If your focal length is not long enough..would you...

[ziploc]

hi guys.. by cropping we can get bigger and nearer to the subject..but on the other hand will affect the IQ..
if u know u going to crop it later.. isit better to shoot in RAW or JPEG is fine? does it make any different?

Shooting in raw will give you max resolution your camera can produce, but that's about it. The final IQ depends on how much you crop and how big your final "print" is, and is directly related to dot-per-inch. Let's say your original resolution is 3000x2000 and you intend to print it 4R (6"x4"), so 3000/6 = 500 dpi. Now if you crop it to, say 300x200. The resulting print will only have 50 dpi and will look extremely pixelated. The larger your print (or media, computer monitor is also a media), the worse it will become.

 

[SmOcKxY]

RAW only please...

 

[evilorgi]

i would certainly crop the picture later on... nothing beats missing "that moment"... a not so good quality picture is better than nothing...

 

[kongping]

You could take a snap at an inappropriate focal length at the first instance. But sometimes a scene develops, and you'll still be on that inappropriate focal length.

Sometimes you change lenses, and the moment slips and is lost. Or you could be rewarded when the scene develops and becomes more interesting.

Certain instances, gut feel tells you to shoot with whatever is mounted.

You can slightly stack the odds in your favour by becoming adept at changing lenses whilst closing the distance.

But ultimately, it's a gamble.