8 replies to this topic

[smlobx]

I have just started downloading the almost 2000 pictures I took on our trip to Alaska this summer and as you would imaging one or two of them actually came out pretty good (if I do say so myself!) but they can’t really be blown up too much.

 

I’m using the Nikon D500 which is a 21.5 megapixel camera but most of my pictures came out in the 6 megapixel range. My ISO was set at 200 and shooting JPEG in a “fine” setting. 
 

I have heard that using a TIFF setting and reducing my ISO to 50 will improve the quality (I shoot mostly daylight pictures).

 

Do you have any other suggestions on how I can shoot 20 megapixel shots?

 

On another note I follow an Australian Overlander who is also a very accomplished photographer and cinematographer, Andrew St. Pierre White. He has recently started offering some of his pictures for sale and they are much better than the ones we took in Africa and are available in very large sizes. I would like to have the option to blow some of best pictures up to these sizes hence the questions.

 

If you’re interested you can find them here...

 

www.tolowagallery.com

[Wandering Sagebrush]

Eddie, I shoot RAW almost all the time.

[dorocks]

I am not a Nikon shooter but from what I can see from sites your file size is because you are shooting jpgs versus Raw (Nikon=NEF). Your cropped sensor D500 takes a large image if shot Raw but compresses the image (makes it smaller by removing "unneeded" pixels when you shoot jpgs. Raw files remember settings and do not finalize the image (hence raw/uncooked). Your software sees your settings. Raw format also allows more flexibility for editing (a whole topic by itself). If you are lazy you can shoot both raw + jpg. Then you have both sizes. Notice the tiff size on the chart.

D-500 Image quality setting

DX (24 x 16 mm)

1.3x crop

Image size

File size

Image size

File size

NEF.RAW, lossless compressed, 12-bit

5568 x 3712

20.1MB

4272 x 2848

12.4MB

NEF.RAW, lossless compressed, 14-bit

25.0MB

15.4MB

NEF.RAW, compressed, 12-bit

17.2MB

10.7MB

NEF.RAW, compressed, 14-bit

21.3MB

13.1MB

NEF.RAW, uncompressed, 12-bit

33.1MB

20.1MB

NEF.RAW, uncompressed, 14-bit

43.1MB

25.9MB

 

TIFF (RGB)

L: 5568 x 3712

62.5MB

4272 x 2848

37.2MB

M: 4176 x 2784

35.6MB

3200 x 2136

21.4MB

S: 2784 x 1856

16.4MB

2128 x 1424

10.0MB

 

JPEG Fine

L: 5568 x 3712

10.4MB

4272 x 2848

6.5MB

M: 4176 x 2784

6.4MB

3200 x 2136

4.2MB

S: 2784 x 1856

3.4MB

2128 x 1424

2.4MB

 

JPEG Normal

L: 5568 x 3712

5.3MB

4272 x 2848

3.4MB

M: 4176 x 2784

3.3MB

3200 x 2136

2.2MB

S: 2784 x 1856

1.8MB

2128 x 1424

1.3MB

 

JPEG Basic

L: 5568 x 3712

2.8MB

4272 x 2848

1.8MB

M: 4176 x 2784

1.8MB

3200 x 2136

1.2MB

S: 2784 x 1856

1.0MB

2128 x 1424

0.8MB

 

I shoot a Canon 5D Mark IV (a full frame camera) and a Canon 7D Mark II (crop sensor)

This picture shot in Canon Raw and saved as jpg has these stats. Use Lightroom for editing and raw conversion.

https://keithbarnes....ays/i-zB5pnqv/A

Camera                Canon EOS 7D Mark II

Lens       EF-S18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM

ISO         100

Size        5472 x 3648

File Size  14.85 MB

 

 

[dorocks]

Sorry chart did not format well. It is from this page. https://www.photorev...pro/nikon-d500/

 

[smlobx]

Wow!

Thanks everyone for your input. So I should start shooting in a NEF/RAW format and probably get a few more SD cards!

 

Dorocks nice pics! And I guess I’ll order a copy of Lightroom as well.

[Machinebuilder]

I use Canon for my SLR, and a High end Sony pocket camera.

Both of them will save in raw+JPEG.

 

SD cards are cheap buy, buy several big high speed ones.

[Happyjax]

Shoot Raw Eddie. The D500 is an awesome camera. I have one and I love it. Raw lets you fix so many issues and when you save an edited picture to JPEG it's a reasonable size. If you shoot JPEG the camera edits the raw file off the sensor and gives you what it thinks you want. The JPEG file has about 1/3 the information the raw file had so you cannot do much to it with it breaking down.

 

Shoot raw edit to JPEG and keep the raw file for any magical shots you get so you can re-edit later id you want

 

Can't wait to camp with you! Things will eventually get better:) I'm going to shoot the launch from Wallops next week. (If they don't postpone it) Will be using the D500 D810 will take video:)

 

Hi to Terri!

 

J

[smlobx]

Thanks Jackie. That was great information. Do you have a particular HD card you like?

[Happyjax]

I had bought a couple Lexar cards before they got bought out. Don't know much about the quality now and the Sony ones are pricey! Those were the XQD. For the SD card I do Sandisk ultra 95 mb I think. My D810 takes the SD and Compact Flash.... Not sure what the new Nikons take. Haven't looked at a new one for a while. Happy with what I have and the market is changing so I like to wait and see what develops.....pun intended

 

If I am shooting something that is easy like sports during the day I will often just shoot Jpeg because there isn't going to be difficult editing. Sunrises/sets birds against a sky, anything where editing can be tricky is Raw and usually jpeg also so I don't have to mess with good pictures if I don't want to just the difficult ones.

 

Always shoot Jpeg fine unless you are shooting for online only....

 

Even though I hate the subscription format the Adobe CC for Photographers is Photoshop and Lightroom for 10 bucks a month, and you do not have to be online to use it, just once or twice a month to verify subscription....