More colors in 8 bit JPG than 16 bit TIF with Digital Rebel

[The Photo Tuell]

With the G2/G3 when I converted RAWS I would do them all to 8 bit JPG then ones I wanted to print to 16 bit TIF. The 16 bit TIFs always had more colors in them, usually double.

One example from the G3 has 75,271 colors in the 8 bit JPG, and 188,642 colors in the 16 bit TIF.

Today I was getting some shots from the Digital Rebel ready to print and found a surprise. The 8 bit JPGs have more colors than the 16 bit TIFs!

One shot from the Digital Rebel has 461,202 colors in the 8 bit JPG, but only 444,152 in the 16 bit TIF.

Another has 16,162 colors in the 8 bit JPG, and only 12,434 in the 16 bit TIF.

Anyone else noticed this? Am I going crazy? I liked it better when the TIF was undoubtedly better, now I don't know whether I should use the JPG or the TIF, heh.

Oh yea, I shoot using Parameter 2 and use Canons FVU for converting RAWs.

[eric s]

I have almost never used RAW (don't have the card capacity yet, even with 1 1G and 1 512MB.) So I can't answer your question, but I have a question of my own.

How are you calculating the "number of colors"? Are you sure it doesn't have to do with the settings used to convert the RAW -> TIFF? Are the JPGs you're looking at the extracted ones from the RAW, or are you actually converting the RAW to JPG? (Those two could yield pictures made with different settings.)

Eric

[The Photo Tuell]

Originally Posted by eric s

How are you calculating the "number of colors"? Are you sure it doesn't have to do with the settings used to convert the RAW -> TIFF? Are the JPGs you're looking at the extracted ones from the RAW, or are you actually converting the RAW to JPG? (Those two could yield pictures made with different settings.)

I use Paint Shop Pro 8 (works with 16 bit files unlike that other program) and 'Count Image Colors' under the Image menu. I looked in Photoshop Elements and couldn't find any way to do the same thing. One weird thing is that PSP 7 reports different numbers for the 8 bit JPG (15,152 instead of 16,162...not a typo, checked many times hehe) but the TIF numbers match.

The JPGs are converted to highest quality. I tried extracting the embedded JPG and it had fewer colors than the converted JPG or the TIF.

Anyone with a 10D notice this type of thing or is it only the Digital Rebel? Maybe I didn't check enough pictures.

HMMM the False Color Filter option changes the number of colors, sometimes putting the TIF over the JPG but not always. Thanks for reminding me to check the options.

Sidenote on CF card capacity...I only have a 512, two 128s and two 32s yet I always use RAW. I use a 40GB X-Drive 2 portable hard drive/card reader for storage and transferring files to computer. I've been pretty happy with it and it's cheaper than buying more CF cards.

[Frank Doorhof]

Hi,

A strange way to calculate colors, and I think it's only for that picture and that scene.

Greetings,
Frank