Choose a compression type and bit depth for NEF (RAW) photographs.

NEF (RAW) Compression

Use compression to reduce file size.

Option Description
N Lossless compressed NEF images are compressed using a reversible algorithm, reducing file size by about 20–40% with no effect on image quality.
O Compressed NEF images are compressed using a non-reversible algorithm, reducing file size by about 35–55% with almost no effect on image quality.
  Uncompressed NEF images are not compressed.

NEF (RAW) Bit Depth

Bit depth determines the depth of color data recorded.

Option Description
q 12-bit NEF (RAW) images are recorded at a bit depth of 12 bits.
r 14-bit NEF (RAW) images are recorded at a bit depth of 14 bits, producing files larger than those with a bit depth of 12 bits but increasing the color data recorded.