In which format does
my camera store pictures?
Pocket cameras store pictures in usually these two formats:
TIFF: This is a very high quality format of photos, but the picture
takes a lot of memory. A usual 5 MP picture in TIFF format can be of about 15
megabites - a very big file size to
handle. Because of this, many pocket cameras do not have the option to save
files in TIFF format.
JPEG or JPG: This is the most common format in which pocket
cameras – and also PCs and websites - keep
pictures. The camera converts the big picture into a small .jpg picture through
a ‘lossy’ compression. In most cases, howev er, the loss is not of much
impact.
Some manufacturers keep their pictures in their proprietary
formats, but that is mostly with high-end cameras.
Nowadays, .jpg is the standard format in which most pocket
cameras keep photos. If your camera gives you the option to keep photos in
formats other than .jpg, go for .jpg only. In case you want to go for other formats,
consider this: (i) Photos in TIFF or
other formats such as RAW and NEF will usually take more space on the camera
memory or the memory-card / memory stick. So, you will be able to take fewer
photos if you don’t have enough memory available on camera or cards / sticks
etc; and (ii) The photos in formats other than JPG will be of higher intrinsic quality.
If you later edit the photo on a professional photo editing software, you will get
better results from a TIFF photo than a JPG.
One word of caution about handling JPG files: If you load a .jpg picture from your
camera into a picture viewing program and then close it, no harm done. However,
if you save it again, chances are that the software compresses the file further
and there is more loss in quality. With one or two such actions, the picture’s
quality may become perceptibly poor. So, (i) Do not edit the original file but
take a copy and edit it; (ii) check the compression setting on the picture viewing
program at the time of saving a .jpg file.