Help! Noob still getting dull pics on k-x :-(


GSiGuy

Senior Member
Sep 14, 2010
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Hi kinda a noob with DSLRs still and had my k-x for about 2 mths now. am still learning but what i have hit a brick wall here cos i can't seem to get my pictures to "pop" with colour the way i see some pictures from others do. Here are some samples:-

1st 3 pics taken within seconds of each other on different WB settings

5204655274_7e00e499d8_b.jpg


5204051131_fe34cd1c1e_z.jpg


5204046463_7a6a1039d4_z.jpg


The next 2 perhaps illustrates best what i am worrying about most... most pics just come out dull and lifeless... (granted it was an overcast 3pm or so at the time)

5204638960_d4690ea454_z.jpg


5204633452_9ff015fb1c_z.jpg


Sorry for the noobness of such a question and i am sure its probably been asked a zillion times before but right now, it is a little worrying that i am gonna get lifeless dull pictures if i keep using the k-x compared to a p&s.

The question really is: is this my technique or is it because there is a pblm with the k-x?

if the latter, what should i be doing?
 

in contrast this is what a night shot with bright colourful lights look like on my k-x...

5204560636_327df295b6_b.jpg
 

From knowing what is a camera to composition to knowing what works and what not to so many other things... putting it all together and soon you will produce great pics... and to know all these things, take time, lots of time, reseach, practice and of course passion...
 

Hi kinda a noob with DSLRs still and had my k-x for about 2 mths now. am still learning but what i have hit a brick wall here cos i can't seem to get my pictures to "pop" with colour the way i see some pictures from others do. Here are some samples:-


5204638960_d4690ea454_z.jpg


QUOTE]

This one look under expose to me .
 

From knowing what is a camera to composition to knowing what works and what not to so many other things... putting it all together and soon you will produce great pics... and to know all these things, take time, lots of time, reseach, practice and of course passion...

Yes, you are so right! There's just so much to learn. Its both a science and an art. I am glad i still find it interesting. Its just that i am like going on a once-in-a-lifetime trip soon and i really don't want the photos to come out all dull & lifeless...


Thanks for the link. Yes i have been researching too. I have played with the custom settings but it doesn't seem to produce significantly very different pictures. i think i am likely to shoot RAW when i go on my trip, just to be safe...

Hi kinda a noob with DSLRs still and had my k-x for about 2 mths now. am still learning but what i have hit a brick wall here cos i can't seem to get my pictures to "pop" with colour the way i see some pictures from others do. Here are some samples:-


5204638960_d4690ea454_z.jpg


QUOTE]

This one look under expose to me .

yes, i agree. so what do i do? up the EV compensation?
 

#1 and #4 quite ok actually... just under-exposed.

not sure what u mean by getting the colours to "pop" but it could either be a matter of expectation or if you shoot RAW, you could do some PP to enhance the pix.
 

i see no problems with your shots. im assuming the pictures you saw that "popped" with colors might have went through at least some form of pp.

the pictures you attached, were they taken in jpeg, or raw output to jpeg? there's a difference, jpeg has some saturation and sharpening already done for you. maybe you can try increasing the vibrance or saturation, in-cam or during pp. 1st and 3rd seem totally fine to me, if you want PnS look, just increase the contrast and saturation slider inside the K-x itself? 2nd pic is underexposed and has off white balance, you can see its a little yellow, so the WB is a little on the warm side, just cool it a bit.

dslr pictures generally tend to look less contrasty and saturated, so that you can adjust it to your liking afterwards during pp, or infact you can adjust in-cam after reviewing it on your lcd. also, you have to compare pictures with the same scene. a picture with deep blacks will give a alluring feeling to 1st order colours in the scene, which is why lcd tvs tend to boast their panels have whatever whatever black. the entire "phenomenon" is just having higher contrast, without overdoing it and having too much black and white without anything in btween.
 

