R5 raw file sizes

[mrlang30]

Last year I purchased a new PC per your specs. It is strictly used for photography and related software only. My 1TB is almost half used and I only keep 2-3 acrive photo sessions on my HD at a time. Then they get properly archived. I also run Glary. I feel it's happening because of the larger file size from my new camera (Canon R5). There is only 2 sizes to choose from, from what I can tell, RAW & CRAW besides Jpeg.  Both the RAW seems to say 45 mb files in the menu. Is there a difference in size/quality  and/or how can I ensure my HD won't fill up within a year?! 

[Brian]

Personally, I like all of the Data that the camera captures, so I’m in the camp of uncompressed Raw files. I have seen many reports of CRAW working just fine, but there is a quality loss, but most people wouldn’t notice. In reality, if you do choose to shoot CRaw, then nailing your exposure becomes a little more important vs all the wiggle room you get with an uncompressed file. But again, if all you are doing is photographing things as a hobby and posting to social media, then CRaw is probably fine. If you are shooting things and it counts, like doing commercial work or shooting a wedding, then I would use Raw hands down. 
 

Second, you are ignoring the Elephant in the Room: The 45MP Sensor in that camera. My D850 produces 100MB Raw files, well like 98.xx Mb, but rounding up is easier) and that stupid 45.7 MP Sensor caused me to go out and buy a 12TB HD to store my files, which is getting fuller as the years go on. 

A 1TB HD is so that Photoshop works well and the Operating System remains happy. In no absolute way is a 1TB HD large enough for a camera such as yours.  You need a larger HD, either internal or external. Looking back, I wish I bought a 18TB HD instead of the 12TB. 

Now I’m sure the next question is going to be, what HD do you recommend. The truth is, they are ALL CRAP now. Sandisk purchased Western Digital and G-Srive and quality control on my “Go-To” recommendations has gone down dramatically. Honestly? The next setup for storage that I will likely do is purchase a Synology NAS and get a few beefy HDs to go with it. But that’s a lot more money than a typical EHD setup. 

Which computer do you have? Is this a Desktop or a Laptop. Which Make/Model? 

[mrlang30]

In Dec. 2023 I bought a desktop Dell XPS 8960 with all the options you recommended.  With cameras going nuts for MP maybe you'd consider making a side note in your post regarding computer recommendations. 

I use a 4TB G-Drive for one source of backup. And like I mentioned, I only like to store a handful of sessions on my HD until they're archived. I was just nervous seeing half of it used up and hoping I wouldn't get a PS glitch from lack of space. 

[Brian]

11 minutes ago, mrlang30 said:

With cameras going nuts for MP maybe you'd consider making a side note in your post regarding computer recommendations. 

Yeah...I thought about that with your post.

There is a "Whole Ecosystem" that revolves around your camera. Especially ones that are 45MP or more. The Raw File Sizes are just insane. In fact, my stupid D850 Camera costed me so much money. Had to upgrade RAM to 64GB, buy new lenses because the ones that I had couldn't keep up with the sensor, had to purchase a larger HD, etc. etc. So much money...all for a stupid camera body that I really didn't "need." 

So a new idea for an article popped into my head.

Now, since you have a Dell Desktop, you can add a 2nd Hard Drive. Such as this one: Western Digital Blace 10TB Internal HD. I've had good luck with the WD "Black" Series of drives. Installing one isn't THAT bad, and I can help you go this route. Unless you want to stick with Externals. The hardest part is getting the stupid Dell Case open, then it's just a matter of a few screws, a data cable and power cable. Then you partition / format it in Windows. The whole process takes about 30-45min your 1st time.

The reason I'm recommending a "Spinning HD" instead of a SSD is due to capacity. 8TB SSD Drives are EXPENSIVE. Since you are just using this drive for storage, you just need capacity over everything. This new drive would be your "D:\ Drive."