EX1 - Question

Brian,

As you know I prefer to use RAW myself. Perhaps the basic reason for this is simply that I want a camera to be only a picture TAKING machine whilst I prefer to do the picture MAKING outside of the camera. This is just a preference without any moral imperative embedded in it demanding that other blokes do as I do.

I believe you are interested in getting the camera to do both the taking and the making of the picture, which (given that digital cameras do have many picture making facilties that film cameras did not) is also a perfectly reasonable choice.

The advantages of using RAW then developing outside the camera are all familiar so no need to list them again here. However, I'm not sure that the advantages of getting the camera to do the development (jpegs) have ever been comprehensively listed. Perhaps you might care to do so?

I know you believe RAW development in a computer takes more time - and it does unless one has the automated facilities of Adobe Camera RAW or similar. Most RAW development programs seem to have some automation but still demand a lot of individual tweaking per image. (Other RAW program users will no doubt correct me if I'm wrong).

What is undeniable is that RAW development takes quite a bit of spending, if one wants the sophistication of the aforementioned Adobe Camera RAW. PS or Lightroom ain't cheap! And they tend to prefer a more-than-minimum spec PC, also expensive.

So I can understand how a camera-developed jpeg is an attractive option: a challenge to get the camera to do its best; less expensive than high quality development software/hardware; perhaps less time-consuming. One comment I would like to make, though, is that the camera-development (jpeg) engine in something like the EX1 is likely to be much less capable than that of an upmarket DSLR or similar.....

But I suppose that just makes it a more interesting challenge to get the best out the EX1 jpeg engine.

Myself, though, I'll stick to RAW as I rather enjoy exploring Photoshop & ACR. And I am a self-confessed pixel-peeper addicted to his geet big monitor, which is hard on them camera jpegs.

SirLataxe, always anxious not to confuse matters of taste with some list entitled "The Best and Only Way to......"