Part two is here
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I only shoot RAW and it’s not so much for the quality but for the convenience as well. This is why I prefer Lossless Compressed RAW for most of my photography.
But even so, it’s nice to know that I have the choice to shoot a landscape or some other critical image in uncompressed 14-bit for a theoretical maximum capture of tones giving me more leeway in post processing. And I say this even though I know that I cant see any difference between 12-bit and 14-bit in the final print.
Obviously if you go pixel peeping the extra 2 bits offer some extra info both in the highlights and in the shadows but I honestly think that 12-bit Compressed or Lossless Compressed is the way to go.
If you think the extra info is of use to you, then go ahead and select 14 bits. But take note, that the 14 bit option will slow down the D300 to 2.5fps, add a longer shutter lag and of course add more processing time!
4 comments:
The most compelling reason I know of for choosing 14 bit right now is this: we have no idea what software will be capable of in 5-10 years or more. You might really regret not taking that once-in-a-lifetime-lightning-striking-a-gazelle-just-as-the-lioness-is-about-to-land-on-its-back photo ub 14 bit because of some future software capability.
OneEighteen, I do not see any compelling reason to use 14 bit right now. I am sure I will regret a lot of the pictures I am taking now in the future, but it is a matter of best using the currently available and affordable hardware and software. Once I have a camera that shoots 14 bit as fast as 12 bit, and once I have harddisk space enough for the size not to matter, I will certainly go 14 bit. Not before.
In 14 bit, you'll miss that "once-in-a-lifetime-lightning-striking-a-gazelle-just-as-the-lioness-is-about-to-land-on-its-back" because of the bad fps ;)
Pixel is right. I want more dynamic range but also more FPS. Tough choice between 12bit and 14bit. As a side note, I don't know how Canon did with my 40D, because it shoots 14bits and it's 6.5 FPS. But Canon's dynamic range is not so good anyway...
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