(User’s Manual – Page 85)
Image quality is simply the type of image your camera can create, along with the amount of image compression that modifies picture storage sizes.
You can shoot several distinct image formats with your D7000. We’ll examine each format in detail and discuss the pros and cons for each as we go. When we’re done, you’ll have a better understanding of the formats, and you can choose an appropriate one for each of your styles of shooting.
The camera supports the following seven Image quality types:
NEF (RAW) + JPEG fine
NEF (RAW) + JPEG normal
NEF (RAW) + JPEG basic
NEF (RAW)
JPEG fine
JPEG normal
JPEG basic
The steps to select an Image quality setting are as follows:
Select Image quality from the Shooting Menu and scroll to the right (Figure 3-7, image 1).
Choose one of the seven Image quality types. Figure 3-7, image 2, shows JPEG fine as the selected format.
Press the OK button to select the format.
You can also use the QUAL button on the back of the camera to set the Image quality (and size). The steps are as follows:
Hold down the QUAL button (Figure 3-8, image 1).
Rotate the rear Main command dial to change the Image quality (bottom red arrow in Figure 3-8, image 2). Also, use the front Sub-command dial (top red arrow in Figure 3-8, image 2) to change the Image size.
Look at the Control panel to see the Image quality and Image Size values change. The bottom red arrow in Figure 3-8, image 3 shows the quality (RAW, FINE, RAW+FINE, etc), and the top red arrow shows the size (L, M, S).
Release the QUAL button to lock in the modified settings.
Let’s look at each of these formats and see which ones you might want to use regularly. We’ll go beyond how to turn the different formats on and off and discuss why and when you might want to use a particular format instead of another. Even though the Image quality list shows seven different entries, the camera really only shoots in two formats: NEF (RAW) and JPEG.
The first three selections on the Image quality list (Figure 3-7, image 2) allow the camera to take a NEF (RAW) file and a JPEG fine, normal, or basic file at the same time. Fine, normal, and basic indicate three levels of compression that are available for the JPEG format. When you press the Shutter-release button with one of the three NEF (RAW) + JPEG Image quality modes selected, the camera creates a RAW file and a JPEG file and then writes them to the memory card(s) as separate files. In order to understand how they work, we’ll examine the NEF (RAW) and JPEG formats.
The Nikon NEF proprietary format stores raw image data directly onto the camera’s memory card. Most of the time, photographers refer to a NEF file simply as a RAW file. These RAW files can easily be recognized because the file name ends with NEF. This is not an image format used in day-to-day graphics work (like the JPEG format), and it’s not even an image yet. Instead, it’s a base storage format used to store images for conversion to another file format ending in something like JPG, TIF, EPS, or PNG. Other than initial compression—as selected in Shooting Menu > NEF (RAW) recording—NEF stores all available image data and can be easily manipulated later.
You must use conversion software, such as Nikon ViewNX 2, Nikon Capture NX2, Adobe Photoshop Lightroom, or Adobe Photoshop, to convert your NEF-formatted RAW files into other formats. You can download the latest version of the free Nikon ViewNX 2, and all sorts of Nikon imaging software from the following Nikon USA website (bookmark this website, it is a valuable resource):
The Nikon CD that comes free with your camera contains Nikon View NX 2, which you can use immediately for RAW conversion. However, I would use the link to Nikon USA and download the latest version. Alternately, you can install Nikon View NX 2 from the Nikon CD and then click the Help menu. Under the Help menu you’ll find a link called: “Check for Updates...” This link will automatically check Nikon’s website and will update Nikon View NX 2, if an update is available.
There are also several aftermarket RAW conversion applications available, such as Bibble, RawShooter, Capture One, and ACDSee Pro. Most of these will offer both Windows and Mac versions. Here are some links to these aftermarket companies:
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| http://www.phaseone.com/ (click the Software link) |
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Before you shoot in NEF (RAW) format, it’s a good idea to install your conversion software of choice so that you’ll be able to view, adjust, and save the images to another format when you are done shooting. You may not be able to view NEF files directly on your computer unless you have RAW conversion software installed.
