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More on photography, Image mode, Image quality – Nikon 8400 User Manual

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More on Photography

More on Photography

Pictures taken with a digital camera are stored as image fi les. The size of the
fi les, and with it the number of images that can be recorded on the memory
card, depends on the quality and size of the images. Before shooting, choose
image quality and size according to how the picture will be used.

Image Quality

The camera stores images in one of three formats: NEF (RAW), TIFF (HI qual-
ity), or JPEG (EXTRA, FINE, NORMAL, or BASIC quality).

Option

Format

Compression

ratio

1

Description

RAW

2, 3

NEF

Not

compressed

Raw data from CCD are saved in Nikon Electronic
Image Format (NEF) without processing or com-
pression, preserving high level of detail at fi le size
slightly smaller than that of TIFF images.

HI

2, 4

TIFF

(RGB)

High image quality (on par with NEF) in format sup-
ported by most imaging applications.

EXTRA

JPEG

1 : 2

Produces best quality JPEG images; fi le size is small-
er than NEF or TIFF.

FINE

1 : 4

Fine image quality, suitable for enlargements or
high-quality prints.

NORM

(NORMAL)

1 : 8

Normal image quality, suited to most applications.

BASIC

1 : 16

Basic image quality, suitable for pictures that will be
distributed by e-mail or used in web pages.

1 To reduce the amount of memory each shot occupies, JPEG images are compressed as

they are saved to the memory card. Compression selectively reduces the quality of the
image; the more a picture is compressed, the more noticeable this loss of quality is likely
to be. This column gives the approximate compression ratio for each setting.

2 Available only in P, S, A, and M modes. Selecting

(auto) or scene mode resets

image quality to EXTRA. Digital zoom (

18) not supported.

3 Available only at an image size of

. Selecting

resets image quality to HI; select-

ing any other size resets image quality to EXTRA. Direct print (

80) not supported.

4 Available only at image sizes of

and

. Selecting another size resets image qual-

ity to EXTRA.

Image Mode