K-1 Auto mode - do you use it?

**ffking** · 09-24-2016, 01:42 AM

For people like me - and there are a lot of people here as old and older than me (I'm 58) - who remember when cameras didn't even have batteries, it goes against the grain of decades of hard won experience to leave too many decisions to the camera - particularly a high end enthusiast DSLR - and yet cameras do make pretty good decisions a lot of the time. Ricoh trail their 'deep learning artificial intelligence technology' as a new feature on their extended product description, but don't make much of a thing of it in their general advertising. It does, however, seem to have a lot of variables at its disposal to play with - so, I was wondering if any users had made much use of AUTO on the K-1, and what they reckoned of the results?

Sterby · 09-24-2016, 02:20 AM

I don't think this would be a K-1 specific question. It could be asked on the APS-C line down to the entry level models. Regarding basic operations, including the exposure programs (not to be confused with scene or auto programs on the entry level bodies) are mostly the same. There is of course the full Manual mode and the Program and priority programs like Aperture priority, Timing or shutter priority, the Pentax exclusives like the Timing and Aperture priority or ISO auto program and the Sensitivity priority programs. All except the full manual has automated sequences which is useful for not having to fiddle with settings while the moment passes.
For me the most used are in order: Tv, TAv, Av sometimes and M only when I want consistent exposure throughout a sequence of shots like for panoramas or when I want a specific setting.
I never used Green mode or Auto because it could never give the desired detail and depth I wanted. The only time my camera is switched into Green is when a friend wants to try out my "pro" camera.
I would say photography and the operation of digital cameras today are largely the same as 30+ years ago with the added comfort of variable ISO on the digital sensors. In my opinion this is the only thing that makes the exposure triangle complicated today, before you had a fixed ISO on the film and adjusted timing and aperture accordingly. Today thinking like this with variable ISO makes things complicated and time consuming so giving it over to the computer while maintaining control over important parts like timing and depth of field makes more sense.

biz-engineer · 09-24-2016, 02:47 AM - **1 Like**

Originally posted by ffking

I was wondering if any users had made much use of AUTO on the K-1, and what they reckoned of the results?

I've never used the auto mode, I don't even know if it works. After your post, I'll give it a try.

Obin Robinson · 09-24-2016, 03:07 AM

Originally posted by Sterby

I never used Green mode or Auto because it could never give the desired detail and depth I wanted. The only time my camera is switched into Green is when a friend wants to try out my "pro" camera.

Same here. When a friend with little to no photography experience wants to check out my K-1 or K-3 I'll put it on "Auto" mode so they don't get confused by the settings. All they really want to do is look through the viewfinder and click the shutter a few times. If they ask about the dial then I'll show them what it does and how it changes the image which they will capture.

obin

Na Horuk · 09-24-2016, 04:07 AM

I don't like Auto mode because it leaves practically nothing up to the photographer. So, while Auto mode might give you acceptable photos, it will rarely give you anything more, in case you want something more complex.
So I would say at least use P mode, which gives you a little more choices. Why? Because if you have a piece of technology as advanced as a DSLR, especially a K-1, you should at least try to use it to its full potential. If you shoot Auto, might as well get K-S1 and save some money. Photo results won't be that much different, if you use Auto on both cameras.

But hey, for OPs sake of argument, if anyone has a K-1 and wants to spend a day taking photos in Auto mode to see if it behaves any better than older cameras on Auto mode, it would be interesting.

**snpsht** · 09-24-2016, 04:29 AM

I bought a DSLR because I wanted to control the shot, so while I do use Av, TAv and Tv, and less frequently M, I don't think I have ever used green AUTO on the K-1. If I really want to use auto and just snap away, I take my little P&S.

k5astro · 09-24-2016, 05:25 AM

I imagine its excellent. On a podcast I heard this pro said he used the one on the 645 all the time because it was so good. I imagine the K-1 would be similar. Worth a try.

noelpolar · 09-24-2016, 05:36 AM

I had one user mode for auto so I could hand my camera to someone when on holiday to take a shot of my wife and myself..... but I won't hand the K-1 over now.....

