Is image quality different between in-camera JPEG and a JPEG converted from Nikon NEF RAW?
Asked 5/17/2012
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I don’t plan to do much post-processing, and I want to keep the most detail possible for things like cropping later. Is there any real quality difference between shooting JPEG in-camera and shooting Nikon NEF (RAW) and converting it later to JPEG with software such as ViewNX or Picasa? I’m mainly asking about image quality and retained detail, not file size.
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
14y ago
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If you aren't interested in post-processing, then an in-camera jpeg will have the same resolution as a RAW image and the amount of detail in the image should be roughly the same. There is more flexibility in the RAW format in terms of post-processing and color corrections.
As an example, here is Digital Photography Review's review of the Nikon D800 showing the difference between high-quality jpeg and RAW -- http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikon-d800-d800e/22
Originally by user2228. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user2228
14y ago
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For final JPEG output, the resolution is generally the same either way, and the visible detail can be very similar if both are high-quality conversions. A JPEG is still a lossy format whether it is created in-camera or from RAW later.
The main difference is not JPEG resolution but how much image information you keep before conversion. NEF/RAW preserves more original data, giving you more flexibility later for white balance, exposure, color, and recovering detail. In-camera JPEG throws away some of that information when the camera processes and compresses the file.
So if you truly want the most data available for future cropping or adjustment, NEF is the better choice. If you only care about a finished JPEG and do not want to edit, in-camera JPEG may be sufficient, though different converters can produce slightly different results.
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