drewmey
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 p.2 #17 · Do you usually record Fujifilm x-trans jpg or raw files? | |
gdanmitchell wrote:
I think that the notion that using limiting equipment (or, in this case, file formats) makes you a better photographer does to stand up to careful consideration. I hear the concept repeated for all sorts of things — using film, choosing primes over zooms, you name it.
In fact, whatever thought process you bring to work done in jpg mode can be brought to work done in raw mode. If anything, I'd argue that using the more capable format requires more thought, not less, since you have a greater range of possibilities to pick from when it comes to considering the potential of the scene data once you get to post production, where you'll have (when it matters) even more control over the nature of the final image.
I stopped shooting jpg (except on my phone) years ago, so I can't give you an example from my own work there, but I can when it comes to another of the nostrums we so often read, namely that shooting with primes makes you a better photographer because "you have to zoom with your feet" and you "can't just stand there and zoom" and so on.
I use both primes and zooms depending upon the subject and shooting circumstances, In fact, if you watched me doing my typical photography with primes, you would likely note that much of it is done quickly and with less apparent thought. On the other hand, if you watched me photograph with zooms you would see that it typically requires more thought and care and takes me longer... because there are more factors to consider when working out a composition.
I argue that the same is try with raw. With jpg there may be a rather limited range of exposure options, marked by the range between the darkest and lightest luminosities that the files can handle. But with raw I might choose to "underexpose" (or not) to protect highlights with a plan to later work the file to recover shadows, for example. In fact, given that the term "previsualization" normally refers to an approach that anticipates how the file will be worked in post and then how it will appear as a print, working with the file format that has greater potential for such work in post request greater previsualization, not less.
Dan...Show more →
I pretty much agree with all this, as far as RAW being superior and requiring you to think more. And giving you more options to think about while shooting. But I would say that focusing on the jpeg file that is shown in your viewfinder (WYSISWG) can drastically change my thought process and what I shoot. Because I see an actual image off the sensor, I know I react a little differently than I was with my ovf.
Even if you never actually USE the jpeg file as suggested in this video, seeing it changes things for me. I may not base exposure solely on it (as I know I can push the highlights and especially shadows further in raw). But I sometimes frame differently. I may see colors or shadows differently. Or I even may choose a different aperture if I notice something distracting in the background. With an OVF that distraction may not show up as clearly. If I see in velvia or acros, those distractions may deminish or stand out. Seeing the corrected distortion in jpeg may cause me to orient my framing slightly differently, etc.
Therefore, I would also say that changing jpeg settings in camera while shooting (film simulation, shadows, highlights, white balance) can cause me to make different decisions.
Maybe that is not true previsualization, but I see some merit in that idea and thought process. This also may be off topic from your original poll intent but it is somewhat related. I'm saying maybe consider jpeg, even if you never use them.
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