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02-06-2012, 04:01 PM   #16
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tried auto 5 and auto 11.. also fixed n the centre..

02-06-2012, 04:02 PM   #17
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there is just no way we have the same camera......just noooooooooo way,....... those are just amazing
02-06-2012, 04:04 PM   #18
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In Karlito's defense, Twitch, linking samples of the awesome 21mm isn't fair =p

In that shot of the flower you took with the kit lens, that is one issue I have with the kit lens - it isn't great at contrast. Shooting that same shot with the 50 F1.7 (properly focused on the flower) will look way better. I know this because I've shot pictures comparing the kit lens and the 50 1.7. You say it's the SMC 50 F1.7, so I'll assume it's the manual focus lens. Learn to manual focus with the camera and it'll be very helpful. Try getting a DA 35mm F2.4 if you want a cheap lens (~$150) that can show you what the k-r is capable of. Learn the manual settings (ISO, shutter speed, aperture) to get perfect exposure and to use the best settings.

I am more than willing to answer questions and to give tips if that's what you need.
02-06-2012, 04:07 PM   #19
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Without the exif data as part of the posted images, it will be quite difficult to get a good handle on advice, but I do agree with
the previous posts. Low contrast, overcast sky, and under exposure all seem to contribute to these low quality images.
The exif data would give us an idea of the shooting mode, ISO, aperture and shutter speed. I can see focus issues as well, but they could be dependent
on the lens used and the need to do some auto-focus fine adjustment, which the K-r does have.

Manual focus can be quite tricky (especially wide open), and once again, it is not possible to determine which image was shot with which lens.
Did you also enter the correct focal length when using manual focus lenses? Are you setting the camera to manual mode with them?
Are they SMC-M or SMC-A lenses? With SMC-A lenses you can enable the A-mode for your aperture ring.
There really are so many unknown variables, it makes it hard to give advice.

I do notice the Firmware version is still version 1.0. Have you updated it yet?

02-06-2012, 06:01 PM   #20
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QuoteOriginally posted by karlito Quote
there is just no way we have the same camera......just noooooooooo way,....... those are just amazing
It's the same camera, with a more expensive lens, but the K-r is certainly capable of that. You can get much better results than you've posted here with the lenses you have, but it will take practice and patience. If you can approach it with a positive attitude, you'll have a much better time learning. Don't expect top notch results overnight.

I'd suggest you practice with that 50mm, but the kit lens is capable as well, just not stellar. All the shots in your post are underexposed, and a couple look like they're suffering camera shake as well. This can be caused by too slow a shutter speed. The in body SR helps, but it's not magic, and it definitely has limits (but it will gain you a couple stops).

The best things you could do right now are to learn more about exposing properly, and to keep shooting. Based on your other posts, you're obviously very frustrated. Take a step back, accept that the camera is fine and you just need to learn more about it. Once you get a bit better at focusing and balancing your exposure, it should get easier to get results you're pleased with.

You should also consider shooting in raw format. This will let you make non-destructive edits to your pictures later, and it stores much more information about light levels and white balance, so you can tweak things more or less at will without losing quality. I recommend the DNG format, as it's compatible with more software.

And, do yourself a favour, edit those hostile posts in the other thread. You'll find this to be an extremely helpful community, but not if you present like that.

Last edited by Philoslothical; 02-06-2012 at 06:11 PM.
02-06-2012, 07:26 PM   #21
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You already received some solid advice. Let me add some.

I agree with earlier posts that your shots appear under-exposed. and the conditions might not be optimum for colourful photographs. Nonetheless, I think that you should/MUST consider to post-process your shots. Pentax Digital Camera Utility (PDCU) is provided free with with you camera and there are other softwares. There are various amount and range of post-processing (PP), but you should P your shots.

- Some simple post-processing includes (in-computer) noise reduction, lens distortion and aberration corrections (for zoom lenses only), exposure, colour highlights ... This is simple and easy to apply in PDCU and can give great results even with JPEG files.