**interested_observer** · 09-24-2016, 05:39 AM

Ok, it is not using a Pentax camera - but that is not the point here. Putting a camera in auto and letting them go with it. So, here is the view of the world from a 19 month old.... No, I probably would not do this with a K1, but with a K100 - who knows, start them early....

JONESMRJONES Photography | Stanley takes some pictures with a Canon G12

kenspo · 09-24-2016, 05:49 AM - **1 Like**

If someone uses a machine like K-1 on auto, it should be taken away from them asap!

**ffking** · 09-24-2016, 06:00 AM

Originally posted by kenspo

If someone uses a machine like K-1 on auto, it should be taken away from them asap!

So why did Ricoh spend time and money developing a new 'deep learning artificial intelligence technology' ? My original question was because the implication of their publicity material is that AUTO takes a lot of variables into account depending on the scene - maybe if you don't have a user mode set up for something you see while photographing something else it would be of use? What I'm interested in is if, for example, it recognises a face, does it go into full portrait morde with skin tone and shallow depth of field etc? If it does, and you don't have a portrait user mode, that could be very useful. That's why I want to know if people have experience of using it. I could do my own experiments, and I will (provided you promise not ti take my camera away), but a broader experience sample would be useful.

kenspo · 09-24-2016, 06:07 AM

This is my personal opinion, so i can't answer why Ricoh did that. Auto modes will never work as good as M if you know what you do. It doesn't take more then a 1-2 second to swith to preferred settings in M either. But if you dont have a clue what you do, some Auto modes can help you..that is true..But then a K-1 most likely isn't the camera for you. But as i said, this is just my personal opinion. Doesn't think everyone will agree..hehe

But one way to use auto modes, is to take a pic in auto, see what settings camera have..and try to adjust a bit in M after, and see the differences.

I also only shoot in RAW, so i can adjust some stuff if i doesn't get it 100% correct. But if you are a JPG shooter, i can understand more why some (not all) auto modes can be helpful if you are not sure.

Sterby · 09-24-2016, 06:53 AM

Originally posted by kenspo

This is my personal opinion, so i can't answer why Ricoh did that.

I strongly suspect it is there even on the high end cameras because at some point an otherwise non-photography oriented person will have to shoot with it and it will help them. It also helps protecting your settings not getting bumped over to oblivion because a ham-fisted friend bumps and pushes the wheels and buttons just by not holding the thing right. It happened to me one time, since then the Green mode is more of a blessing than annoyance.
Seriously how does the AF micro-adjustment gets bumped to -10 from +3 while the idiot is putting the camera to his face and pushes the shutter button after missing it two times and still bumping the camera so the shot is a big blurry mess? Never had a more terrifying time watching someone take a photo. Especially with my gear!

**ffking** · 09-24-2016, 06:54 AM

Originally posted by kenspo

It doesn't take more then a 1-2 second to swith to preferred settings in M either

- well, that's my point - the number of parameters you can change is getting bigger - it's about more than f-stop, shutter speed and ISO these days - your fingers might be able to do all the possible s=adjustments in 1-2 seconds, but mine can't.

Having said which, it's because I always shoot RAW in M, AV or TAV and I don't think I've used AUTO in decades that I wondered - am I missing out on something that's got a whole lot better while I've been ignoring it?

kenspo · 09-24-2016, 07:08 AM

Originally posted by ffking

Having said which, it's because I always shoot RAW in M, AV or TAV and I don't think I've used AUTO in decades that I wondered - am I missing out on something that's got a whole lot better while I've been ignoring it?

In my opinion? no..continue shooting in RAW the way you do

09-24-2016, 01:42 AM	#1
ffking Site Supporter Join Date: Nov 2015 Location: Old South Wales Posts: 6,038	K-1 Auto mode - do you use it? For people like me - and there are a lot of people here as old and older than me (I'm 58) - who remember when cameras didn't even have batteries, it goes against the grain of decades of hard won experience to leave too many decisions to the camera - particularly a high end enthusiast DSLR - and yet cameras do make pretty good decisions a lot of the time. Ricoh trail their 'deep learning artificial intelligence technology' as a new feature on their extended product description, but don't make much of a thing of it in their general advertising. It does, however, seem to have a lot of variables at its disposal to play with - so, I was wondering if any users had made much use of AUTO on the K-1, and what they reckoned of the results?

