3,just sucks

 

[whosaidpigeon]

Everything you need to know has been said so I don't have much to add.

I will say that I shoot 90% in JPEG. Most of my shots will just be for personal viewing and I don't have the patience to process each and every shot I take. The camera does a fairly decent JPEG conversion and I'm happy with that.

If I'm shooting a specific project then I'll use raw+jpeg and work on the raw shots I want to present, leaving the rest as in-camera jpegs.