A newbie question on IR

[BUZ_BUZ]

Hi,

What format to use when taking IR photograph ?
Do you shoot with JPEG ? or RAW format ?

My understanding of RAW is that it's the original image data without White Balance information ( and uncompressed ).
So, if I set my camera to RAW format, that means the custom white balance that I've done with the R72 filter mounted will not be applied to the RAW file ( .NEF), right ?

Can someone help me to clarify this doubt ? Thanks in advance.

 

[Rashkae]

I always just shoot in jpeg.

 

[numzkull]

the RAW conversion software should have an option to allow you to keep the white balance used to shoot the picture. so you still need to set custom white balance before the IR shot.

 

[gooseberry]

Hi,

What format to use when taking IR photograph ?
Do you shoot with JPEG ? or RAW format ?

My understanding of RAW is that it's the original image data without White Balance information ( and uncompressed ).
So, if I set my camera to RAW format, that means the custom white balance that I've done with the R72 filter mounted will not be applied to the RAW file ( .NEF), right ?

Can someone help me to clarify this doubt ? Thanks in advance.

Yes, NEF will store the original iamge data, but it will also store the recorded White Balance as a tag attached to the RAW file (along with a lot of other information). It is up to your NEF converter whether it takes notice of the WB tag and/or allows you to change the WB value.

 

[Adiemus]

i prefer to shoot in RAW. The NEF file gives you more freedom to play with the WB in the NEF software. Sometimes, you can get very creative results from playing around with the WB!

 

[BUZ_BUZ]

Thanks folks for the valuable advice.

What NEF converter software are you using ?

Can the Nikon Capture software allow the application of custom white balance ?
I'm using Nikon D70s.

 

[ark19]

Try the Rawshooter http://www.pixmantec.com/products/rawshooter_essentials.asp
Download it for free now before the new Boss, Adobe replace it with Lightroom
Very useful for Raw conversion, and it can do batch processing.

 

[BUZ_BUZ]

Thanks ARK19, will try it out .

 

[howardfuhrman]

I prefer raw as you can set WB at the time that you convert the photo from raw to tiff.

 

[mike tatt]

don't forget another added attraction of shooting in raw - no jpeg artifacts and no 'in camera' tonal processing.

I usually shoot in raw & jpeg - so that I can see a preview and judge whether I am getting close to the mark.

Cheers

Mike Tatt

 

[vortex]

raw also gives you the chance to do HDR processing