: Karl, I'm afraid you've got the whole thing a nit garbled. It's the gradation steps that become smaller. Not the total luminance levels. I know that, it's just that I find *many* web pages saying that the 'dynamic range' of a jpeg is 256 steps (true) that this equates to 2.4, and *thus* 8 stops (!) of luminance values, then they conclude that raw or tiff has a greater range of luminance values because it has a greater bit depth (eek!) : One bit records from pitch black to gleaming white. The same with 2 bit. But the difference is the number of grey tones in between. I know that too.. the problem seems to be that film 'dynamic range' and sensor dynamic range is totally different to the concept of dynamic range equating to bit depth - which is false :) ..as I showed with that little test shoot k