16. RAW, JPEG And ERI-JPEG

Shot using a CompactFlash (type I and II) or an SD Card (both slots are present), the images produced by the Kodak DSC Pro SLR/n can be saved in JPEG, RAW, RAW+JPEG and even - the ultimate luxury - in proprietary JPEG format (ERI-JPEG). Having all these formats lets the photographer precisely target the destination of the shots. JPEG needs no explanation, being the standard "compressible" format. It's important to note the proprietary JPEG format, optimized via the software that ships with the unit. Beyond improvement of images post-capture, ERI-JPEG lets you access ISO 6-50 sensitivity range (though to do it you need to understand how, which is not easy) - an important point.

To conserve the best possible image quality and the possibility of recovering errors, the RAW format is the image "straight from the CCD" which must then be opened via the supplied software to be "developed" by the user and re-recorded in a format (usually TIFF) that's legible by image processing software. The advantage of RAW is that it takes up less room on the memory card than TIFF does and is more easily handled by the camera. In practice, the photographer saves a huge amount of time when shooting, but loses time when transferring the images to the computer, since RAW requires specific processing. The time is well spent, however, since the possibilities for enhancing the image are considerable, from white balance to exposure and including contrast and other refinements. The software is quite simply amazing, and (here again) will satisfy studio photographers, who are obsessed with getting the best possible image quality. In fact, the Kodak DSC Pro doesn't offer TIFF, since RAW has greater advantages and remains more malleable.

One point worth dwelling on, and which was ushered in by Canon, is the excellent choice of including JPEG+RAW. It's a kind of digital ideal, giving photographers an image that can be displayed immediately and is easy to manipulate while allowing them the possibility of keeping a better-quality image to be worked on later. From a practical point of view, JPEG could be seen as a "studio rough," immediately transferable to an art director via the Internet, with the RAW image available to work on to obtain the final image. Photographers who work outdoors can operate on the same principle, with an Internet image (though you'd better have broadband) and a high-quality image to keep for later. This mode is a very professional plus, and nobody will complain about having it.