Selecting the Correct Image Quality Setting

When you are preparing for a shoot, you want to make sure that you set your camera up properly; ISO, exposure mode, auto-focus and -exposure settings, etc. You should add one more setting to this mix: Image Quality.

I believe that a photographer should do everything in their power to ensure that they capture the best image possible, rather than capture what they can and fix it in post-processing. To this end, you want to make sure that your IQ setting matches the event you are shooting.

In this article I’ll discuss the pros and cons of the various NEF(RAW) format options available in the Nikon D300.

The D300 allows you to choose from six bit-depth and compression algorithm combinations of NEF(RAW), hereafter NEF.

• Compression algorithm: Lossless Compressed, Compressed, or Uncompressed
• Bit-depth: 12- or 14-bit

Compression Algorithm

The Nikon D300 User’s Manual states the following about each of the compression algorithms:

• Lossless Compressed: NEF images are compressed using a reversible algorithm, reducing file size by about 20-40% with no affect on image quality.
• Compressed: NEF images are compressed using a non-reversible algorithm, reducing file size by about 40-50% with almost no affect on image quality.
• Uncompressed: NEF images are not compressed. Recording time increases slightly.

When it comes to choosing from these compression algorithms, you should ask yourself: what is most important?

• File size: If you want to capture as many images as possible for the amount of storage you have, you’ll want to select Compressed. By doing so, you will be sacrificing some image quality due to the compression algorithm and your shots per second will decrease due to the processor having to perform the compression.
• Image quality: If you want your image to contain the most accurate data for each sensor location you’ll want to select Lossless Compressed. This setting ensures that the compression algorithm retains all the information about the image as well as reducing the file size. Why didn’t I select Uncompressed? Well, if Nikon is true to their word, lossless should really mean what it implies.
• Shots per second: If you want to capture many images in a short amount of time, such as at a sporting event or child’s party, you’ll want to select Lossless Compressed. This setting has the best balance of write time to your memory card (smaller file size compared to Uncompressed) and less processing time for compression (compared to Compressed).

My final suggestion is that you use Lossless Compressed, which is the default setting. It gives you the best compromise for all three areas of importance. I, myself, would only switch to Compressed if I knew that I’d had to capture as many images as possible and was concerned that my memory storage would not be adequate.

Patience

What is my biggest challenge to becoming a great photographer?

Patience.

It takes patience to capture those brilliant shots. Anyone who has accompanied me on a shoot can attest to the fact that at first I tend to wander around bemoaning the fact that I don’t have “the eye” yet. I frantically look for potential compositions until something – a play of light, a juxtaposition of foreground and background – catches my eye. I take a few shots, evaluate the exposure, maybe recompose. This tends to wake up my “eye” and more images jump out at me. I then flit around like a hummingbird, working the shots here, there, everywhere. One great shot may only take two exposures while another requires a few more to get the lighting right. Inevitably, I slam into a difficult shot that tests my compositional and technical abilities. At this point, you could say I’ve hit a wall. (Is there such a term as “photographer’s block”?) Things go downhill from there; my eye disappears, my back aches, my toes tingle with the cold.

There goes my patience for the day.

I can capture great images. I know my camera like I know my television remote control, and I have a keen visual sense for composition. Unfortunately, I miss great shots because I pass up opportunities due to pickiness or get bored and move on.

It never fails that when I view my pictures after a shoot, I realize that with a little more work I could have brought home dozens of great shots.

I’ll think to myself: If only I had noticed that I was shooting at f2.8 on that first shot that woke up my eye; I didn’t need so much depth-of-field. Or, why didn’t I notice the powerlines in the background? Or, crap, my focus was off for that wonderful two-exposure shot. Or, how could I not have noticed that my third attempt at the difficult shot was heading in the right direction?

Pondering these problems, I now realize that the crucial question for my creative process is:

How can I exhibit a higher level of patience to capture great images more consistently?

I’ve come up with the following answers.

Link Post: Lightroom Blogs

Not much photography work today due to my real job and chores galore when I got home. I did receive confirmation that my Really Right Stuff baseplate for the D300 was shipped today, so I should be receiving that pretty soon. I also upgraded this page a bit to include an RSS feed link in the sidebar, in case you want to follow my articles, and also began a “Wish List” as well for equipment I’d like to have.

Therefore I’ll just relay to you the three Lightroom blogs I read most often:

• Scott Kelby’s Photoshop Insider
• Matt Kloskowski’s Lightroom Killer Tips
• O’Reilly’s Inside Lightroom

I just posted one of the photos from yesterday’s Farmer’s Market photoshoot over at my photo gallery.

Editor’s Note: For now I’ll just be referring you over to my gallery to see newly posted images so I don’t have to upload the images to two different Blog services. However, if an image is needed for any of my tutorials or articles I’ll be sure to use them in here.

My First D300 Shoot

You may be saying to yourself: What has Lane been doing? He has a brand new camera, but he hasn’t posted any new photos yet. Has he even looked through the viewfinder yet?

Well, to answer, yes I did take some pictures today. I went down to the Milwaukie Farmer’s Market to test out the autofocus settings I blogged about early this morning. I got a couple interesting pictures, but nothing that really impressed me.

I went down there with the idea of getting candid shots and took only my 18-70mm. All the candid photographers out there just gasped and are commenting on how I’m not much of a candid photographer; I should have taken my 80-200mm. True, it is a big, in-your-face lens, but it would have allowed me to get tight in on expressions rather than losing a person in all the surrounding color and action.

I could have also used the 80-200mm as a macro lens, which would have been great for all the tables full of vegetables, berries, nuts, snacks, etc.

I did spend a lot of today on the computer looking for good information about the D300 as well as working on this blog. I wrote up the autofocus entry, mentioned earlier, and also began working on documenting my digital photography workflow.

Tomorrow I head back to work, but once I’m home I’ll find one of my images from today and get it posted to my gallery.

New Way to Focus

All day yesterday I was learning how to use my new D300. I read most of the manual and scanned a whole bunch of web sites and forums for the best tips and tricks. This morning I came along an interesting way to set up the camera for autofocus.

I typically shoot in AF-C mode, which means that the “A”uto”F”ocus servo is “C”ontinuously focusing so I can track my subject matter. This article is designed for those situations where you use AF-C.

Most cameras use the shutter release to autofocus the image. I’m sure you’re familiar with holding down the shutter release half-way and hearing the motor spin around to find the focus. There are two scenarios where this tecnique can get you into trouble.

First, imagine the situation where you’re a little anxious and have jumped past the magic half-way point and captured an image that wasn’t quite using the focus you wanted.

Second, imagine that you have successfully composed your shot and focused your image with the half-way technique but that branch in the foreground moves into your focus point just as you release the image.

This article walks you through some steps to configure the D300 so that you can prevent these scenarios.