Shoot FINE+RAW. Use the JPEG as your finished photograph, and open the RAW only for the frames where something went wrong or the frame is worth real work. On a Fujifilm camera the JPEG is not the cheap option — the film simulations are the reason many people buy these bodies.
RAF 14-bit lossless compressed JPEG ≈ 10-15 MB RAW ≈ 30-55 MB
What each file actually is
| JPEG | RAW (RAF) | |
|---|---|---|
| Film simulation | Baked in permanently | Applied by your software, changeable later |
| White balance | Baked in; fixable only with compromise | Fully changeable, no penalty |
| Highlight recovery | Very little | Roughly a stop of extra headroom |
| Shadow recovery | Limited, gets blotchy | Good, at the cost of noise |
| Ready to share | Immediately, including to your phone | Needs conversion first |
| File size | Roughly 10-15 MB | Roughly 30-55 MB |
When each one is the right choice
- JPEG alone — high volume, low stakes: a party, a sports afternoon, a day of bursts. The buffer clears faster and you will not edit them anyway.
- FINE+RAW — the default for learning. You get the finished look and the ability to see how far you could have pushed it.
- RAW alone — you have decided this is a session you will edit properly, and the JPEGs would only be clutter.
- Situations that strongly favour RAW: mixed artificial light, heavy backlight, anything at ISO 3200 or above, and any photograph that matters enough that you will regret not having the latitude.
The elegant middle path
Assign RAW to a function button. Shoot FINE all day, and press it to add a RAW for the single frame you care about. You get small files and a safety net exactly where you need one.
One Fujifilm-specific advantage
The camera can convert its own RAW files in playback: choose a different film simulation, exposure, white balance or dynamic range and write a brand-new JPEG, all without a computer. It is the reason a Fujifilm RAW workflow can be almost entirely in-camera, and it has its own lesson later in this course.
Common mistakes
- Believing RAW is “better quality”. It is more editable. Untouched, it usually looks flatter than the JPEG.
- Shooting RAW and never editing. Then you have neither a finished photograph nor a small file.
- Choosing UNCOMPRESSED RAW. Lossless compressed is bit-for-bit identical and smaller.
Assignment: rescue a frame
Deliberately photograph someone against a bright window at compensation 0, in FINE+RAW, so the face comes out too dark. Now try to fix the face in the JPEG, then in the RAW. The JPEG goes grey and blotchy; the RAW recovers cleanly. That single comparison will make you keep the RAW half switched on for years.