Instruction manual
29
Nikon D200
Resolution Setting
Resulting size
Large
4.8 megapixels (3872 x 2592)
Medium
2.7 megapixels (2896 x 1944)
Small
1.2 megapixels (1936 x 1296)
2.6.2 Quality
The quality setting indicates how much the picture is compressed to save
space on the memory card. The pictures are normally captured in a JPEG file
format, except for the “Uncompressed” quality setting which captures the picture
in an uncompressed TIF file format. With the uncompressed TIF file format, the
file size is very large and takes up a large amount of space on the memory card.
[Note: Newer cameras allow you to save photos in the RAW format, but this is not
recommended for CAP missions because the formats are often proprietary and
cannot be read or edited without the manufacturer’s special software.]
In other words, quality is inversely proportional to the amount of JPEG
compression the camera uses. Thus, a higher quality photo will have less
compression, and vice versa. As you lower the quality and increase the
compression, there will be more "artifacts" in your photo that are a result of the
higher JPEG compression. You will notice that edges will seem blurry or that little
squares (“jaggies”) will appear.
You can set your camera to take pictures with different quality settings. Many
cameras, such as the DC290, label these quality selections as:
• ‘Uncompressed’ is used when you want an image with no compression,
in a TIF file format. This produces photo quality suitable for large prints.
However, the photo file size is very large.
• ‘Best’ is used when image quality is very important, but you don’t need
the large file size of uncompressed images. This setting is ideal for most
CAP missions.
• ‘Better’ is used for standard quality picture taking and to store a large
number of pictures.
• ‘Good’ is used to store the greatest number of pictures on the memory
card and for photos you plan to display on a computer or use on the Web.
This setting has the most compression and provides the least image
quality, but the file size is very small and easy to e-mail.
The Nikon D200 gives you these options:
• ‘RAW’ images are saved in the Nikon Electronic Format (NEF)
• ‘JPEG Fine’ images are compressed at a ratio of ~1:4. This setting is
recommended for CAP missions.