Do we have any JPEG shooters?

[FowlersFreeTime]

Before you all get the torches and pitchforks for my blasphemy, hear me out:

I shoot RAW + JPEG almost all the time. I usually discard the JPEGs after I've used them to help me preview my photos, then edit the RAW files and export my own jpegs for social media or sharing with family (or this site). My friends and family roll their eyes when the "real" camera comes out because it takes me forever to deliver to them edited photos that I'm happy with.
So sometimes I just give them the jpegs straight out of camera at the end of the day. With the A6700 and the Creator's App, I see the convenience in downloading jpegs straight to my smartphone so I can message them to people on the fly. Sure, its only a 2mb version of the jpg from the camera, but that's all people really want when we're talking about sharing in group chats etc. If they like a photo and want to print it, I can work on it later.

Now that I've explained "why," here is the question: Do we have any Alpha Shooters who only do JPEG straight out of camera? Do you use the "Creative Look" menu settings to bake in additional contrast, saturation, sharpening or other?

 

[FowlersFreeTime]

• ILCE-6700
• E 17-70mm F2.8 B070
• 36.0 mm
• ƒ/4
• 1/160 sec
• ISO 4000

Here is one straight out of camera, downloaded through Creative App.
I have to check my other PC to see if I have an edited version, but I can already see I might want a wee bit more saturation and contrast.

 

[andrewluke]

can the A1 shoot raw?

 

[spudhead]

can the A1 shoot raw?

Strange question I pretty much think every camera Sony has made since dlsr have been able to shoot raw although I could be wrong

 

[FowlersFreeTime]

can the A1 shoot raw?

Strange question indeed... rhetorical question for a laugh?

 

[FowlersFreeTime]

Before you do anything, take more test images, preferably without a bright white background!

Yes indeed, I plan to take pics and change settings on the second "PT" profile so if I don't like it, I can either reset or just go back to "ST".

 

[Slug]

Yes and yes. Jpegs with in camera tweaks the majority of the time. From the A1 there is considerable latitude left for further processing should it be required.
I wonder at times why people pay a lot of money for cameras with a lot of very helpful features then only shoot RAW which disables all the smart stuff!
I use RAW as back up should I need to keep an extra copy of a ‘special’ shot or two.
over the time I’ve been taking digital I’ve always done comparisons with processing the raw file and processing the jpeg and as cameras have improved , the difference is negligible.

 

[Unframed Dave]

Yes.

It suits me, I'm not inclined to do more than I have to.

 

[Deleted Member 5045]

can the A1 shoot raw?

It should be in the menu. It's not easy to find but I'm pretty sure it's there...

 

[Thad E Ginathom]

I used to until fairly recently. Then, in darkroom, I found a free, Linux raw editor I could get on with, and I've been doing that.

I didn't do un-processed SOOC pics (except for pure snaps) but edited them in GIMP. Most of them required no more than tone-curve tweak, highlights/shadows, colour temperature and maybe colour balance. I could production-line a set of 50-100 pics fairly quickly. darktable takes me longer.

For the next few multi-daily-concert local-music-festival weeks I'm going to give out sooc jpegs. just a handful for each concert. People want something for Instagram and facebook, and they want to post pictures of the now not the three weeks ago. Not that I'm managing to do even that same-day yet!

 

[andrewluke]

It should be in the menu. It's not easy to find but I'm pretty sure it's there...

sorry lads but only kidding but i am only a beginner to photography, i shoot raw and JPEG ,i look through the JPEGs to see if anything worth keeping but end up keeping loads of Raw just in case

 

[Jeff A]

I shoot both but never show the jpegs. I just like to preview the photos I shoot. I know that I can make them look better with an edited Raw, even though my Sony makes a damn nice looking image. Also, I find that I frequently modify my composition using the crop. Also, I enjoy the edits because I get a sense of accomplishment from doing the edit. I do enjoy the editing process but I have a couple of times lost my edits and as much as I enjoy the process, I dislike doing it twice

 

[Tachikaze]

Before you all get the torches and pitchforks for my blasphemy, hear me out:

