I recommend shooting both. I like to have the JPEG available, so the Nikon color palette will be applied along with other things such as chromatic aberration correction, sharpening, noise reduction, and vignette correction. There might be other settings applied, but I can’t think of any. I use the JPEG most of the time since I like the Nikon colors. When you shoot raw and employ software that is not Nikon software, the only thing read is the white balance. The color of the raw file will be a neutral palette. Companies reverse-engineering raw files so they can be opened. Most people don’t use Nikon software, so that is why I suggest shooting a JPEG file. Here is a list of JPEGs you can shoot in the Nikon D850:
- fine size priority
- fine optimal quality
- normal size priority
- normal optimal quality
- basic size priority
- basic optimal quality
Fine is the least compressed size JPEG, and in the D850 is about 30 MB. The normal is typically half the size with 95 percent of the quality, and Basic is a quarter size of fine and about 90 percent of the quality. You can make a very nice large print with any of these JPEGs.
Size priority will keep the JPEGs a consistent size, and optimal quality will let the file grow in size if you encounter a scene that has more detail. Lower-end cameras do not have these settings.
I shoot fine size optimal quality when I am shooting something important. If it is something less important, I switch to normal size priority.
I also shoot raw since this provides more dynamic range and the ability to apply any white balance I want. I have to add the colors I want in Lightroom. Here is a list below of Raw files you can select in the D850:
- 14-bit uncompressed
- 14-bit lossless compressed
- 14-bit compressed
- 12-bit uncompressed
- 12-bit lossless compressed
- 12-bit compressed
I never shoot uncompressed because this takes up too much space. With 14-bit lossless compressed, you do not lose any detail. This option is best when you want the most quality. With 12-bit lossless uncompressed, you will theoretically lose a little bit of dynamic range, but nothing noticeable. I shoot 14-bit lossless compressed for important things. For just general photography, I shoot 12-bit compressed. With 12-bit compressed, you will lose a little bit of dynamic range. Typically, a 14-bit lossless compressed file on the D850 is about 50 MB, and the 12-bit compressed file is 30 MB. The uncompressed 14-bit file is about 100 MB.
Another reason to shoot smaller files is if you are shooting action. A lot of sports photographers want smaller files, so their cameras can run faster.
One final reason is it cost less to store. Hard drive space is cheap, but it still cost money to store your data.
Overall, I hope this advice helps. If you do only shoot one file, I suggest raw. The first year I shot digital, I shot all JPEG. I look back at some of these photos and miss the fact my editing options are more limited.