Canon R5 II RAW vs CRAW

[MrSparks999]

I see a similar question was asked, however am interested in what people shoot RAW or CRAW. I shoot mainly wildlife, birds and birds in flight on an R5 Mkii.

Is there any real downside to using CRAW over RAW, understand file size is smaller so doesnt fill up the buffer so quickly when using CRAW.

I think my main question is, is there any degradation in quality.

I have no doubt some of you will have looked into this quite deeply and can give me a definitive answer.

Thanks in Advance.

 

[Bucolic Old Sir Henry]

I can't say that I've attempted any sort of forensic comparison between the formats, but I did switch to using CRAW on my old R6 before a long overseas trip last year on the grounds that it would make my storage go further, and that any image quality loss would be inconsequential (and unimportant, given I wasn't selling any images). I did look at a few shots side by side before making the switch, but couldn't see any difference so I now use CRAW all the time (on an R5mk2 that replaced the R6).

 

[Bryan Conner]

I set my EOS R on a tripod and used a remote trigger to make sure there was no movement. I took two shots of a closet in low light, one shot using RAW, the second CRAW. I opened them, without any editing, into Photoshop as layers. The layers were already perfectly aligned, therefore Photoshop didn't give me the option to automatically align....I checked to make sure.

On the top layer, I changed the blending mode to "Difference". Next, I selected both layers and then CTRL-ALT-SHIFT-E to create a new layer which is the inverted difference of the two layers. Then I selected that new difference layer and did CTRL-I to invert the layer colors. This allows me to see every detail that is difference in the two images. My light source was a ceiling light, so the light didn't change.

Here is the difference at iso 16000 on an EOS R. From what I have read, higher iso shots is where you can see a difference. Very low iso shots should be mostly identical. If you have Photoshop, you can do the same as I did with your camera at your iso setting and then decide what is best for you. For me, I can't visually see the difference in the two files opened in ACR, so I would not hesitate to use CRAW for normal photography as a hobbyist. I wouldn't use it for a paying job though, or for a very important event like a wedding etc. I have plenty (too many) memory cards and don't really need to save space normally.

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[MikeZ]

Thanks for passing along the results of your experiment. CRAW is "supposed" to be loss-less, but from your test results there is a MINOR difference though that difference is probably not discernible in an image. Bottom line, your conclusion makes perfect sense and, like you, I have many memory cards and ample storage space so I'll likely stick with RAW.

 

[Dave Williams]

@Bryan Conner Interesting findings. As a pure hobbyist I use CRAW and I'm perfectly happy with the results and savings in memory, write and download speeds. In extreme poor light I might revert back to RAW just to see the difference.

 

[MrSparks999]

Thanks for all the feedback, i think i will give CRAW a go, i am not a pro and shoot for my own pleasure.

 

[Bryan Conner]

I should clarify my final opinion. For me, I will continue to shoot 14 bit, normal raw with my EOS R. I like the idea of having more data/information captured with which I can hopefully use to end up with the greatest shot that I have ever taken....if I have the space on the memory card to save the shot. I don't like the idea of throwing away data, which is why I shoot RAW in the first place and do not shoot jpegs. I don't want to limit myself digitally.....even if the limitation is one I can not see. I know it is there and I choose to not have the limitation.

Therefore, don't take my opinion to be of any value at all. It is only my opinion and isn't worth the paper that it is printed on here.....yeah I know....no paper....unless you are a complete weirdo and print websites before reading them....

Do your own testing if you aren't sure and decide what is the best for you. If you decide that cRAW is best for you then it is so.