JPEGs are not fragile at all. they are misused by the novice. every time you save a JPEF file from an image editing program, it recompresses the image. since JPEG is a lossy compress algorithm, that means each save throws away more of the image. i set my digital camera to capture at the least possible JPEG compression and anything that i decide worth working on gets converted to Photoshop format and stays that way. anybody that needs my files gets them as Photoshop or JPEG files created from the Photoshop original. i never alter the JPEG files from the camera.
This is the most sensible piece of advice I have read here. This needs reiterating: you can shoot in high quality jpeg mode, convert to a native Photoshop file, and hey presto - print at 300 dpi, or save to CD. As a rule, I save all my camera originals to CD. Every one. I go through each batch straight from the camera and optimise the chosen 10% or so and save them as ready Photoshop files. You can shoot RAW if you like, but at 6MP you will be hard-pushed to notice a great big quality increase. I have had a RAW file and a large/fine jpeg of the same scene opened side-by-side, examining minute differences down to the individual pixel, and there's so little in it that I always shoot jpeg.
HTH
Cotty