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All your shots seem okay, just underexposed like what others say. Try to shoot again under good lighting condition, else set to +0.3 or 0.7 ev compensation. You may want to use CPL to add extra contrast and saturation. Anyway, this is when PP comes in!
 

Hi,

your picture looks OK to me. You probably have to learn about correct exposure and metering system as it is different from regular PnS.
The pictures you have taken can be improved by a common adjustment like exposure or contrast adjusment. Try Picasa, its free and quite user friendly.
Welcome to the wonderful world of photography. ;)
 

Thank you all for all your helpful responses!

I think the consensus is that the exposure setting is not correct. Yes, this is tricky and something i have to learn. The other thing being the custom settings and perhaps some adjustments in saturation, sharpness, etc. i believe the k-x is default set on Bright. i have tried Vivid but haven't seen much difference. Perhaps i will tweak the settings there and see what results i get.
 

Hi Bro, your pictures are good to me. I'm also having the same problem as you facing now :cry: I'm from pns background and I think it is quite difficult to understand and apply on those setting (i.e shutter speed, iso, aperture setting....etc), but I believe if we shoot more pictures it will definitely improve on our skills...;p

You can refer to the below thread from Sulhan for more details, I found that this is a good thread to understand the basic of DSLR camera:

:thumbsup: http://www.clubsnap.com/forums/showthread.php?t=309544
 

keep learning. don't give up.:)

also do note: if the quality of light during that time of the day which you are photographing is poor, your pics will also likely turn out dull and lifeless. for eg, your wide shot of boat quay is taken when the light makes everything looks flat--you can't expect miracles from your dslr when this is actually what will be recorded. even if you turn up the saturation/contrast/etc parameters on your camera, there's only a limit to what can be achieved compared to waiting for the right 'lighting'. (there's a reason why lots of beautiful landscape shots are taken during dawn or dusk; and even then, you have to be patient and wait for the 'right' moment.)

happy shooting!
 

i see no problems with your shots. im assuming the pictures you saw that "popped" with colors might have went through at least some form of pp.

the pictures you attached, were they taken in jpeg, or raw output to jpeg? there's a difference, jpeg has some saturation and sharpening already done for you. maybe you can try increasing the vibrance or saturation, in-cam or during pp. 1st and 3rd seem totally fine to me, if you want PnS look, just increase the contrast and saturation slider inside the K-x itself? 2nd pic is underexposed and has off white balance, you can see its a little yellow, so the WB is a little on the warm side, just cool it a bit.

dslr pictures generally tend to look less contrasty and saturated, so that you can adjust it to your liking afterwards during pp, or infact you can adjust in-cam after reviewing it on your lcd. also, you have to compare pictures with the same scene. a picture with deep blacks will give a alluring feeling to 1st order colours in the scene, which is why lcd tvs tend to boast their panels have whatever whatever black. the entire "phenomenon" is just having higher contrast, without overdoing it and having too much black and white without anything in btween.

yes you are pbly right that some pictures i saw were PP'd. i was looking at a thread on pentaxforum where pple put up pics taken with DA Ltd primes and they looked fantastic. It really made my pictures seemed lousy. then there was the other thread here with pics taken with the k-x & a kit lens in HK and they looked awesome too. i thought there must either be something seriously wrong with my technique or my k-x... hence i started this thread for all your learned feedback.

i shot in JPEG. i will try to shoot RAW and PP more...:) Kinda afraid to play with the various in-cam saturation, sharpness, etc, settings cos i tend to forget that i tweaked it and if i make a wrong adjustment i worry i cannot remember where it was made and how to go back.. i know, quite bodoh but this is me getting my old head around a new camera. not easy...

thanks for letting me know abt DSLR contrast & saturation. makes me worry less about my pics...

