In Raj’s latest xdrive photo lesson he continues the discussion of setting the camera to raw by comparing the differences of raw and jpg images that are produced within the camera at the exact moment with the same camera settings.

Below you will see comparison of a raw image of apples and their reflections edited in Capture One with the exact jpg images created within the Nikon D750.  I chose to have the aperture set at f/1.8 as a means to expand my understanding of the complexities of focal plane, sharpness, depth of field, and aperture settings.  There were a series of images created using manual focus that were discarded as the sharpness and detail were a bit fuzzy.

I generally photograph with the camera set to raw with a black and white setting as a means to encourage a greater awareness of the range of white to black.  When the raw images are transferred to Capture One for raw editing they are in color.

1. Edited raw image after contrast, white balance, saturation, light and shadow, structure, clarity, sharpness, exposure, and crop adjustments.

Nikon D750   f1.8   1.3s   35 mm   ISO 100

2.   When I opened up the jpg images from the Nikon, I found that they remained in black and white; therefore, I went back into Capture One and created a black and white version of the above image to use as a comparison to the Nikon’s jpg.

Nikon D750   f1.8   1.3s   35 mm   ISO 100

The Nikon jpg image below seems to keep the reflected apples in greater shadow.  Also the variations of the texture and appearance of the apples and their reflections are less apparent than in the image above.

Nikon D750   f1.8   1.3s   35 mm   ISO 100  JPG

A cropped comparison of one apple and its shadow.

At the beginning of this project, I found myself acknowledging a need for a basic understanding of editing pros and cons; for example, it is very easy for me to over sharpen images that result in haloes.

In closing, I’m also including two additional apple images in which I moved the camera closer as part of my open aperture setting and focal plane study.

Nikon D750   f/1.8   1.3s   35mm  ISO 100

Nikon D750   f/1.8  0.4s  35mm   ISO 100

The right apple and it’s reflection appear to be less sharp than in the other images; whereas, the first apple’s reflection is in less shadow.  My initial understanding of focal plane tells me that the right apple must have been placed a bit further back than the  other two.

Over to you Raj.