What format do you use to get your highest resolution?

[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.

[SIZE=12pt]D-500 Image quality setting[/SIZE]


[SIZE=12pt]DX (24 x 16 mm)[/SIZE]


[SIZE=12pt]1.3x crop[/SIZE]


[SIZE=12pt]Image size[/SIZE]


[SIZE=12pt]File size[/SIZE]


[SIZE=12pt]Image size[/SIZE]


[SIZE=12pt]File size[/SIZE]


[SIZE=12pt]NEF.RAW, lossless compressed, 12-bit[/SIZE]


[SIZE=12pt]5568 x 3712[/SIZE]


[SIZE=12pt]20.1MB[/SIZE]


[SIZE=12pt]4272 x 2848[/SIZE]


[SIZE=12pt]12.4MB[/SIZE]


[SIZE=12pt]NEF.RAW, lossless compressed, 14-bit[/SIZE]


[SIZE=12pt]25.0MB[/SIZE]


[SIZE=12pt]15.4MB[/SIZE]


[SIZE=12pt]NEF.RAW, compressed, 12-bit[/SIZE]


[SIZE=12pt]17.2MB[/SIZE]


[SIZE=12pt]10.7MB[/SIZE]


[SIZE=12pt]NEF.RAW, compressed, 14-bit[/SIZE]


[SIZE=12pt]21.3MB[/SIZE]


[SIZE=12pt]13.1MB[/SIZE]


[SIZE=12pt]NEF.RAW, uncompressed, 12-bit[/SIZE]


[SIZE=12pt]33.1MB[/SIZE]


[SIZE=12pt]20.1MB[/SIZE]


[SIZE=12pt]NEF.RAW, uncompressed, 14-bit[/SIZE]


[SIZE=12pt]43.1MB[/SIZE]


[SIZE=12pt]25.9MB[/SIZE]



[SIZE=12pt]TIFF (RG[/SIZE]


[SIZE=12pt]L: 5568 x 3712[/SIZE]


[SIZE=12pt]62.5MB[/SIZE]


[SIZE=12pt]4272 x 2848[/SIZE]


[SIZE=12pt]37.2MB[/SIZE]


[SIZE=12pt]M: 4176 x 2784[/SIZE]


[SIZE=12pt]35.6MB[/SIZE]


[SIZE=12pt]3200 x 2136[/SIZE]


[SIZE=12pt]21.4MB[/SIZE]


[SIZE=12pt]S: 2784 x 1856[/SIZE]


[SIZE=12pt]16.4MB[/SIZE]


[SIZE=12pt]2128 x 1424[/SIZE]


[SIZE=12pt]10.0MB[/SIZE]



[SIZE=12pt]JPEG Fine[/SIZE]


[SIZE=12pt]L: 5568 x 3712[/SIZE]


[SIZE=12pt]10.4MB[/SIZE]


[SIZE=12pt]4272 x 2848[/SIZE]


[SIZE=12pt]6.5MB[/SIZE]


[SIZE=12pt]M: 4176 x 2784[/SIZE]


[SIZE=12pt]6.4MB[/SIZE]


[SIZE=12pt]3200 x 2136[/SIZE]


[SIZE=12pt]4.2MB[/SIZE]


[SIZE=12pt]S: 2784 x 1856[/SIZE]


[SIZE=12pt]3.4MB[/SIZE]


[SIZE=12pt]2128 x 1424[/SIZE]


[SIZE=12pt]2.4MB[/SIZE]



[SIZE=12pt]JPEG Normal[/SIZE]


[SIZE=12pt]L: 5568 x 3712[/SIZE]


[SIZE=12pt]5.3MB[/SIZE]


[SIZE=12pt]4272 x 2848[/SIZE]


[SIZE=12pt]3.4MB[/SIZE]


[SIZE=12pt]M: 4176 x 2784[/SIZE]


[SIZE=12pt]3.3MB[/SIZE]


[SIZE=12pt]3200 x 2136[/SIZE]


[SIZE=12pt]2.2MB[/SIZE]


[SIZE=12pt]S: 2784 x 1856[/SIZE]


[SIZE=12pt]1.8MB[/SIZE]


[SIZE=12pt]2128 x 1424[/SIZE]


[SIZE=12pt]1.3MB[/SIZE]



[SIZE=12pt]JPEG Basic[/SIZE]


[SIZE=12pt]L: 5568 x 3712[/SIZE]


[SIZE=12pt]2.8MB[/SIZE]


[SIZE=12pt]4272 x 2848[/SIZE]


[SIZE=12pt]1.8MB[/SIZE]


[SIZE=12pt]M: 4176 x 2784[/SIZE]


[SIZE=12pt]1.8MB[/SIZE]


[SIZE=12pt]3200 x 2136[/SIZE]


[SIZE=12pt]1.2MB[/SIZE]


[SIZE=12pt]S: 2784 x 1856[/SIZE]


[SIZE=12pt]1.0MB[/SIZE]


[SIZE=12pt]2128 x 1424[/SIZE]


[SIZE=12pt]0.8MB[/SIZE]


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.smugmug.com/Vacation/2020-Idaho-Scenic-Byways/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.photoreview.com.au/reviews/dslr-cameras/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....