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The problem with raw files is that they aren't a standard so each new camera needs a new version of Lightroom to work, Lightroom 3 will only work with cameras released before Adobe released 3.6. It's a pain in the neck because I was quite happy with Lightroom version 4 but now I'm on 6 because the older versions didn't support newer cameras I'd bought.
Just to define what a raw file is (if I've missed it above, my apologies!) it's essentially a digital negative - the camera saves the raw output from the sensor and then allows processing software such as Lightroom or many other programs to then process the file to produce a jpeg. The reason this is an advantage is because when the jpeg is produced, information is lost so with raw photos you can usually get more details in the dark and bright areas, set the white balance etc.
Its usefulness varies on a few things, increasingly now cameras have great jpeg engines and various software tricks to improve the photo plus the bigger the sensor, the more you can usually get out of the raw photo. In practice I don't tend to bother processing raw files from the RX100 unless there's issues with the photo I need to correct (such as getting the white balance wrong) as there's not so much latitude to improve the dynamic range and the camera has a good jpeg engine. My big Nikon D700 DSLR has a terrible jpeg engine and a fantastic full frame sensor so I always process the raw files from it and rarely use the jpegs, I tend to always process the raw files from the D750 as well although its jpeg engine isn't as bad.
As for an actual camera I agree with Ugg10's post above - the choice is between a huge zoom and a tiny sensor or a moderate zoom and a bigger sensor. The Panasonic TZ100 strikes a balance in the middle with its comparatively huge 1in sensor and 25-250mm zoom lens. The sensor isn't as good as a DSLR sensor but I've been impressed with the 1in sensor size as it still offers a noticeable improvement over the superzoom sensors but without making the cameras too big.
Between the cameras you've mentioned there isn't going to be much between them in terms of image quality and instead it's more going to be handling and other features that set them apart. If you were happy with the Panasonic then I'd lean towards the TZ80 as it should be similar in use. The reason your sample image of the seals is so soft is because the camera increased the iso setting to 320 to prevent any motion blur in the photo, on a small sensor this means a big increase in the noise which the camera has tried to control with aggressive noise reduction - if you zoom in close you'll a sort of splotchy effect which is typical of high iso noise reduction, it reduces the noise but also reduces the detail. Generally the bigger the sensor, the less noise you'll have at higher iso - the 1in sensor is not bad up to 1600 while a good full frame sensor can go 6400 and above giving them better image quality in poor light.
This is an exciting photo (only high iso one I had online with a 100% crop) at iso 1600 from an RX100mk1 with a 1in sensor:
And a 100% crop:
The image is a little softer but there's still a lot of detail and this is two stops more (equivalently allowing four times more light) than the seal picture above. |
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