Why isn't saving photos as TIFF files a popular choice by DSLR manufacturers?

Question

Why do many DSLRs have the option to save in RAW or JPEG but not in TIFF? It would be useful to save it as a TIFF file using lossless compression. It would be a midway between RAW and JPEG. Is it because the size of TIFF files is huge?

Asked by Akram Mellice

Answer

Noting other answers, and having had a bridge camera that did TIFFs, I'd suggest that for DSLRs TIFF is pointless except as an add on if it can be managed.

TIFF is a lossless way of saving an image, once an image is generated, BUT the image that it saves is an interpretation of what the sensor records.

RAW gives you the maximum possible flexibility in dealing with the available data. Software to convert to TIFF or JPG is provided by the camera maker plus the various commercial RAW converters are a small fraction of a good DSLR price.

JPG gives you user usable images at a compression level that suits the user.

RAW + JPG gives you all the advantages of RAW plus some of the advantages of JPG (as it usually does not allow selection of JPG compression level and the JPG provided may be not be the highest quality JPG the camera provides in pure JPG mode.
eg in a Sony A700, straight JPG comes in Extra Fine, Fine, Standard.
But with RAW + JPG, the provided JPG is "fine" and not "Extra Fine".

TIFF loses data relative to RAW and is far larger than any sensible JPG and has no great quality improvement over the best JPG. Once it is "not RAW" then it is subject to manufacturers decisions.

Useful where available is Compressed-RAW and Compressed RAW + JPG.
Available eg on Sony A700 but not on the newer A77 where it would be useful due to largr file sizes.
Compressed-RAW provides a lossless compression of the RAW file at the expense of processing time and a somewhat non-stanard format.

Answered by Russell McMahon

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