Non-Prophet

JPEG vs. RAW Example

Okay, so now I have more or less nailed down the real differences between JPEG and RAW images captured on a digital camera. In the extreme example shown below I took two images with the same manual settings on my Nikon 8400 camera, the only difference being that one was taken as a normal JPEG image, and the second captured RAW data. I intentionally took a badly underexposed image and then jacked up the dark areas using Aperture 2.0. What you can see is that the color and detail of the JPEG suffers terribly under this test, being that the jpeg compression is meant to preserve the image as it looked pre-processing. In this scenario, the raw file contained far more resolution in data that would normally look more or less black, pre-processed.

Once again, this example is extreme, and the cropped images have been heavily manipulated. JPEG on the left, RAW on the right.

(image is of the arm of a chair in my livingroom)

So, the question is, do you want to shoot in raw format? Will your pictures look better? Yes, no, maybe. Shooting in RAW format certainly gives you more leeway to manipulate an image after it has been taken, but this advantage really only becomes extreme under certain circumstances, such as under-exposure. If you're not planning on some serious post processing odds are you'd never see much of a difference. During my tests I processed several side-by-side images that weren't poorly exposed and the differences between the two formats were fairly minimal. JPEG really does do a good job of reducing the image size while preserving the depth and detail.

jpeg vs. RAW

Can any digital camera enthusiasts out there attest to the merits of saving in RAW format over a "jpg fine"? I've been doing some side by side comparisons and so far the results have been inconclusive. Does the advantage appear in post processing or is there an inherent advantage that is more generally obvious?

Fro Hat

Large Amazonian Terrarium (pt.2)

A few months ago I posted my design for building a large terrarium that will bring a tiny bit of amazonia into my living room. A few months have passed now and things are progressing very well. I think I am beyond the half way point and I thought it'd be a good time to share my progress. Below are a whole mess of images and a description of where I was on the project at that time.

What I could use now is some suggestions regarding what to plant. Being that the amazon is the most diverse ecosystem on the planet I am not without a reasonable number of options. Once I get a bit farther along I'll start researching my options more heavily, but your suggestions are greatly appreciated. I'm interested in species that are beautiful, interesting and sacred.

So now then.. onto the project! This one is the most fun I've had building something since my uber-successful Triple-Decker-Bunk-Bed of '06! Here is where I am today, all of the steps in-between are contained in the continuation of this post linked below.

Losi 1/18th Scale Mini-T

I find buying Christmas presents for kids totally fun. My shopping is almost finished and so far my favorite item that I've purchased has to be this amazing 1/18th scale RC Truck that I bought for my step-son-elect. Forget those wimpy things you can find at Radio Shack. The Losi 1/18th scale Mini-T seriously kicks ass. A stock model will go 10-15mph while a fully upgraded version can do as much as 60mph. Here is a cool site and a video. I wish I were getting one. :p