TIFF vs. JPG

[dcdev]

Hello,
I just got a "starter" (i.e. inexpensive) camera + housing (Oly C-5000z), and I was wondering if there's a noticeable difference in image quality using the TIFF mode vs SHQ (low compression JPG). This camera does not support RAW, so it's one or the other. I'd like to use TIFF mode as JPG is lossy, but at something like 4 times the size, I'll be able to get a lot fewer pics during a dive (I've got a 512MB card so at about 14MB per image I'll only get around 35 shots per dive in TIFF), so if there won't be much of a difference then I'd go SHQ JPG. Any thoughts?
thanks
Steve

 

[Geoff_H]

Shoot some shots topside in JPG and TIFF and do whatever you want to do with them - print, crop, resize and whatever.

Then decide which is more suitable. My money is JPG will be fine for you.

 

[HowardE]

Get a bigger card. I use a 4GB card in my camera.

The only thing I would concern myself with it what the maximum card size is in the camera's specs.

 

[dcdev]

Thanks, but not sure if my camera (or rather it's firmware) supports a larger card. The manual doesn't list anything available over 512MB (although Oly probably didn't make them when the manual was published)

 

[hvulin]

use jpeg in SHQ, the difference is too small to have problems with anything you decide to do with the picture...

 

[Fastmarc]

IME, jpg should be fine.
I have even gone to the extent of printing some to 24x18 and the quality was very good.

 

[BurBunny]

I show that the C5000z can take up to 2GB xD cards now out. Here's the compatibility page from Olympus USA: xD Media. Click the compatibility link about half way down then select the C series of cameras.

 

[Geoff_H]

Not too sure if mult-gig cards are really needed for point and shoot subcompacts.... using my Canon I can easily go a whole weeks diving and still have plenty of room left (just using a 1 gig card).

As this is the OP's starter camera, he may look to upgrade if he likes underwater photography and gets into it... better not to be left with a large potentially incompatible memory card in my view.

 

[dcdev]

Thanks everyone for the replies. While the computer geek in me says "always get max RAM", given that the SHQ JPG will prob. be fine (better than what I've been shooting anyways) I think using low-compression JPG will mean enough space on the 512 card for me (142 images at SHQ 2560x1920) as long as I copy the images after each morning's dives.
thanks again
Steve

 

[Divers Direct]

If you are going to shoot JPG I would advise once you are topside that you download the files and convert them to tiff or psd or some other loss-less file type. Each time you open, manipulate and then re-save a jpg file you are compressing it further (effectively throwing away pixels) causing additional degadation.