I shoot RAW + JPEG almost all the time. I usually discard the JPEGs after I've used them to help me preview my photos, then edit the RAW files and export my own jpegs for social media or sharing with family (or this site). My friends and family roll their eyes when the "real" camera comes out because it takes me forever to deliver to them edited photos that I'm happy with.
So sometimes I just give them the jpegs straight out of camera at the end of the day. With the A6700 and the Creator's App, I see the convenience in downloading jpegs straight to my smartphone so I can message them to people on the fly. Sure, its only a 2mb version of the jpg from the camera, but that's all people really want when we're talking about sharing in group chats etc. If they like a photo and want to print it, I can work on it later.

Now that I've explained "why," here is the question: Do we have any Alpha Shooters who only do JPEG straight out of camera? Do you use the "Creative Look" menu settings to bake in additional contrast, saturation, sharpening or other?

I do pretty much what you do, JPEG+RAW. The A7II spits out damn good JPEGs but for anything "serious" I keep the raw as well. For casual social snapshots I only use the iPhone anyway as the Sony can make people apprehensive, so I only use it when I am working alone.

What the heck is Creator's App? Sony stuff? I avoid their software since they tend to make terrible Mac software and they don't maintain it for very long anyway.

 

[FowlersFreeTime]

I do pretty much what you do, JPEG+RAW. The A7II spits out damn good JPEGs but for anything "serious" I keep the raw as well. For casual social snapshots I only use the iPhone anyway as the Sony can make people apprehensive, so I only use it when I am working alone.

What the heck is Creator's App? Sony stuff? I avoid their software since they tend to make terrible Mac software and they don't maintain it for very long anyway.

The Creator App is their newest smartphone companion app for recent cameras. The a6700 initial setup pushes this app very heavily, so whether I wanted it or not I got a taste of using it.

 

[Tachikaze]

Probably wouldn't work with my A7II anyway. Not a BFD.

 

[AlphaWorld]

Before you all get the torches and pitchforks for my blasphemy, hear me out:

I shoot RAW + JPEG almost all the time. I usually discard the JPEGs after I've used them to help me preview my photos, then edit the RAW files and export my own jpegs for social media or sharing with family (or this site). My friends and family roll their eyes when the "real" camera comes out because it takes me forever to deliver to them edited photos that I'm happy with.
So sometimes I just give them the jpegs straight out of camera at the end of the day. With the A6700 and the Creator's App, I see the convenience in downloading jpegs straight to my smartphone so I can message them to people on the fly. Sure, its only a 2mb version of the jpg from the camera, but that's all people really want when we're talking about sharing in group chats etc. If they like a photo and want to print it, I can work on it later.

Now that I've explained "why," here is the question: Do we have any Alpha Shooters who only do JPEG straight out of camera? Do you use the "Creative Look" menu settings to bake in additional contrast, saturation, sharpening or other?

I turned on JPEG (not even JPEG+RAW) to photograph some receipts for a cash-back claim.

I forgot to turn it back afterwards, and shot a few hundred JPEGs (fortunately just a trip to the zoo).

Turned it back to lossless compressed Large RAW. I'd glue the setting down, but that doesn't appear to be an option in the menus! I'd settle for being able to mark certain settings with a "Are you sure?" question - I'd like to be asked if I really meant to change a few settings.

Apart from that experience, no, I do not normally shoot JPEG. Oh, one big exception: I have to admit to shooting RAW+JPEG in the early days of each new camera while I'm waiting for RAW support for the new camera. Grateful that the period is getting shorter recently.

 

[alexpler]

I always shoot jpeg xfine. It can be unforgiving but that's a learning tool as well. Knowing that you won't be able to save a shoot afterwards.

Before having my A7C I shoot raw with my phone but editing those files was time consuming and they take a lot space as well.

When I got the camera I opted for saving time and doing quicker edits.

