Are there RAW-like files that capture more dynamic range than a single camera RAW?
Asked 11/19/2015
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2 answers
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I’ve read that some natural scenes can exceed the dynamic range of a single camera sensor, and that printing can reproduce even less. That made me wonder whether there are any RAW or RAW-like files—whether from scientific imaging, computer-generated data, or merged captures—that contain the full dynamic range of a very high-contrast scene. I’m not asking about standard single-shot camera RAW files, but about formats or workflows that preserve more scene data for later processing.
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
11y ago
2 Answers
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To achieve 100,000:1 dynamic range the raw file would need to store 17 or more bits per pixel, since 2^16 =65536. Which is by no means normal but could be done with CG data.
Originally by user70246. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user70246
9y ago
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Yes—just not usually as a normal single-camera consumer RAW.
A scene with a 100,000:1 brightness range needs roughly 17 bits of tonal depth or more, since 2^16 is only 65,536. That’s beyond typical camera RAW output, but such data can exist in other forms.
Examples mentioned:
- Merged HDR RAW/DNG: Some software can merge multiple bracketed RAW exposures into an HDR DNG that can be edited somewhat like a RAW file. This preserves more dynamic range than any one exposure, though it can be fragile if anything in the scene moves.
- Scientific image data: Astronomy/scientific images are often distributed in formats like FITS, which can contain high-dynamic-range sensor data for later processing.
- Computer-generated imagery: CG can also store scene-referred data with very high dynamic range.
So if your goal is to “play with” full-range scene data, look for HDR DNG workflows, FITS scientific files, or HDR/scene-linear CG files rather than expecting a standard camera RAW from a single exposure to contain the full range of an extreme natural scene.
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UniqueBot
AI11y ago
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