09-24-2016, 05:39 AM	#9
interested_observer Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Tumbleweed, Arizona Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 5,707	Ok, it is not using a Pentax camera - but that is not the point here. Putting a camera in auto and letting them go with it. So, here is the view of the world from a 19 month old.... No, I probably would not do this with a K1, but with a K100 - who knows, start them early.... JONESMRJONES Photography \| Stanley takes some pictures with a Canon G12

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09-24-2016, 02:20 AM	#2
Sterby Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2016 Location: Tarján Photos: Albums Posts: 140	I don't think this would be a K-1 specific question. It could be asked on the APS-C line down to the entry level models. Regarding basic operations, including the exposure programs (not to be confused with scene or auto programs on the entry level bodies) are mostly the same. There is of course the full Manual mode and the Program and priority programs like Aperture priority, Timing or shutter priority, the Pentax exclusives like the Timing and Aperture priority or ISO auto program and the Sensitivity priority programs. All except the full manual has automated sequences which is useful for not having to fiddle with settings while the moment passes. For me the most used are in order: Tv, TAv, Av sometimes and M only when I want consistent exposure throughout a sequence of shots like for panoramas or when I want a specific setting. I never used Green mode or Auto because it could never give the desired detail and depth I wanted. The only time my camera is switched into Green is when a friend wants to try out my "pro" camera. I would say photography and the operation of digital cameras today are largely the same as 30+ years ago with the added comfort of variable ISO on the digital sensors. In my opinion this is the only thing that makes the exposure triangle complicated today, before you had a fixed ISO on the film and adjusted timing and aperture accordingly. Today thinking like this with variable ISO makes things complicated and time consuming so giving it over to the computer while maintaining control over important parts like timing and depth of field makes more sense.

09-24-2016, 02:47 AM - 1 Like	#3
biz-engineer Pentaxian Join Date: Feb 2015 Photos: Gallery Posts: 12,232	Originally posted by ffking I was wondering if any users had made much use of AUTO on the K-1, and what they reckoned of the results? I've never used the auto mode, I don't even know if it works. After your post, I'll give it a try.

09-24-2016, 03:07 AM	#4
Obin Robinson Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2014 Photos: Albums Posts: 272	Originally posted by Sterby I never used Green mode or Auto because it could never give the desired detail and depth I wanted. The only time my camera is switched into Green is when a friend wants to try out my "pro" camera. Same here. When a friend with little to no photography experience wants to check out my K-1 or K-3 I'll put it on "Auto" mode so they don't get confused by the settings. All they really want to do is look through the viewfinder and click the shutter a few times. If they ask about the dial then I'll show them what it does and how it changes the image which they will capture. obin

09-24-2016, 04:07 AM	#5
Na Horuk Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Slovenia, probably Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 11,186	I don't like Auto mode because it leaves practically nothing up to the photographer. So, while Auto mode might give you acceptable photos, it will rarely give you anything more, in case you want something more complex. So I would say at least use P mode, which gives you a little more choices. Why? Because if you have a piece of technology as advanced as a DSLR, especially a K-1, you should at least try to use it to its full potential. If you shoot Auto, might as well get K-S1 and save some money. Photo results won't be that much different, if you use Auto on both cameras. But hey, for OPs sake of argument, if anyone has a K-1 and wants to spend a day taking photos in Auto mode to see if it behaves any better than older cameras on Auto mode, it would be interesting.

09-24-2016, 04:29 AM	#6
snpsht Site Supporter Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: South Coast, NSW Posts: 286	I bought a DSLR because I wanted to control the shot, so while I do use Av, TAv and Tv, and less frequently M, I don't think I have ever used green AUTO on the K-1. If I really want to use auto and just snap away, I take my little P&S.

