K5 & blowing out the highlights

BLW44 · 09-22-2011, 08:53 AM

Hi all,

I am new to the Pentax world and this forum, thanks for letting me chat in. I am having a issue with my new K5's that I hope you all can help me out with. I have 2 K5's, one with 16-50 f2.8 on it and the other with the 50-135 f2.8. This past couple of weeks I have been putting the cameras to work shooting just about everyday. The issue that I am having with both cameras is "blowing out the highlights". Examples > went to Yollowstone, shot 876 frames and most of the ones with white clouds or anything bright white like Old Faithful, the highlights are gone. Exposure was good, but bright whites gone. Same thing happen to me this past weekend. Attended a wedding, shot about 100 frames of the bride and groom (both dress in white), again exposure is good, but whites really blown. With this happening to both cameras, I am thinking that I don't have something set right in the camera setting. Any thoughts. Sorry if post is everywhere, typing from phone and little screen. Thanks everyone.

Rupert · 09-22-2011, 09:21 AM

Just my experience......the K5 seems to save highlights very nicely, but you still have to be careful. Some lenses are worse that others, in particular my DA*50-135, it tends to overexpose and I compensate by backing down the exposure and then working in post processing if necessary to bring up the shadows, which is a snap with the K5. I generally find the multi-segment metering to be excellent, depending on the scene. If it is a landscape, I go to it every time....with singular subjects, I mostly use the spot metering.

Experimenting with my different lenses has shown that some are better suited than others for certain conditions of bright lighting...or dark.
Best Regards!

pxpaulx · 09-22-2011, 09:29 AM

Maybe you have center weighted metering dialed in. I will say no more, examples please.

BLW44 · 09-22-2011, 09:48 AM

Originally posted by pxpaulx

Maybe you have center weighted metering dialed in. I will say no more, examples please.

I will add some examples when I get home this afternoon. Thanks for the reply.

SOldBear · 09-22-2011, 10:00 AM

With what file format does this "blowing out the highlights" problem happen?

My K7 to some extend does that to JPEG. But with DNG and "recovery" in LightRoom, I get the highlights back.

BLW44 · 09-22-2011, 10:07 AM

Both cameras are set to RAW DNG. Highlights are to far gone even for CS4.

pxpaulx · 09-22-2011, 10:33 AM

You must have the metering wrong, with the dynamic range of the k5 it is almost difficult to blow them deliberately! Pentax has always tended to underexpose even with their jpegs, there has to be a setting gone wrong - if not metering, and your samples (more importantly the exif) don't weed out the problem, I'd try a settings reset and start from scratch.

BLW44 · 09-22-2011, 10:39 AM

I am going to recheck the metering when I get home. However, I know that I have the DR set to off. Should it be on and to what level?

Thanks for helping.

stanic · 09-22-2011, 10:44 AM

I`ve set my K5 to default -0,7 EV in aperture priority mode and learned to expose for the bright part of the image...then bring back shadows in PP
the DR of K5 allows for underexposure of 3-4 stops at least without getting noise in PP at base ISO, but for overexposure of 1 stop at most when recovering

LFLee · 09-22-2011, 11:27 AM

when I first got my K5, I do realize the tendency to blow out highlight in K5, compare to my K200D.
- maybe there is too much complaints about Pentax tendency to underexposed pics in the past, and Pentax change that in K5? I don't know.

When I mentioned this in the forum, I didn't get much responses... =)

Just have to be more careful when metering w/ K5.

Lee

neurocyclist · 09-22-2011, 11:34 AM

I have also found that the K-5 has relatively little head room. I'd much rather underexpose a bright shot, and bring it up in post. Wedding dresses in bright sun are tough in general, and the K-5 does not help. A tuxedo in the shadows, that's more bread and butter K-5.

IIGQ4U · 09-22-2011, 01:27 PM

I am also experiencing blown highlights from my K-5 with kit lens. I will try resetting to see if anything changes.

IIGQ4U · 09-22-2011, 02:13 PM

Thankfully for me a reset worked!

starstuff · 09-22-2011, 02:53 PM

Like several people here, I have my K5 set to -0.5 EV as a default -- I discovered early on that I was happiest when the images were slightly underexposed and then adjusted in PP. Whatever this is, it *does* seem to be unique to the K5: I didn't need to do this either with my K20D or *ist-DL.

BLW44 · 09-22-2011, 02:54 PM

Well I home and have both cameras out. The metering settings is not the issue "don't think so" as both are set to Multi-segmented Metering. I am going to set DR to on and go out and shoot some of my wife in a white dress. The sun is out and bright, so we will see. I may look at doing a reset as well.

