CAMERA ORIGINAL FILE KEEP OR DELETE?

Do you guys store your raw files? Or do you only keep the finished clip?

Raw files. You may have an error and there'd be no way to correct it without the original footage.

I keep both.
Early on I only kept the finished clip and that bit me in the ass a few times.
A few times a buyer asked me if I could make some change or I may want to take the original clip and do some other effect to it.

Now I don't worry about it, hard drive space is pretty cheap.

Same here I keep both files! Since software develops over time you can also get more out of your RAW files if you have to rerender it ever again.

I keep both. With 4Gb HD at less than $150 it's cheap.

You mean Tb, eh?

I keep both too. Although I've never been asked. Maybe on some cold, dark week I'll go through and select only the best bits, and toss the rest.

I do like to go through the older stuff again anyway, sometimes I find clips I have a new appreciation for, or have the skill to process.

I keep the original file and the .mp4. I get rid of the .mov file that is usually about 500mb of space each. The way I see it is I can always take the .mp4 and run it through Streamclip in the future if I need to re-create it. I'm always fighting for space on this comp and too cheap to buy an external hard drive.

You need TWO copies for each. The second copy is for backup. Don't keep the two copies on the same HDD. Don't keep the second HDD in the same building.
Yes, storage is cheap. I have 12 TB worth of HDDs.

Agree on the backup thing. Since I've moved I've got my original drives and the backups in the same cases ... duh. SHould at least move them to different rooms.

But you don't' "really" need backups of the rendered files if you've uploaded them. Right? I mean, I do, but I realized that were an emergency to crop up, at least my finished work is all online, and, unlike services that charge you to hold your data, the stock agencies PAY you for the privilege of backing up your clips. How cool is that?

Well put Gene, and you should always keep a backup separate, even when moving! I keep the originals and the finished clips in my computer, on 2 extra hard drives that I store in different rooms in the house, and then a 3rd copy at my sister's place. Like the others say, with hard drives being affordable these days I'd rather spend the extra buck than risk losing it all (no matter how remote the chance).