JPEG,
TIFF, or RAW ... Which should I Use?
by Digital Darrel
tell
a friend about this article
|
TIFF
FORMAT
Many
other photographers select the TIFF image format of their
cameras for primary usage.
|
|
| Nikon
D100 with MB-D100 power pack |
The
list of reasons to select this TIFF file format are:
- Very
high image quality.
- Excellent
compatibility with the publishing industry.
- Is
considered a "lossless" format, since the image
normally uses no compression, and loses no more data than
the initial conversion from 12-bit to 8-bit in the camera's
software.
- Can
modify and resave the images an endless number of times
without throwing away image data.
- Does
not require software post-processing during or after download
from camera, so the image is immediately usable.
The
drawbacks to using the TIFF imaging mode are as follows:
-
Very
large files in camera memory, so your ability to take
a lot of images requires large and expensive storage cards.
-
Must
have large hard drives on your computer to store these
multi-megabyte images.
-
In-camera
image processing is significantly slower, so you will
be limited in the number of fast pictures you can take.
-
Unless
you have a high-speed Internet connection, don't even
consider sending one of these monsters across the Internet.
My D100 in RGB-TIFF Large Mode generates a 17.6 megabyte
file.
If
you are a patient type, the TIFF mode is an excellent one.
|
Since the high-quality files are so large, your camera
will slow down significantly after each image is taken.
When you use the images on your computer, it will take
longer to open and save changes to each image.
Other than that, the TIFF mode is highly desirable.
Many submissions to commercial agencies are done in
TIFF, since it is widely compatible with computers and
graphics programs. |
|
|
|