09-22-2011, 08:53 AM	#1
BLW44 New Member Join Date: Sep 2011 Posts: 5	K5 & blowing out the highlights Hi all, I am new to the Pentax world and this forum, thanks for letting me chat in. I am having a issue with my new K5's that I hope you all can help me out with. I have 2 K5's, one with 16-50 f2.8 on it and the other with the 50-135 f2.8. This past couple of weeks I have been putting the cameras to work shooting just about everyday. The issue that I am having with both cameras is "blowing out the highlights". Examples > went to Yollowstone, shot 876 frames and most of the ones with white clouds or anything bright white like Old Faithful, the highlights are gone. Exposure was good, but bright whites gone. Same thing happen to me this past weekend. Attended a wedding, shot about 100 frames of the bride and groom (both dress in white), again exposure is good, but whites really blown. With this happening to both cameras, I am thinking that I don't have something set right in the camera setting. Any thoughts. Sorry if post is everywhere, typing from phone and little screen. Thanks everyone.

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09-22-2011, 09:21 AM	#2
Rupert Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Texas Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 25,123	Just my experience......the K5 seems to save highlights very nicely, but you still have to be careful. Some lenses are worse that others, in particular my DA*50-135, it tends to overexpose and I compensate by backing down the exposure and then working in post processing if necessary to bring up the shadows, which is a snap with the K5. I generally find the multi-segment metering to be excellent, depending on the scene. If it is a landscape, I go to it every time....with singular subjects, I mostly use the spot metering. Experimenting with my different lenses has shown that some are better suited than others for certain conditions of bright lighting...or dark. Best Regards!

09-22-2011, 09:29 AM	#3
pxpaulx Veteran Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: Twin Cities, MN Posts: 2,867	Maybe you have center weighted metering dialed in. I will say no more, examples please.

09-22-2011, 09:48 AM	#4
BLW44 New Member Join Date: Sep 2011 Posts: 5 Original Poster	Originally posted by pxpaulx Maybe you have center weighted metering dialed in. I will say no more, examples please. I will add some examples when I get home this afternoon. Thanks for the reply.

09-22-2011, 10:00 AM	#5
SOldBear Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Alameda, CA Posts: 3,206	With what file format does this "blowing out the highlights" problem happen? My K7 to some extend does that to JPEG. But with DNG and "recovery" in LightRoom, I get the highlights back.

09-22-2011, 10:07 AM	#6
BLW44 New Member Join Date: Sep 2011 Posts: 5 Original Poster	Both cameras are set to RAW DNG. Highlights are to far gone even for CS4.

09-22-2011, 10:33 AM	#7
pxpaulx Veteran Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: Twin Cities, MN Posts: 2,867	You must have the metering wrong, with the dynamic range of the k5 it is almost difficult to blow them deliberately! Pentax has always tended to underexpose even with their jpegs, there has to be a setting gone wrong - if not metering, and your samples (more importantly the exif) don't weed out the problem, I'd try a settings reset and start from scratch.

09-22-2011, 10:39 AM	#8
BLW44 New Member Join Date: Sep 2011 Posts: 5 Original Poster	I am going to recheck the metering when I get home. However, I know that I have the DR set to off. Should it be on and to what level? Thanks for helping.

09-22-2011, 10:44 AM	#9
stanic Veteran Member Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Zakopane Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 389	I`ve set my K5 to default -0,7 EV in aperture priority mode and learned to expose for the bright part of the image...then bring back shadows in PP the DR of K5 allows for underexposure of 3-4 stops at least without getting noise in PP at base ISO, but for overexposure of 1 stop at most when recovering

09-22-2011, 11:27 AM	#10
LFLee Veteran Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Southern California Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 2,292	when I first got my K5, I do realize the tendency to blow out highlight in K5, compare to my K200D. - maybe there is too much complaints about Pentax tendency to underexposed pics in the past, and Pentax change that in K5? I don't know. When I mentioned this in the forum, I didn't get much responses... =) Just have to be more careful when metering w/ K5. Lee

09-22-2011, 11:34 AM	#11
neurocyclist Forum Member Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: New York Photos: Albums Posts: 72	I have also found that the K-5 has relatively little head room. I'd much rather underexpose a bright shot, and bring it up in post. Wedding dresses in bright sun are tough in general, and the K-5 does not help. A tuxedo in the shadows, that's more bread and butter K-5.

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09-22-2011, 01:27 PM	#12
IIGQ4U Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: La Jolla, CA. Posts: 262	I am also experiencing blown highlights from my K-5 with kit lens. I will try resetting to see if anything changes.

09-22-2011, 02:13 PM	#13
IIGQ4U Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: La Jolla, CA. Posts: 262	Thankfully for me a reset worked!

09-22-2011, 02:53 PM	#14
starstuff Forum Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: San Francisco Posts: 57	Like several people here, I have my K5 set to -0.5 EV as a default -- I discovered early on that I was happiest when the images were slightly underexposed and then adjusted in PP. Whatever this is, it does seem to be unique to the K5: I didn't need to do this either with my K20D or *ist-DL.

09-22-2011, 02:54 PM	#15
BLW44 New Member Join Date: Sep 2011 Posts: 5 Original Poster	Well I home and have both cameras out. The metering settings is not the issue "don't think so" as both are set to Multi-segmented Metering. I am going to set DR to on and go out and shoot some of my wife in a white dress. The sun is out and bright, so we will see. I may look at doing a reset as well.