What is MOS?

Mamiya MOS (Leaf MOS) is a raw sensor data format from Mamiya/Leaf digital camera backs, used in professional studio photography.

What is SRW?

Samsung Raw (SRW) contains raw sensor data from Samsung NX series cameras.

When Should You Use MOS vs SRW?

MOS vs SRW: Key Differences

• •MOS uses lossless compression while SRW uses lossless compression — both take the same approach to file size management.
• •Since both MOS and SRW use lossless compression, the quality characteristics are comparable — differences in file size come down to how efficiently each format implements compression.
• •Transparency: N/A
• •Storage footprint: 30-70MB per image for MOS vs 15-40MB per photo for SRW.
• •Primary audience: MOS is built for mamiya camera raw processing scenarios, while SRW focuses on samsung camera raw post-processing — pick the format that matches your output requirement.

Advantages of MOS

• ✓At its core, MOS relies on lossless encoding — a design choice that makes it perfect for Mamiya camera raw processing.
• ✓You won't run into compatibility issues with MOS — it's a universal standard across platforms.
• ✓File size management with MOS: larger files guaranteed to match the original exactly.
• ✓Every major application in the Mamiya camera raw processing space supports MOS natively.

Advantages of SRW

• ✓The lossless nature of SRW means file sizes stay reasonable while handling Samsung camera raw post-processing efficiently.
• ✓From mobile devices to enterprise servers, SRW is recognized and supported everywhere.
• ✓The trade-off for SRW's perfection is larger files — but for archival work, it is worth every megabyte.
• ✓SRW is a first-class citizen in all major software ecosystems, from creative suites to development environments.

Common Use Cases for MOS to SRW Conversion

• Graphic design projects
• E-commerce product images
• Email marketing campaigns
• Presentation graphics
• Blog and article illustrations
• Mobile app UI assets

Industry Applications

Best Practices for MOS to SRW Conversion

• →Before converting MOS to SRW, decide whether you need maximum quality or smallest file size — this determines which format truly fits
• →Save a master copy in a lossless format before converting to SRW — you cannot recover detail lost during lossy compression
• →Check the color profile: MOS images may use a wider gamut than SRW supports, causing a visible shift after conversion
• →Resize images to the final display dimensions before converting — this avoids unnecessary processing of oversized files
• →Run a single test conversion first to verify quality meets your standards
• →Strip unnecessary metadata to reduce file size after conversion

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Troubleshooting MOS to SRW Conversion

• !Converting MOS to SRW gives blurry output → increase the quality setting before conversion
• !Colors look different in SRW than MOS → check color profile mismatch (sRGB vs Adobe RGB)
• !File size changed more than expected → SRW uses different compression, file size differences of 2-5x are normal
• !Transparent areas in MOS turned white in SRW → SRW may not support transparency

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