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10-28-2014, 02:42 PM   #1
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Third party colour rendition?

Hey guys, I am still working with my Sigma 17-70mm HSM.

The colours are often bland to me, natural but bland, if that makes sense. Are all Sigma lenses like this or am I just being really picky about it?

Perhaps I should edit the photos in photoshop to get the right colours I want.

I feel that the Pentax lense line up is still somewhat limited. If I were to go more third party, which third party lenses are comparable with the best of Pentax?

Thanks!

10-28-2014, 02:55 PM   #2
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Life might be just as bland as your photos. You say the colours are natural. Are you shooting JPEG or raw? Maybe you just need to boost the saturation?

Note some other competitiors really push the color saturation up in their JPEG settings and the reviewers seem to go these days for an over saturated look compared to pentax' s'more natural approach

You can start by boosting saturation levels or perhaps changing Color space to adobe or both if shooting JPEG it may not be the lens at all
10-28-2014, 03:09 PM   #3
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QuoteOriginally posted by Lowell Goudge Quote
Life might be just as bland as your photos. You say the colours are natural. Are you shooting JPEG or raw? Maybe you just need to boost the saturation?

Note some other competitiors really push the color saturation up in their JPEG settings and the reviewers seem to go these days for an over saturated look compared to pentax' s'more natural approach

You can start by boosting saturation levels or perhaps changing Color space to adobe or both if shooting JPEG it may not be the lens at all
I'm shooting RAW and exporting using adobe lightroom, sometimes messing with the exposure.

I'm not sure if this is the place to ask but yeah, maybe it could be just my technique or something that's missing to really make the photo pop in the colour aspect. I don't know anything about changing colour space but I should check it out!

I was wondering if it was a difference in the coating of Pentax lenses versus like Sigma or other third party coatings.

Here are some examples of the shots from my Sigma, I guess it could be debated if the colours are lacking.









Uh oh... uhhh... how do I make the photos smaller on the post? Sorry!
10-28-2014, 03:10 PM   #4
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QuoteOriginally posted by NecroticSoldier Quote
The colours are often bland to me
Sometimes all it takes is a wee tweak to the white balance to give images a lift.

10-28-2014, 03:15 PM   #5
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These colors look natural to me.

RAW images by their nature generally appear pretty flat, and then a program like Lightroom automatically enhances them to a certain degree.

None of the photos you posted here have the kind of lighting and subject matter that's conducive to color really popping off the screen.
10-28-2014, 03:25 PM   #6
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QuoteOriginally posted by Kerrowdown Quote
Sometimes all it takes is a wee tweak to the white balance to give images a lift.
Oh man, now I'm beginning to think... I should have posted on another part of the forums . I'mma need some more critique! How would I tweak the white balance to get it to the point I want?

Thanks!

QuoteOriginally posted by luftfluss Quote
These colors look natural to me.

RAW images by their nature generally appear pretty flat, and then a program like Lightroom automatically enhances them to a certain degree.

None of the photos you posted here have the kind of lighting and subject matter that's conducive to color really popping off the screen.
That's really true, I've been thinking a lot about the butterfly photo, but... the whole colour scheme in the first place is pretty bland, nothing is available to pop, except maybe the spots. Perhaps I should just appreciate it for it's calm colours in the natural state.

Thanks for the reply!
10-28-2014, 03:43 PM   #7
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QuoteOriginally posted by NecroticSoldier Quote
How would I tweak the white balance to get it to the point I want?
In Develop module, just click and grab the wee dropper onto the image, place on a mid grey area and click.

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10-28-2014, 03:47 PM   #8
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QuoteOriginally posted by Kerrowdown Quote
In Develop module, just click and grab the wee dropper onto the image, place on a mid grey area and click.
Thank you ! I shall try my best experimenting with it! (I have to think more about the lighting and other aspects rather than just composition, been missing that)
10-28-2014, 04:03 PM   #9
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QuoteOriginally posted by NecroticSoldier Quote
Hey guys, I am still working with my Sigma 17-70mm HSM.

The colours are often bland to me, natural but bland, if that makes sense. Are all Sigma lenses like this or am I just being really picky about it?

Perhaps I should edit the photos in photoshop to get the right colours I want.

I feel that the Pentax lense line up is still somewhat limited. If I were to go more third party, which third party lenses are comparable with the best of Pentax?

Thanks!
As a side thought, have you calibrated your monitor?
10-28-2014, 04:09 PM   #10
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QuoteOriginally posted by LensBeginner Quote
As a side thought, have you calibrated your monitor?
Actually, I have not, and am not sure if this monitor is suitable for any photo work. It's a TFT-LED monitor apparently.
10-28-2014, 04:46 PM   #11
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QuoteOriginally posted by NecroticSoldier Quote
Actually, I have not, and am not sure if this monitor is suitable for any photo work. It's a TFT-LED monitor apparently.
Well, I'm with the other forum members, those images look ok to me...
They are nicely taken, by the way.
I would certainly expect less color saturation at high ISOs (first pic - the sousaphone player - is at ISO 3200, says the EXIF...)
10-28-2014, 05:19 PM   #12
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Those colors look okay. You picked several low-saturation scenes that don't have much color. Daft Punk in #3 has a black suit, silver helmet, gray briefcase while standing on gray pavement. Spiderman at the edge shows plenty of blue and red.
10-28-2014, 07:13 PM   #13
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QuoteOriginally posted by luftfluss Quote
These colors look natural to me.
What he said. If you want a bit more bump, the vibrance slider is your friend. You can also experiment with the saturation and luminance for individual colors.


Steve
10-29-2014, 05:55 AM   #14
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What they said, just to add In camera you can use Live view with the WB button to fine tune your white balance for your lighting or use digital preview to check it. Of course I say this without knowing if the Kx has that ability. More often then not a slight tweaking of your WB can make all the difference. I find using auto or even the preselects for what you think is the right WB selection isn't quite right so it either needs to be adjusted in camera or in post, live view or using digital preview can help.

Then try a little adjusting in post. I used ACR with a few minor tweaks.


The Sigma 17-70 HSM DC practically lives on my K5, The colors and clarity I get with it I find great.

Last edited by Oldbayrunner; 10-29-2014 at 06:31 AM.
10-29-2014, 06:14 AM   #15
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I don't think it's the lens - I have a Sigma 28mm f1.8 macro and it's great at capturing the true colors of a scene. Exposure is a big thing, and as mentioned above jpg processing is likely the biggest contributor to color saturation.
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