Image Format Comparison

CR2 vs DNG: Canon RAW vs Adobe's Universal RAW Format

CR2 (Canon Raw version 2) is the RAW format produced by Canon DSLRs from 2004 to 2018. DNG (Digital Negative) is Adobe's open RAW format designed to be the universal RAW standard — supported by Lightroom, Photoshop, and dozens of other apps without proprietary decoders. Many photographers convert CR2 to DNG for long-term archiving.

CR2vsDNG

Quick Verdict

Use CR2 when…

Use CR2 when you're in Canon's ecosystem and shoot with software that reads CR2 natively — Canon Digital Photo Professional, Lightroom, Capture One. The original CR2 file from the camera is unmodified and lossless.

Use DNG when…

Use DNG for long-term archiving, cross-platform editing, and if you want metadata embedded in the file (no sidecar .xmp files needed). DNG is also smaller than CR2 with lossless compression.

CR2 vs DNG: Feature Comparison

Feature	CR2	DNG
Developer	Canon	Adobe (open spec)
Proprietary?	Yes	No — open ISO standard
Software support	Canon DPP, Lightroom, C1	Universal — Lightroom, Photoshop, RawTherapee, darktable
Lossless compression	Optional	Yes — built-in
Embedded metadata	Sidecar .xmp needed	Embedded in file
Future compatibility	Tied to Canon's support	Open spec — long-term safe
File size	Larger	Smaller (lossless compression)

When CR2 wins

✓Developer: Canon
✓Proprietary?: Yes
✓Software support: Canon DPP, Lightroom, C1

When DNG wins

✓Developer: Adobe (open spec)
✓Proprietary?: No — open ISO standard
✓Software support: Universal — Lightroom, Photoshop, RawTherapee, darktable

Frequently asked questions

Should I shoot in CR2 or convert to DNG?

Shoot in CR2 (or CR3 on newer Canons) — that's the unmodified sensor data. Convert to DNG afterward for archiving if desired. Never shoot in in-camera DNG if your camera offers it alongside CR2 — in-camera DNG is often processed differently than software DNG conversion from the RAW original.

Does converting CR2 to DNG lose quality?

No — when using lossless DNG conversion in Adobe DNG Converter or Lightroom ('Convert to DNG' with 'Lossless Compression' checked), the RAW pixel data is preserved bit-for-bit. The DNG contains the original sensor data plus metadata. Only 'Lossy DNG' compression reduces quality — this is an explicit option you'd have to deliberately enable.

Can I convert back from DNG to CR2?

No. DNG conversion is one-way — there's no DNG-to-CR2 converter because DNG stores the RAW data but restructures it. Always keep the original CR2 files if you may need them, and convert copies to DNG. Most photographers keep both formats: CR2 for the original capture, DNG for the working archive.