A7rII - Loss of Dynamic Range when using Small RAW Format?

[ArchitecturalPhotographer]

Regarding the A7rII:

 

You know how you can choose to shoot either RAW, Medium RAW, or Small RAW.

 

Do you lose dynamic range if you're using Small RAW format versus RAW?

[mkg3]

Unless I missed a setting or two, there is no size selection on raw file.

 

There is compressed and uncompressed (v2.0 firmware) that results in different file size, naturally but S, M, L type of setting is only for jpeg files to my knowledge.

[ArchitecturalPhotographer]

Yes, there is a menu item for changing the size of the RAW images.  You can choose 42mp, 18mp (medium), or 11mp (small).

 

Next, you can choose whether to have RAW or RAW+Jpeg, from which you can then select the size of the jpeg file. 

 

Then you can choose whether those RAW's are compressed or uncompressed with the new firmware.

 

My question, again, is if there is any loss of dynamic range by shooting smaller RAW images?  I don't always have to have 42mp images but, I would always like to have that dynamic range.  

 

I didn't know if by shooting 18mp RAW images, I would be losing any dynamic range that I would get as if I were shooting 42mp images.

[Aonko]

No that option is only for changing the size of the JPEG when you are shooting in RAW+JPEG mode. If you select just RAW you will see the option goes away.

[mkg3]

Yes, there is a menu item for changing the size of the RAW images.  You can choose 42mp, 18mp (medium), or 11mp (small).

 

Next, you can choose whether to have RAW or RAW+Jpeg, from which you can then select the size of the jpeg file. 

 

Then you can choose whether those RAW's are compressed or uncompressed with the new firmware.

 

Ok, I just looked at the menu and there is no raw size selection. 

 

When you select raw+jpeg, the only thing you are doing when selecting size is the jpeg that accompany's raw.

 

Just select raw only and the file size option is not available.

 

Raw is what it sounds like. It is data straight from the sensor and the only way to get that smaller is to select APS-C/Super 35 mode.

[ArchitecturalPhotographer]

Ok, what everyone replied with has now been confirmed by myself.  Sorry about that, I'm still making a slow transition from Canon and they allowed you to shoot smaller RAW images and I assumed Sony did too. I wish there was a way to do this with Sony, though.

 

Thanks for the replies!

[Guest Colin Scott Johnson]

There is. Shoot them with compression turned on and they are half the size

[ArchitecturalPhotographer]

I'll have to try this, are all others things equal besides the size of the image?  Meaning, the DR is the same?

[dclark2171]

All the DR results you have seen on review sites is with compressed RAW. Sony only recently released the ability for uncompressed. The DR is excellent all around. If you shoot in crop 35 (18 mp)  mode, you are basically asking the camera to act like a crop sensor (APS-c) camera. Thus, if you shoot 16mm wide full frame lens, the image will be approx 24mm or so wide. You would need to get a 10 or 11mm lens for crop sensor cameras to duplicate the field of view of the 16mm ff lens. I'm not certain the effects of DR in crop mode.