Shotster
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DrPablo wrote:
What you need for an HDR is a lot of exposure information.
That depends on what you mean by "exposure information". The problem is in thinking that EV is the only thing that matters. You also need as much pixel information (bit depth) as possible if you want the most and finest control over the end result. And if you shoot JPEG, the camera has already modified and discarded much of the pixel data.
DrPablo wrote:
If you plug in 8 JPEGs, all exposed 2 stops apart, you'll have an overabundance of exposure information for an HDR file.
First of all, JPEGs are only 8-bits per channel (24-bit). You've therefore tossed a ton of data out the window even before merging the images and thus before any creative adjustments. Secondly (assuming these are JPEGs directly from the camera, as I can't imagine why someone would shoot raw, convert to JPEG and then to HDR), you're relying on the camera to process the raw data to create the images which you then process (merge) to create another image which you then process (creative adjustments) to create your final image. You simply cannot get results that are as good as they can be by starting out with less information. I'm not saying the result won't be acceptable or appealing to you or others, but you won't have the creative latitude you would have by capturing raw. Plus, 2 EV is sometimes too much of a jump in exposures between frames to yield the best HDR result in my experience. And of course, whether the final image is acceptable depends on a number of factors, not the least of which are the nature of the image and its intended purpose. If the image is intended to convey a lot of sharp detail and subtle tonal variation and will be output as a high quality fine art print, then using JPEGs will simply give less than optimal results. If all you do is share images at Web resolution through a Flickr account, then you might get by with JPEG.
Being the penny pincher I am, I often make tea with several used tea bags, but it's never quite as good as a cup made from a fresh bag. ;-)
DrPablo wrote:
The only reason I can imagine truly needing RAW for HDR is if your shadow and highlight details have a different color cast.
White balance is but one of the things over which you relinquish full control if you shoot JPEG. And of course, as you indicate, white balance can be set post-capture. Rarely do I concern myself with the white balance setting on my camera. I instead leave it at "auto" and season to taste during raw conversion.
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