 

[Thad E Ginathom]

sorry lads but only kidding but i am only a beginner to photography, i shoot raw and JPEG ,i look through the JPEGs to see if anything worth keeping but end up keeping loads of Raw just in case

This is an easy mistake to make. I ended up with a heap of raws for stuff where I was quite happy with my tweaked jpegs. If you have finalised on the jpegs, unless something is of archive-level historical importance to you, delete the raws. You're getting more every day if you just want something to learn/play with

I'm now doing the opposite. Working from raw and then keeping two sets of jpeg. One day I must delete the heap of camera jpegs which have been superceded by the raw-based jpegs.

I shoot both but never show the jpegs. I just like to preview the photos I shoot. I know that I can make them look better with an edited Raw, even though my Sony makes a damn nice looking image. Also, I find that I frequently modify my composition using the crop. Also, I enjoy the edits because I get a sense of accomplishment from doing the edit. I do enjoy the editing process but I have a couple of times lost my edits and as much as I enjoy the process, I dislike doing it twice

You might be surprised by how much you can edit jpegs. Even crops. On the other hand, you may have already tried and found it doesn't suit. I don't doubt that raw gives the best flexibility.
I even change colour temperature in jpeg. But it is not as neat and tidy as raw. Change the colour temperature in GIMP, then make some exposure changes, the temperature gets messed up again.

I read recently, "jpegs have come a long way from the days when simply opening the pic, doing a simple edit, and saving again could result in a pixelated mess." And I remembered. And agreed.

I don't think destructive editing is ideal, and I don't advocate it but I have done multiple jpeg edits and not at all spoilt the pic. Mind you, the author did suggest keeping an original-ooc copy if one wants to do that.

I do pretty much what you do, JPEG+RAW. The A7II spits out damn good JPEGs but for anything "serious" I keep the raw as well. For casual social snapshots I only use the iPhone anyway as the Sony can make people apprehensive, so I only use it when I am working alone.

What the heck is Creator's App? Sony stuff? I avoid their software since they tend to make terrible Mac software and they don't maintain it for very long anyway.

Cr'App is Sony's new Imaging Edge. I'm getting on with it better now, but this whole idea of having a new app for new cameras, old app for older cameras, neither compatible, is all part of the cr*p.

If you don't know what it is, you probably don't need it. Lucky man! But if you ever want to transfer pics to your phone from the latest cameras, you do. Good Luck.

Alternatively you can use the ftp stuff. I did make it work on my Android: looks like it's easier on iPhone.

The Creator App is their newest smartphone companion app for recent cameras. The a6700 initial setup pushes this app very heavily, so whether I wanted it or not I got a taste of using it.

There's a whole cloud storage thing attached, which may or may not, be useful: it isn't even available in my country.

Probably wouldn't work with my A7II anyway. Not a BFD.

No, and like I said, Lucky Man!


Where were we? Ahhh yes, Jpegs! ... One last thing:


I really, really really wish the rest of the world (non-iPhone) would wake up to HEIF. Better pics, half the size.

If it did, I'd just move on from jpeg completely. My Linux system is now pretty much fine for viewing, editing, etc, them. But I still need jpegs for others.

(And for myself, if it is go to my not-apple phone)
(The only Apple thing I deeply regret not buying is stock. Especially as I disagreed with those around me when they were saying, "they won't last long, tiny %age of the pc trade for a niche market)

 

[Tachikaze]

Alternatively you can use the ftp stuff. I did make it work on my Android: looks like it's easier on iPhone.

Could you elaborate on this? How do I do it? I imagine there is an app involved?

 

[Thad E Ginathom]

Could you elaborate on this [ftp]?

As a one-time Unix systems administrator, who certainly made at least basic use of ftp, on the command line, I'm ashamed to say that I can't! So much forgotten in twenty years . Use it or loose it!

I followed some youtube videos. A simple android ftp server does the trick (called 'wifi ftp server) but you need to have your camera and phone connected to the same "router." That's easy, at home, etc, as they probably are already. Out in the field you need another device --- which I did by using my tablet as a hotspot and connecting camera and phone to that. Apparently iPhone folk can do it with just the phone. I made it work a couple of experimental times. I did not make it work with my Linux machine running an ftp server, due to not yet having understood the security requirements.

I don't know where in the alpha model chain ftp support began. Is it quite recent? My a7iv has it.

