Raw vs JPEG: which is best for you? February 2, 2021 It is one of the oldest debates in digital photography and you will find adherents on both sides. With modern camera technology so good, do you still need to shoot the ‘unprocessed’ raw file as the camera sees it, which is often compared to a digital negative, or can you now get away with a click-and-go JPEG? We look at the issue in more depth and find some enlightening case studies. 1) Which one to choose? When you’re setting up your camera for the first time, one of the decisions that you have to make is what file format you want to shoot in. This usually comes down to a choice of two formats, JPEG and raw, with the option to shoot both simultaneously.