Some operating systems provide a downloadable patch or codec that lets you see NEF files as small thumbnails in its file manager software (e.g., Windows Explorer or Mac OS X Finder). As this book is being written, I can find codecs under Google searches for 32-bit Windows 7, Vista, XP, and Mac OS X. Do a Google search on these specific words to start your search for available codecs: “download Nikon NEF RAW viewer.” You can often find a free codec available for download. However, be careful that you don’t go to a website promising the moon and delivering malware instead.
Nikon lists a free codec for Windows 7 (32-bit), Vista (Service Pack 2), and XP (Service Pack 3) at this website:
http://nikonimglib.com/nefcodec/
There are also reliable third-party companies, such as Ardfry Imaging LLC (www.ardfry.com), that offer various 32- and 64-bit codecs for a small fee. I bought the Ardfry version for my computer. If you’re running 64-bit Windows Vista or 64-bit Windows 7, you may want to check out Ardfry’s website or do a little Google research to see what else is currently available for viewing NEF files as thumbnails in Windows or on a Mac. Unfortunately, Windows has a greater selection of codecs than Mac. However, with so many software developers out there, things change constantly.
The Nikon CD that came with your camera contains software for both Mac OS X and Windows. Nikon ViewNX 2 RAW conversion software is supplied free with the D7000, but Nikon Capture NX2 requires a separate purchase. Capture NX2 has become my favorite conversion and post-processing software, along with Adobe Photoshop.
I suggest that you download another free Nikon program called Nikon Transfer. I really like this software because it helps me transfer pictures to my computer and leave them on my memory card, too. If I take more pictures on the same memory card, Nikon Transfer will transfer only the new ones when I reconnect to the computer. Here’s a link to the free Nikon Transfer software:
http://support.nikonusa.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/16694
In a sense, Nikon Transfer acts like a one-way synchronizer between a memory card and a computer. As memory cards get bigger and bigger, I can see a time when I’ll keep several months worth of images on my memory card and transfer the newest images to my computer.
Now, let’s talk about NEF, or RAW, quality. I use the NEF (RAW) format about 98 percent of the time. I think of a RAW file like I thought of my slides and negatives a few years ago. It’s my original image that must be saved and protected.
It’s important that you understand something very different about NEF (RAW) files. They’re not really images—yet. Basically, a RAW file is composed of black-and-white sensor data and camera setting information markers. The RAW file is saved in a form that must be converted to another file type to be used in print or on the web.
When you take a picture in RAW format, the camera records the image data from the sensor and stores markers for how the camera’s color, sharpening, contrast, saturation, etc. are set, but it does not apply the camera setting information to the image. In your computer post-processing software, the image will appear on-screen with the settings you initially configured in your D7000. However, these settings are applied temporarily for your computer viewing pleasure.
For example, if you don’t like the white balance you selected at the time you took the picture, simply apply a new white balance and the image will appear as if you had used that setting when you took the picture. If you initially shot the image using the Standard Picture Control and now want to use the Vivid Picture Control, all you have to do is apply the Vivid Picture Control before the final conversion and it will be as if you used it when you first took the picture.
This is quite powerful! Virtually no camera settings are applied to a RAW file in a permanent way. That means you can apply completely different settings to the image in your computer software and it will appear as if you had used those settings when you first took the picture. This allows a lot of flexibility later.
NEF (RAW) is generally used by individuals who are concerned with maximum image quality and who have time to convert the images in the computer after taking them with the camera. A conversion to JPEG sets the image markers permanently, and a conversion to TIFF sets the markers but allows you to modify the image later. Unfortunately, the TIFF format creates very large file sizes.
Here are the pros and cons of NEF (RAW) format:
Allows the manipulation of image data to achieve the highest-quality image available from the camera.