Hi Bro, your pictures are good to me. I'm also having the same problem as you facing now :cry: I'm from pns background and I think it is quite difficult to understand and apply on those setting (i.e shutter speed, iso, aperture setting....etc), but I believe if we shoot more pictures it will definitely improve on our skills...;p

You can refer to the below thread from Sulhan for more details, I found that this is a good thread to understand the basic of DSLR camera:

:thumbsup: http://www.clubsnap.com/forums/showthread.php?t=309544

Thanks. I'm glad i have people in the noob boat with me!!

Thanks for the link. From an earlier link to the pentaxforum, i thought this was useful too...

http://www.fredparker.com/ultexp1.htm

keep learning. don't give up.:)

also do note: if the quality of light during that time of the day which you are photographing is poor, your pics will also likely turn out dull and lifeless. for eg, your wide shot of boat quay is taken when the light makes everything looks flat--you can't expect miracles from your dslr when this is actually what will be recorded. even if you turn up the saturation/contrast/etc parameters on your camera, there's only a limit to what can be achieved compared to waiting for the right 'lighting'. (there's a reason why lots of beautiful landscape shots are taken during dawn or dusk; and even then, you have to be patient and wait for the 'right' moment.)

happy shooting!

thank you for the encouragement!

yes i think the colours on that day weren't great cos there just wasn't good light. that could have been a factor too... i think i will need to compare to pictures taken dawn or dusk to really draw conclusions...
 

Btw, i am asking a totally new question but i hope someone has a quick answer so i dnt waste bandwidth starting a new thread; i encountered a MEMORY CARD ERROR message whilst deleting a picture from my k-x and the camera "hanged" for awhile... when i tried to switch it off, it did not turn off, so i flipped it on again... i was just about to pull the batteries out to switch it off when it flipped back to the AV Mode page which i was originally in. The intended delete occurred and nothing else was lost... should i be worried?
 

Btw, i am asking a totally new question but i hope someone has a quick answer so i dnt waste bandwidth starting a new thread; i encountered a MEMORY CARD ERROR message whilst deleting a picture from my k-x and the camera "hanged" for awhile... when i tried to switch it off, it did not turn off, so i flipped it on again... i was just about to pull the batteries out to switch it off when it flipped back to the AV Mode page which i was originally in. The intended delete occurred and nothing else was lost... should i be worried?

happen to me before..just off the cam and take out the memory card and put it back..so far nothing has happen yet (touch wood)
 

happen to me before..just off the cam and take out the memory card and put it back..so far nothing has happen yet (touch wood)

yeah hope so... may be headed down to emjay soon so may just ask them anyway... will let you know if they think its a serious pblm or not
 

Btw, i am asking a totally new question but i hope someone has a quick answer so i dnt waste bandwidth starting a new thread; i encountered a MEMORY CARD ERROR message whilst deleting a picture from my k-x and the camera "hanged" for awhile... when i tried to switch it off, it did not turn off, so i flipped it on again... i was just about to pull the batteries out to switch it off when it flipped back to the AV Mode page which i was originally in. The intended delete occurred and nothing else was lost... should i be worried?

your answer here,
http://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/pentax-dslr-discussion/86734-pentax-k-x-card-error-message.html
http://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/pentax-dslr-discussion/102738-error-pentax-k-x.html
http://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/...emory-card-error-works-pc-but-not-camera.html
http://www.techtheman.com/2010/08/pentax-k-x-dead-with-memory-card-error.html
http://www.clubsnap.com/forums/showthread.php?t=642299&page=6

I always make a point to copy and paste all my pictures of the day into my com, then reformat the card super clean using the in-cam feature (i use a sd card reader, not the camera usb cable), its a good habit as compared to leaving pictures in-cam and hoping nth goes wrong, this reduces the chances of data corruption (computer writes corrupted files into card, camera not erasing properly, com hangs while cut-pasting) since you never know when that $10 card will fail. picked up this tip from the data management section of a scott kelby book.

also, with regards to changing of camera settings in-cam, you can always reset the settings back to default from the camera menu, or, use the custom filter settings, really useful for people who prefer not to spend too much time in editing afterwards.
 

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