The Canon EOS Digital Rebel XS/1000D Companion

Shooting Raw with the Rebel XS

Telling the XS to shoot raw is very simple; you just select one of the raw options from the format menu you saw in Chapter 6. After all the JPEG options, you'll find two raw options. Raw tells the camera to save a raw file, while Raw + JPEG tells the camera to save a raw file and a JPEG file. Why would you choose both? The advantage of Raw + JPEG is that when you get home, you have a JPEG file that you can use right away, without hassling with any raw processing. After you choose your raw format option of choice, you can start shooting normally.

Raw + JPEG to Get Dual Advantages

Some people, especially those on tight deadlines, shoot Raw + JPEG because they need to deliver only JPEG files to their client, and the XS JPEGs are excellent quality. So, after a shoot, they can sort through their images, pull out the JPEG images they like, and send them on their way. If one of the files has bad white balance or a clipped highlight, then you have the raw file to use for correction. They can write out a better JPEG from the raw file and send that off. Shooting Raw + JPEG takes more space and slows the camera down. If you need to shoot sustained bursts, then Raw + JPEG is probably not a good idea, especially if you have a slower media card. If you're not ready to commit completely to raw, then Raw + JPEG is a good intermediate step.

Picture Styles, White Balance, and Raw

Picture styles and white balance are functions that are performed by the camera during the ...