 

[Tachikaze]

As a one-time Unix systems administrator, who certainly made at least basic use of ftp, on the command line, I'm ashamed to say that I can't! So much forgotten in twenty years . Use it or loose it!

I followed some youtube videos. A simple android ftp server does the trick (called 'wifi ftp server) but you need to have your camera and phone connected to the same "router." That's easy, at home, etc, as they probably are already. Out in the field you need another device --- which I did by using my tablet as a hotspot and connecting camera and phone to that. Apparently iPhone folk can do it with just the phone. I made it work a couple of experimental times. I did not make it work with my Linux machine running an ftp server, due to not yet having understood the security requirements.

I don't know where in the alpha model chain ftp support began. Is it quite recent? My a7iv has it.

I appreciate this. I used to use FTP all the time when I was in the magazine biz but have had no need for it in twenty years. I don’t really need FTP but it would be fun to experiment with. I use an A7II, an iPhone, an iPad, and a Mac of course. Anybody else have experience with is this?

 

[pointreyes]

I use b&w jpeg profile + raw for my infrared converted cameras. Helps me compose the shot without the distraction of a properly white balanced IR false color view in the view finder.

 

[Tachikaze]

It works within Windows…

Ya lost me at windows, as I live in a windows-free house — we literally have no windows.

 

[Slug]

You guys shooting jpeg and RAW just to be able to preview, take a minute and check out Faststone image viewer. It's an excellent tool for viewing in any format. It can do DAM and even processing if you want, and will export directly to many processing programs. I used to take days to go through and cull images after a day out, Faststone lets me review and cull over 1000 images in about an hour. It works within Windows, no new folders to create. It also decodes Heic/Heif for those of you who have that feature in your cameras, or apple iPhone shooters.

I stopped shooting RAW/jpeg to save space and upload time. Faststone makes it pretty much irrelevant.

Only drawback is its Windows only, I believe.

The best part is it's totally free.

FastStone Image Viewer - Powerful and Intuitive Photo Viewer, Editor and Batch Converter

Agree I have that on my laptop.

 

[Unframed Dave]

I always shoot jpeg xfine. It can be unforgiving but that's a learning tool as well. Knowing that you won't be able to save a shoot afterwards.

Before having my A7C I shoot raw with my phone but editing those files was time consuming and they take a lot space as well.

When I got the camera I opted for saving time and doing quicker edits.

I love vinyl.

 

[Unframed Dave]

Wrong thread?

Yup. Will have to look into that.

 

[Thad E Ginathom]

I love vinyl.

Wrong thread?

It depends what he does with it.

 

[Ralph]

I shot only Jpeg and one reason is that I fan;t find a program that I can understand on the conversion from the RAW to be read on my laptop.'Yes I am slow and I honestly mean this as some cost we over a right price and on other thing is I am not selling my photo's. But in this I am yet to look at 2 images and say this is RAW and it is Jpeg. So on this I just don't see the point in spending money to get a program that I can see no difference to a shot.
People make a big deal of what you out put in and I say especially with older eye just can;t see the need to swap over. I never started in this to sell my shots.
If you can see the difference and actually see it then I say to you well done. I don't, and so I will stay with the Jpeg for that reason of being unable to tell the difference between the 2 formats..
This is my view on this and one other thing is I have seen bad and good shot in both but couldn't tell you which..
So it is Jpeg for me.

 

[Thad E Ginathom]

It's not only jpeg for me, at least for the next couple of weeks, it's pics sent out by Whatsapp!

Yesterday someone asked me for a "high-resolution" copy of one pic. I sent the camera jpeg itself (and it's only 'Fine' not 'Extra-Fine.') but thought I'd edit the raw to compare. I could have taken further in my style, where I have darker backrounds, deeper shadows, but it soon looked much the same as the jpeg. So I added a little colour, and, really, it's hard to tell!

I don't want to forget what I've learnt about using darktable (it's free, @Aussie ) though: I must keep it up.

 

[iamdlewis]

Do you use the "Creative Look" menu settings to bake in additional contrast, saturation, sharpening or other?

Sometimes when I am board waiting for the sky to do something for a sunset.