Pentax K-5 settings for newbie discussion

[ndhonghai]

Hi,

I'm a newbie of Pentax K-5 with lens DA 35mm f/2.4.
I used Nikon D5000 before and really interested in its Picture Control feature.
And in K-5, we have 5 user modes, I try to search the settings (saturation, contrast, sharpness,...) for below:
- Portraits
- Landscape
- Party
- Weddings
- ...

If you have yours, can post here then we start discussing cheers!!!

 

[chiangkxv]

why not shoot in raw format and process later?

 

[ndhonghai]

Sure, raw is good for post process but what I want to discuss here is to get the best photo after first time shoot. It is art.
Moreover, how happy when we show the preview photo to model after seconds

 

[GSiGuy]

Sure, raw is good for post process but what I want to discuss here is to get the best photo after first time shoot. It is art.
Moreover, how happy when we show the preview photo to model after seconds

I shoot RAW but since the screen mimics the setting you put on, i left it at vivid or bright cos the LCD shot looks more vibrant that way. But Master Feng Wei asked me to leave it on natural. Perhaps because it is closest to RAW...

 

[pinholecam]

Sure, raw is good for post process but what I want to discuss here is to get the best photo after first time shoot. It is art.
Moreover, how happy when we show the preview photo to model after seconds

The advantage of a DSLR is precisely because we can PP to taste as the ooc o/p is usually more meld-able.
Shaping a mental vision into photographic work is quite an art.
PP is part of that process.
500px / Popular Photos


To leave in 'Natural' setting, most stuff look closer to RAW.
It may or may not suit your taste.
Natural setting does have the advantage of giving more toned down reds, which tends to be overblown in saturation on the other settings. (YMMV)
You got to play around with the saturation/contrast/sharpness settings in Natural/Vivid/Portrait/etc to determine which one you prefer.
The review will have to be on a proper screen, not the camera LCD.
Tedious stuff.....


Nowadays, I just shoot 'lazy RAW'.
I set my camera to Portrait, sharpness +2.
Conversion is just using PDCU w/o any adjustments. (the camera settings will be used in the RAW conversion)

I will only take over control of the RAW conversion if :
1. I screwed up the exposure
2. I screwed up the w/b
3. I need shadow recovery


btw, if you show model the camera lcd, everything looks good on that small screen so don't worry too much


my few cents.

 

[ndhonghai]

For my PORTRAITS settings:
Use Portraits mode and modify below:
- Saturation +1
- Contrast +1
- Sharpness +1

 

[detritus]

i dun want to sound too critical but i'm in agreement with the majority view here: if u're shooting raw, it doesn't matter what settings u use for the in-camera JPEG output setting. its a pretty blunt instrument.

i only use it for unimportant shoots when i know for sure that i won't be doing any post processing - i.e. boring company events where i'm arrowed to use my own equipment without compensation. i'll just set to vibrant cos philistines just love saturated colours :bsmilie:

 

[kaixax555]

For other settings... I turn on highlight correction and shadow correction at maximum :bsmilie:

 

[Baracus]

i dun want to sound too critical but i'm in agreement with the majority view here: if u're shooting raw, it doesn't matter what settings u use for the in-camera JPEG output setting. its a pretty blunt instrument.

i only use it for unimportant shoots when i know for sure that i won't be doing any post processing - i.e. boring company events where i'm arrowed to use my own equipment without compensation. i'll just set to vibrant cos philistines just love saturated colours :bsmilie:

But I shoot and edit in JPEG leh... (see sig)
Doesn't really matter at downsized web size to me. ;p

But I do shoot RAW when I need the dynamic range for shadow recovery.

 

[detritus]

But I shoot and edit in JPEG leh... (see sig)
Doesn't really matter at downsized web size to me. ;p

But I do shoot RAW when I need the dynamic range for shadow recovery.

nope. no problem with that. same reason why you don't have a problem with shooting RAW when u need the dynamic range. :bsmilie: they're just tools to get the job done.

i also dun mind shooting jpeg when i'm feeling lazy.

 

[ndhonghai]

I have experience when seat for hours to edit ~500 raw photos +_+