All original detail stays with the image for future processing needs.
No conversions, sharpening, sizing, or color rebalancing will be performed by the camera. Your images are untouched and pure!
You can convert NEF files to any other image formats by using your computer’s much more powerful processor instead of your camera’s processor.
You have much more control over the final look of the image since you, not the camera, make decisions about the appearance of the image.
A 12-bit or 14-bit format provides maximum color information.
Not often compatible with the publishing industry, except after conversion to another format.
Requires post-processing with proprietary Nikon software or third-party software.
Larger file sizes are created, so you must have larger storage media.
There is no industry-standard RAW format. Each camera manufacturer has its own proprietary format. Adobe has developed a RAW format called digital negative (DNG) that might become an industry standard. We’ll see!
The industry standard for home and commercial printing is 8 bits, not 12 bits or 14 bits.
Now, let’s examine the most popular format on the planet: JPEG.
As shown in Figure 3-7, image 2, the D7000 has three JPEG modes. Each mode affects the final quality of the image. Let’s look at each mode in detail:
| Compression approximately 1:4 Compression approximately 1:8 Compression approximately 1:16 |
Each JPEG mode provides a certain level of lossy image compression, which means that it permanently throws away image data as you select higher levels of compression (fine, normal, basic). The human eye compensates for small color changes quite well, so the JPEG compression algorithm works very well for viewing by humans. A useful thing about JPEG is that one can vary the file size of the image, via compression, without affecting the quality too much.
Here are details on the three JPEG modes:
JPEG fine (or fine-quality JPEG) uses a 1:4 compression ratio. If you decide to shoot in JPEG, this mode will give you the best-quality JPEG your camera can produce. With a Lossless-compressed RAW setting, the camera reports that only about 230 images will fit on an 8-GB CF card, and the JPEG fine setting raises that to about 835 images.
JPEG normal (or normal-quality JPEG) uses a 1:8 compression ratio. The image quality is still very acceptable in this mode. If you are shooting at a party for the 4x6-inch (10x15-cm) image size, this mode will allow you to make lots of images. The camera reports that an 8-GB card will hold about 1,600 JPEG normal image files.
JPEG basic (or basic-quality JPEG) uses a 1:16 compression ratio. These are still full-size files, so you can surely take a lot of pictures. If you are shooting for the web or just want to document something well, this mode provides sufficient quality. My D7000 tells me it can store a whopping 3,200 JPEG basic files on my 8-GB CF card.
Note: It’s hard to specify an exact number of images that a particular card size will hold. My D7000 reports that 230 lossless-compressed NEF (RAW) images will fit on an 8-GB memory card, yet when the shooting is finished, I often have more than 430 images. With JPEG’s higher compression ratio, it is even harder to predict exactly. The complexity within a scene has a lot to do with the final compressed file size. That’s why the camera underreports the number of images it can hold. You’ll find that your memory cards will usually hold many more images than the estimate presented by the camera.
The JPEG format is used by individuals who want excellent image quality but have little time or interest in post-processing or converting images to another format. They want to use the image immediately when it comes out of the camera, with no major adjustments.
The JPEG format applies your chosen camera settings to the image when it is taken. The image comes out of the camera ready to use, as long as you have exposed it properly and have configured all the other settings appropriately for the image.
Since JPEG is a lossy format, you cannot modify and save a JPEG file more than a time or two before compression losses ruin the image. However, since no post-processing is required, this format allows much quicker usage of the image. A person shooting a large quantity of images, or someone who doesn’t have the time to convert RAW images, will usually use JPEG. That encompasses a lot of photographers.
Nature photographers might want to use NEF (RAW) since they have more time for processing images and wringing the last drop of quality out of them, but event or journalist photographers on a deadline may not have the time for or interest in processing images, so they often use the JPEG format.
Here are the pros and cons of capturing JPEG images:
Allows for the maximum number of images on a memory card and computer hard drive.
