Just a quick little question. I am new at RAW processing and was wondering.....What is the difference between RAW and RAW+JPEG? I have these settings in my Nikon D70. Is it different as far as processing go? And which would be better?

Paul

I cannot help much but i know that RAW is very good,it would be the best choice.

I THINK it means that it will create 2 images - RAW and jpeg. That is how it works on my Canon.
On the rare occassions I have used RAW I have used this setting as it makes it easier when viewing the photo on computer - no special prog needed to view jpeg but RAW does.

I do the same as Lyn!! Only the other day I was thinking "if I cancel the JPEG and keep RAW, it will take up less room on my card and hard drive," and then I realized when I have just downloaded a bunch of photos, the quickest way of viewing them is to open all the JPEGs... the RAW files open much more slowly, and they don't open in my old version of Photoshop Elements, so I'm using software that came with the camera at that point.

Paul, I shoot most of my photographs using RAW format. As Lyn says RAW+JPEG gives you two images and will take up a large amount of space on your memory card and I don't really see the benefit of doing this. By shooting in RAW, you can do a lot of post processing using the raw processor in Photoshop or software that comes with the camera - it gives you a lot more control over your image and allows you to change settings such as white balance, increase/decrease contrast, light, shadows, etc. before opening in photoshop to do any more enhancements. ....but I am sure you are discovering this if you are experimenting with RAW processing. My advice would be just to shoot RAW images and not clog up your memory card. :) P

Paul:
The RAW format is the native file coming straight from your censor, without any process.
(JPG file is already a transformation...)
If you choose to work in RAW, you've to postprocess with a software like Lightroom, DXO, Nikon Capture (for Nikon only), Photoshop CS2 or higher, ... The final result is a high quality JPG file.

The +:
The RAW is a 16 bit file: The postprocessing is really more efficient than a JPG file (8 bits only)
The -:
The time to postprocess each image.

Actually any professional photographer is working in RAW format.
The Nikon D70 allows you to work in RAW or RAW+JPG. It's only to give you a better visualization of your photos before the post-treatment of the RAWs. In that case, the JPG is low quality. You can throw it after the RAW process.

I must say that the JPG format present into the most recent DSLR (D300, D90, Canon 50D, ...) almost doesn't require post-treatment though.

Hope it helps :-)

yeah but wheres all the fun in it if your cameras brain is doing all the tricky bits for you? ;-)

seriously though - if you intend to do any postwork - dont even bother with JPG - you will end up with lots of nasty digital artefacts and data loss that looks terrible - many RAW processors now also allow you to use your favourite filters to the RAW files to get the same results for effects as you would in Photoshop - Apple's Aperture software for instance supports lots of add ons such as Tiffen DFX, Nik software, Digital Anarchy etc etc

Link
Interesting isn't it?
Ooops! RAW is 12 bits, not 16...
I think that the professional DSLR got 14 bits though.

yes Pierre - different cams have different bit depths - the new wave of semi pro/enthusiast cameras also support 14 bit