I'm not a photographer. On a good day I'm taking nice snapshots, on a bad day I do a disservice to the 2 meg camera in my iPhone 3G. The only real "photographic" rule I follow is to try and crop the shot the way I want it. After that I honestly don't know enough about things like f-stops to chance switching over to manual mode, especially if I know there might not be another chance for the shot.

So the way I compensate is by shooting in RAW format. Currently I own a Canon Powershot that I was able to modify to shoot RAW images. I like to use RAW formats so I will have as much color space as possible to work with. A RAW image from your camera should have a much larger gamut than the typical JPEG camera capture, and if you edit images in something like Photoshop it's a major plus.

A few things you should know about the RAW format:

• RAW is not actually a file format, but a type of file that is as close as a manufacturer will let you get to the data captured right off the camera sensor
• Each manufacturer seems to have their own "RAW" image format, my Canon hack creates its own special RAW format instead of a Canon variety
• Most RAW images are 12-14 bits per pixel, almost double the amount of pixels found in a JPEG
• You need an image editor that can process your RAW formatted image
• You will need to eventually switch to an 8 bit per pixel image in order to print, post or digitally watermark the image

The major benefit of the larger bit depth is a larger dynamic range within the image. For my camera it really shows up in the shadow details and highlights.

Yes, the file size does increase, but SD cards are pretty cheap these days. I have found 2 of my really cheap no-name SD cards are too slow to use if I want to shoot anything that might need a follow up shot.

You can find lots of info and recommendations about RAW images on the web, including hacks for cameras if you are feeling bold. I recommend Wikipedia for a detailed introduction that should help if you want to read some serious photographers' views on using RAW.

Remember, if you do hack or modify your camera you void the warranty. Read the reviews carefully for the hack you are thinking about before you try it.