09-24-2016, 05:25 AM	#7
k5astro Veteran Member Join Date: Apr 2012 Photos: Albums Posts: 387	I imagine its excellent. On a podcast I heard this pro said he used the one on the 645 all the time because it was so good. I imagine the K-1 would be similar. Worth a try.

09-24-2016, 05:36 AM	#8
noelpolar Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2013 Location: Goolwa, SA Photos: Gallery Posts: 4,310	I had one user mode for auto so I could hand my camera to someone when on holiday to take a shot of my wife and myself..... but I won't hand the K-1 over now.....

09-24-2016, 05:49 AM - 1 Like	#10
kenspo Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Oslo Posts: 2,207	If someone uses a machine like K-1 on auto, it should be taken away from them asap!

09-24-2016, 06:00 AM	#11
ffking Site Supporter Join Date: Nov 2015 Location: Old South Wales Posts: 6,038 Original Poster	Originally posted by kenspo If someone uses a machine like K-1 on auto, it should be taken away from them asap! So why did Ricoh spend time and money developing a new *'deep learning artificial intelligence technology'* ? My original question was because the implication of their publicity material is that AUTO takes a lot of variables into account depending on the scene - maybe if you don't have a user mode set up for something you see while photographing something else it would be of use? What I'm interested in is if, for example, it recognises a face, does it go into full portrait morde with skin tone and shallow depth of field etc? If it does, and you don't have a portrait user mode, that could be very useful. That's why I want to know if people have experience of using it. I could do my own experiments, and I will (provided you promise not ti take my camera away), but a broader experience sample would be useful.

09-24-2016, 06:07 AM	#12
kenspo Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Oslo Posts: 2,207	This is my personal opinion, so i can't answer why Ricoh did that. Auto modes will never work as good as M if you know what you do. It doesn't take more then a 1-2 second to swith to preferred settings in M either. But if you dont have a clue what you do, some Auto modes can help you..that is true..But then a K-1 most likely isn't the camera for you. But as i said, this is just my personal opinion. Doesn't think everyone will agree..hehe But one way to use auto modes, is to take a pic in auto, see what settings camera have..and try to adjust a bit in M after, and see the differences. I also only shoot in RAW, so i can adjust some stuff if i doesn't get it 100% correct. But if you are a JPG shooter, i can understand more why some (not all) auto modes can be helpful if you are not sure.

09-24-2016, 06:53 AM	#13
Sterby Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2016 Location: Tarján Photos: Albums Posts: 140	Originally posted by kenspo This is my personal opinion, so i can't answer why Ricoh did that. I strongly suspect it is there even on the high end cameras because at some point an otherwise non-photography oriented person will have to shoot with it and it will help them. It also helps protecting your settings not getting bumped over to oblivion because a ham-fisted friend bumps and pushes the wheels and buttons just by not holding the thing right. It happened to me one time, since then the Green mode is more of a blessing than annoyance. Seriously how does the AF micro-adjustment gets bumped to -10 from +3 while the idiot is putting the camera to his face and pushes the shutter button after missing it two times and still bumping the camera so the shot is a big blurry mess? Never had a more terrifying time watching someone take a photo. Especially with my gear!

09-24-2016, 06:54 AM	#14
ffking Site Supporter Join Date: Nov 2015 Location: Old South Wales Posts: 6,038 Original Poster	Originally posted by kenspo It doesn't take more then a 1-2 second to swith to preferred settings in M either - well, that's my point - the number of parameters you can change is getting bigger - it's about more than f-stop, shutter speed and ISO these days - your fingers might be able to do all the possible s=adjustments in 1-2 seconds, but mine can't. Having said which, it's because I always shoot RAW in M, AV or TAV and I don't think I've used AUTO in decades that I wondered - am I missing out on something that's got a whole lot better while I've been ignoring it?

09-24-2016, 07:08 AM	#15
kenspo Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Oslo Posts: 2,207	Originally posted by ffking Having said which, it's because I always shoot RAW in M, AV or TAV and I don't think I've used AUTO in decades that I wondered - am I missing out on something that's got a whole lot better while I've been ignoring it? In my opinion? no..continue shooting in RAW the way you do