Shooting in RAW.

M

Mai

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Mai
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Heya guys,

i love takeing pictures, but on the technical side it baffles me! :|

Im quite interested in shooting in RAW, but dont really have a clue what it 'should' be used for.
Any help would be great.

also, im looking into gettting a tripod, please could you recommend me one :)


Thanks Guys.
xxx
 
RAW in basic terms is the digital negative of the shot you are taking. A JPG is a processed version from the RAW file. By shooting in RAW you are giving yourself more scope to save those shots that 'nearly were' and more flexibility when it comes to processing. One of the mods wrote a tutorial a while back which I am sure is in the tutorials section on here...
 
As far as tripods go... what do you want it for? What are you putting on it and what is your budget? Are you going to have to carry it far?
 
Hi, Mai! :wave:

Generally, RAW is used for non-creative modes (i.e. those other than auto and the settings you have such as landscape, people, etc - the ones with the pictures to show what you will be doing). Those creative settings tend to shoot jpeg only, so you first need to know what mode you are shooting in to work out whether or not RAW is best (or possible) for you.

If you are not shooting in those modes, I think that using RAW for all pics (or RAW plus jpeg) is the best way to go as it allows so much more in terms of processing when you use Photoshop or whatever editing software you have.

When I had my P&S I always used the creative functions on my camera but my OH forced me (the s*d!! :D) to never use those on my DSLR - the nearest equivalent, really, is 'P' (I use Canon) which tends to be close to Auto but allows certain changes for shots.

I am not quite sure how non-technical or how new to photography you are, so apologies if I sound patronising in any way. The thing is, I think there is a direct correlation between technical ability (and not just the ability to take a good shot, but the ability to work with the software etc available to you) and the ability to take a good 'in-camera-assisted' photograph. If it were not for the encouragement I get from Mark, I would probably still use jpeg pretty much 100% of the time and be happy with the results.
 
Thanks Sam :)
I often shoot in 'S' aswell for long exposure shots. I shoot in macro alot aswell.

as far as tripod, i do walk most places when i go out with my camera. So something light would be best i guess. x
 
If you output straight to JPEG, that is just post-processing the Raw file in-camera. But because it is done the instant the image is recorded, it is effectively pre-processing in that you have to set all the image parameters (Picture Styles etc) before hand.

Plus of course there is much more control available with a full post processing programme, but that is only of benefit if you want to do something that cannot be done with the basic camera adjustments. In addition, there is also quite a lot (more) post processing that you can do the the JPEG output.

A travel tripod can cost anything from £100 to £1000. For £100 the Redsnapper 283 with RSH-12 ball head is unbeatable value, though there are certainly better/more rigid/lighter tripods about. A good quality tripod and head really costs £200-plus.
 
You might want to look at the Novaflex telescopic walking poles. Basically they are walking poles with a 1/4" thread on the top. They are Walking poles that double as a monopod. maybe not so versatile as a tripod but a lot easier to carry
 
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