RAW Vs JPEG – Three reasons to shoot JPEG

The RAW versus JPEG controversy has been going on since the dawn of digital photography. Most professional photographers and advanced hobbyists prefer to shoot RAW, because the RAW format offers some real benefits that JPEG simply can’t match. However, there are times when JPEG may be the best option.

Continuous advance: JPEG is faster

JPEG’s real strength is action photography; when you need or want to shoot a continuous sequence. On most dSLR cameras, shooting JPEG allows you to capture more frames per second (fps) and often allows more images to be recorded in a burst. Of course, camera manufacturers continue to push the boundaries in dSLR design, so the JPEG capture rate advantage could one day come to an end. However, for the foreseeable future, this area where JPEG shines

Immediate use requires JPEG

Another time to choose JPEG is when you want to use your images right away. You may need images for the web or a Powerpoint platform. If you shoot JPEGs, you can skip post processing and grab the JPEGs directly from your memory card. Also, more and more photographers are beginning to offer “instant printing” at events and functions. They transport one of the new dye-sublimation printers and hand out instant promotional prints that were captured during the adventure. It’s a great way to get your name and contact information in front of a crowd. You don’t need to drag around a laptop, as these little printers can print directly from a memory card, no computer required. However, these printers cannot process RAW images, so you have to feed them JPEG files.

While these quick response situations might seem like a good reason to shoot JPEGs, keep in mind that many DSLRs offer a RAW plus JEPG setting. In this scenario, you can use the JPEG files for an instant response, then process and create images from the RAW files when you have more time. So you have the best of both worlds, JPEG files for instant printing; and RAW files that you can use to create superior photos when time permits.

Hard drive up? JPEG test

A third area where JPEG images currently have an advantage over RAW is file size. Typical JPEG files are much smaller than RAW images, resulting in faster burn speeds and reduced hard drive storage. Therefore, you can usually store more JPEG files on a given memory card or hard drive. This may be a consideration for some, but as the price of storage continues to drop, you have to wonder if it’s really worth the trade-in.

In most digital photography situations, shooting RAW will produce superior images. However, as we have seen, there are still times when JPEG captures offer significant advantages.