Nikon D300 Complete Manual page 127

• Saving an image in TIFF format performs the necessary
steps to convert the 12-bit sensor data into 16-bit image
data using the camera settings that are in effect, reduces
the image data that was used by the imaging ASIC during
this process to 8 bits, and copies the camera settings into
the EXIF fields; no compression is applied to the image.
• Saving an image in NEF format creates 12-bit or 14-bit
image data, this data is optionally compressed in either
lossless or visually lossless form, then copied to the card
as a file by adding the camera settings into the EXIF fields.
In addition to the raw sensor data, NEF format also creates
and stores a JPEG basic image as a "thumbnail" that is
added to the file.
If you want the highest quality image the D300 is capable of,
use 14-bit uncompressed or lossless compressed NEF (though
this requires that you use appropriate software to decipher the
data; see "NEF Format" on page <150>). If you set your
camera's exposure, white balance, and other settings
knowledgeably, know your way around digital image editing
programs, and immediately convert your JPEG files into a
lossless format—such as Adobe's PSD (Photoshop data)
format—any actual loss of data that occurs using JPEG or TIFF
can be kept essentially invisible, at least at moderate viewing
sizes that don't require post processing.
The primary difference between JPEG/TIFF and NEF is that, for
JPEG and TIFF the camera's electronics have to do all the
work of assembling an image from the data and your settings,
while with NEF that work is postponed until you get to a
computer. JPEG and TIFF (potentially) suffer from three things
that can "harm" image quality:
• The camera's electronics are static. They're only as good
as the state-of-the-art in early 2007 when they were
locked down in design. Those of us who've been using
DSLRs for years know that image processing software is
still getting better every year. By delaying the processing,
you potentially can take advantage of image techniques
that came to be after the camera was designed.
Thom Hogan's Complete Guide to the Nikon D300
V1.02
Page 127