Shooting RAW & Custom WB

Hey Roman -

on another forum, a gentleman (you may even know of whom i speak) that purports to ONLY shoot RAW ( would never even consider shooting jpeg) also poo poos the notion of setting a WB when shooting cuz he claims he can do it just as good in post processing.

i'd be curious to hear your thoughts on this matter. i think i may already know, & am inclined to agree with them if i am correct. but i would like to see what you have to say anyway - i might be wrong, or you may have some other insight to share that i haven't considered.

jp

RAW is all I shoot too. But for me it's not about slack and being able to be sloppy and fix in post processing....its about capturing the most data I can capture, and being able to hone it into the best shot I can muster.

If I had to shoot for an assignment for fast moving news...I woud shoot .jpg. Each format has its reasons and what works best for it. Photography isn't a one path fits all kinf of thing (otherwise the other paths wouldn't be an option...lol. Designers dont like spending money designing features that have no use. : )

I think WB should be set (if possable) for most any shot that allows you enough time to actually take the care to set up properly. For those times when you cant....its nice to have the backup of being able to correct later...as the shot is more important captured and adjusted than missed if its an important shot.

Most people get caught up in the idea that the way they shoot is the only way.....if being a computer technician has tought me anything ....it that there is more than one way to skin a cat...(so to say...lol) My cat non the less disagrees with me.... hee hee hee.

Roman

thanx, Roman - i appreciate your reply. i wasn't too far off from what i expected to hear. i just found it a tad odd that someone would so easily dismiss getting as much right in the camera as possible. i am seeing some strong advantages of RAW, but not for all of the typical reasons i hear bantied about. & i still feel that the better i get it from the shutter click the better the final result will be.

thank you for your thoughts.

jp

I agree completely. I just came back from a local wildlife preserve. I was standing on an elevated walkway when a Great Blue Heron landed in the swamp not 15 feet away. He then proceeded to ignore me as he struted around for 30 minutes. I had been completely set up, Tripod, cable release and my Canon 100-400 4.5-5.6 L IS Zoom with 1.4X. I got excited and ran off 120 pictures in Raw. I guess since I was partially blocked by the railing he didn't see me or care,though he froze whenever anyone else walked by. Well when I got home I had been so close that I cut his feet off(not litterally since he was thigh high in the swamp and I have all leg which showed on film) or at least I don't show enough foreground to include what would have been his feet
in over half the pictures.
Moral: Good technique is more important than Raw vs JPG.