Re: Why pixel peeping (usually) makes no sense

cmyk <nowhere@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

'Pixel peeping', as you put it, is useful if you want to be able to edit the image to maximise its qualities. Even with your FZ8, a
1024x768 screen is going to downsample by a factor of 10, which really limits your ability to work with fine detail unless you zoom
in. Of course, if you're limited to a camera that only outputs jpeg files, you don't have much as scope there as you get a decent
DSLR anyway (even one with less pixels).

That's only true if the jpegs are compressed enough to suppress
detail. It's true that some cameras do that, but not all. Fine detail
involves sharp changes of colour or luminance. Jpeg compression
algorithms are built so that at higher resolution lower compressions
they can compress without losing detail. It seems to be the case that
at least one DSLR manufacturer has taken the view that since the camera
outputs RAW it's not necessary to provide good detail in the
jpegs. That also has the handy marketing consequence for those selling
RAW output cameras that it leads many people to believe that jpegs
have to be deficient in detail compared to RAW.

They don't, not if your camera is provided with the useful option to
produce high quality jpegs. I personally think a camera which doesn't
have that option is defective, even if it happens to be a DSLR.

--
Chris Malcolm cam@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx DoD #205
IPAB, Informatics, JCMB, King's Buildings, Edinburgh, EH9 3JZ, UK
[http://www.dai.ed.ac.uk/homes/cam/]

.

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