Digital Photography 101 - Update

I just realized that the homework assignment in my Digital Photography 101 lesson was not as specific as it needed to be. It was a case of "I knew what I was thinking." Here's what I said:

In digital photography, size counts. So get the biggest-size photos you possibly can.

Here's why that's not quite what I meant:

On many of the better cameras, they give you the option of saving your photos as either JPEG files or as RAW files. A RAW file is bigger than the biggest JPEG file on any given camera, but it takes special processing to make the pictures happen. That processing is the digital equivalent to developing your own film in your own darkroom.

Unless you enjoyed developing your own film and you want that kind of control over your digital images, DO NOT set your camera to save your photos as RAW files. My advice is hereby amended:

In digital photography, size counts. So get the biggest-size JPEG photos you possibly can.

Now go check your camera and make sure it's on JPEG.