Allows for the fastest transfer from the camera memory buffer to a memory card.
Absolute compatibility with everything and everybody in imaging.
Uses the printing industry standard of 8 bits.
Produces high-quality, first-use images.
No special software is needed to use the image right out of the camera (no post-processing).
Immediate use on websites with minimal processing.
Easy transfer across the Internet and as e-mail attachments.
JPEG is a lossy format.
You cannot manipulate a JPEG image more than once or twice before it degrades to an unusable state. Every time you modify and save a JPEG image, it loses more data and quality because of compression data losses.
Some shooters use the three Image quality settings shown in Figure 3-7, image 2, that save two images at the same time:
NEF (RAW) + JPEG fine
NEF (RAW) + JPEG normal
NEF (RAW) + JPEG basic
These settings give you the best of both worlds because the camera saves a NEF file and a JPEG file each time you press the Shutter-release button. In NEF (RAW) + JPEG fine, my camera’s 8-GB single-card storage drops to about 180 images since it stores a NEF file and a JPEG file for each picture I take.
You can set Shooting Menu > Role played by card in Slot 2 to write the NEF (RAW) file to one card and the JPEG file to the other. You can use the NEF (RAW) file to store all the image data and later process it into a masterpiece, and you can use just the JPEG file immediately with no adjustment.
The NEF (RAW) + JPEG modes have the same features as their stand-alone modes. In other words, the RAW file in NEF (RAW) + JPEG mode works like a RAW file in NEF (RAW) mode, and the JPEGs in the NEF (RAW) + JPEG modes work like JPEG fine, normal, or basic files without the NEF (RAW) file.
If you need more information on these three modes, refer to the previous sections on NEF (RAW) or JPEG Image quality formats.
Which format do I prefer? Why, RAW, of course! But it does require a bit of commitment to shoot in this format. The camera is simply an image-capturing device, and you are the image manipulator. You decide the final format, compression ratio, size, color balance, etc. In NEF (RAW) mode, you have the absolute best image your camera can produce. It is not modified by the camera’s software and is ready for your personal touch. No camera processing allowed!
If you get nothing else from this section, remember this—by letting your camera process the images in any way, it is modifying or throwing away image data. There is only a finite amount of data for each image that can be stored on your camera, and later on your computer. With JPEG, your camera optimizes the image according to the assumptions recorded in its memory. Data is being thrown away permanently, in varying amounts.
If you want to keep all of the image data that was recorded with your images, you must store your originals in RAW format. Otherwise, you’ll never again be able to access that original data to change how it looks. A RAW file is the closest thing to a film negative or a transparency that your digital camera can make. That’s important if you would like to modify the image later. If you are concerned with maximum quality, you should probably shoot and store your images in RAW format. Later, when you have the urge to make another masterpiece out of the original RAW image file, you’ll have all of your original data intact for the highest-quality image. (Compressed NEF loses a little data during initial compression, but Lossless compressed does not. I use Lossless compressed. These RAW compression types will be considered in an upcoming section called NEF (RAW) Recording under the subheading Type.)
If you’re concerned that the RAW format may change too much over time to be readable by future generations, you might want to convert your images into TIFF or JPEG files. TIFF is best if you want to modify them later. I often save a TIFF version of my best files in case RAW changes too much in the future. Why not do a little more research on this subject and decide which you like best? Interestingly, I can still read the NEF (RAW) format from my 2002-era Nikon D100 in Nikon ViewNX 2.
My Recommendation: I shoot in NEF (RAW) format for my most important work and JPEG fine for the rest. Some people find that JPEG fine is sufficient for everything they shoot. Those individuals generally do not like working with files on a computer or do not have time for it. NEF (RAW) files are not usable images and must be converted to another format. However, RAW provides the highest possible quality your camera can create, if you have the time and inclination to post-process the images yourself. You’ll use both RAW and JPEG, I’m sure. The format you use most often will be controlled by your time constraints and digital workflow.