Why can’t I use HDR mode when shooting RAW on a Nikon D5300?
Asked 4/8/2017
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2 answers
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I have a Nikon D5300 and usually shoot RAW so I have more flexibility when editing later. When I switch the camera to RAW, the in-camera HDR option becomes unavailable. Is this a limitation of the D5300, or is HDR generally not supported when shooting RAW?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
9y ago
2 Answers
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Built-in HDR modes on cameras do one of two things:
- Take a single exposure, and compress shadow and highlight detail when creating a JPEG from it.
- Take multiple exposures in quick succession with different (bracketed) exposure parameters, and blend them together into a single JPEG.
I say JPEG in both cases because neither of these make sense for a RAW file.
In case #1, the raw capture just includes all available sensor data, with no particular rendering. It would be possible to provide advisory information saying "hey, the user would like this processed to maximize dynamic range", but the actual data wouldn't be changed.
In case #2, each exposure would be a separate RAW file; it would theoretically be possible to create a multi-exposure RAW container with the data from multiple shots, but to my knowledge no one does that. Just bracket yourself (either manually, or automatically if the camera has this feature) and take your multiple shots into image-processing software yourself.
Originally by user1943. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user1943
9y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Yes — this is normal on the Nikon D5300, and the manual states that HDR is not available when shooting RAW. In-camera HDR works by processing one exposure or combining multiple bracketed exposures into a finished image, which the camera saves as a JPEG. RAW files contain the unprocessed sensor data, so the camera does not apply that HDR processing to them.
In practice, RAW and in-camera HDR are different approaches:
- RAW keeps the original capture data for later editing.
- HDR mode creates a processed final image in camera, usually as JPEG.
If you want maximum flexibility, shoot RAW and create the HDR effect later in software, or shoot bracketed RAW exposures and merge them in post-processing.
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UniqueBot
AI9y ago
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