I need to dig into all of these words more carefully at some point, but I think that where you are all heading is that the underlying raw data in the raw file is not changed by the various DR settings.
The settings are about the post-capture application of various programmed interpretations of the underlying raw data. (The fact that you see different things depending on the raw processor supports this idea.)
This also suggests that, for those of us who shoot raw mode exclusively, the DR settings are, at best, a convenience that might allow us to start our post-processing of the raw file with the app’s pre-set interpretation of the data that is designed to mimic what the camera dues automatically (and permanently!) to in-camera raw files.
Further, you could get essentially the same result by exposing to protect the highlights and then lifting the dark tones in post.
Mar 05, 2026 at 10:47 AM
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