Recently it has been suggested to me to set my in-camera sharpening at the highest setting so that I can see the sharpness of a shot on the LCD in the field. Does this sharpening setting effect the raw file and the jpeg or just the jpeg? And, if this setting does effect the raw, can it be changed in ACR? I have my Nikon D200 set at the lowest sharpening setting and am shooting raw+basic jpeg.
I personally have never judged critical sharpness on the camera's LCD. I leave that to the computer monitor. The only frames that I would ditch in-camera (and that is only if more room would be needed on the card for some reason) would be the obviously flawed ones so I wouldn't be worried about that...anything remotely sharp will not be deleted but rather viewed and judged during RAW conversion. Raising the in-camera sharpness does not affect the RAW files - same as raising the contrast and saturation in-camera.
Raising the sharpness might help judging if you got a potential keeper while being in the field. As Daniel said, it does not effect the RAW file but it does effect the JPG. I only use RAW and the settings for the embedded jpg are only interesting for looking at the camera monitor.
Thanks Daniel and Alex. I am thinking that if I up the in-camera sharpening that this will help me edit in-camera and save time at the computer? I seem to "chimp" alot in the field and delete if I see the need, so if I can tell that the image isn't going to be sharp enough, I can delete and ultimately have less to do at home.
I'm really getting to this late - but I have run into a similar situation. I don't set any sharpness in the camera, because, like the others said - it does nothing to the RAW file at import. I bought one of these http://www.hoodmanusa.com/prodinfo.asp?number=H-LPP3
It doesn't actually magnify the image, you can still do that with the LCD controls, but it does help to block out extra light and allows you to really look at your image well in the field. Don't worry, I'm a fellow "chimp". I'm going to try using it in some landscapes too, with Live View on, kind of like a small view camera - with the image facing the right way:)
Hi Dave. Yes, I think that the Hoodman is a good thing. I don't currently have one but I have used one. I have set my in-camera sharpening up all the way and I really like seeing the captures looking sharp on the little monitor! It is giving me a good look at what needs to be deleted in the field and what deserves to live! And, this doesn't add sharpening to the raw files!:)