- You may go to more in-depth PP and you wuld be advised to shoot RAW.

Personally I shoot JPEG and I always apply some simple PP. It is easy and can enhance the outputs nicely.

Hope that the comments may help.
02-06-2012, 08:50 PM   #22
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May I suggest some study on the basics of photography?

02-06-2012, 09:02 PM   #23
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It isn't the Kr that is the problem the problem lies with the operator. The problems have been identified by others but your biggest problem is exposure and with the exif being stripped i'ts impossible to pin it down.

Here's a few I've taken the ones from the festival were especially difficult to expose properly because of all the shadows but it can be done.
Attached Images
     
02-06-2012, 09:42 PM   #24
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Since you're using manual lenses, I'm assuming you've read this : https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/pentax-beginners-corner-q/110658-using-ma...x-dslrs-f.html A must-read to properly use manual lenses!

Here's a great book that should help you to understand the relationship between aperture, shutter speed, & ISO: Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson. Highly recommended, it helped me a lot when I was starting out. Good luck.
02-06-2012, 10:17 PM   #25
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Here's an American coot (like your first image) but with better lighting conditions.


I'm very pleased with my K-r.






Even under less than ideal lighting conditions.




Handheld indoors





If you can't get a bright day for shooting, you might also try using flash to fill when the lighting is that poor.
(BTW, these were all shot with the kit lenses.)
02-07-2012, 06:40 AM   #26
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@ JinDesu
which lens did you use to take that picture... i have tried the camera with the settings you recomended, but still, the quality is the same... many thanks for all your help bro, really appreciate it!!! thank you so much!!!
02-07-2012, 06:42 AM   #27
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@gifthorse which lenses are you using??
02-07-2012, 08:36 AM   #28
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gifthorse: Nice fish! are they yours and and what species of puffer are they?

OP: Patience, my pics just started to NOT to look like that after half a year with a DSLR. I'm far away (probably years) from taking stunning pictures like the awesome ones posted here.
02-07-2012, 08:50 AM   #29
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QuoteOriginally posted by karlito Quote
@ JinDesu
which lens did you use to take that picture... i have tried the camera with the settings you recomended, but still, the quality is the same... many thanks for all your help bro, really appreciate it!!! thank you so much!!!
The lens I used for that specific shot is a Tamron 70-200 F2.8, which is a very amazing but relatively expensive lens. But to show that you can get a good picture from any lens....


Shot what with my M-50mm F1.7 (similar to your SMC 50 1.7).


Shot again with the 50mm F1.7


Shot with a cheap zoom (Pentax FA 28-105mm F4-5.6)


Shot with the kit lens 18-55mm (it lacks contrast when you shoot certain subjects, but it's very very nice when you shoot in normal daylight away from the sun).


Shot with the Pentax FA 100-300mm F4.7-5.8 (similar quality to your manual 80-210 or something).

These were all shot by me when I just picked up photography and was learning photo editing. I almost always edit my photos (in RAW) after I shoot for my own reasons. If you want to shoot JPEG out of the camera, try setting the JPEG mode to "Vibrant" (if someone can help me out and explain the button presses needed to get to that menu, I don't have my camera with me) it can make your pictures look a lot more colorful. For manual glasses, learn to use the manual focus as it takes a lot of practice. For every 8 shots I took with my 50mm when I was learning, I usually had 1 keeper and 7 throwaways. But nowadays I can get it within a shot or two.

For your autofocus lenses (like the kit lens) try to point at the most contrasty part of your subject. For example, if you are taking a picture of a person in a bright red shirt, aim for the neckline where the shirt and skin meets and the camera will easily autofocus and you should get the eyes in focus as well. People are usually easy to autofocus on, but animals can be more difficult so you need to learn where to aim. If you consistently get out of focus shots, your k-r's autofocus mechanism might be fritzy and you have it looked at.
02-07-2012, 08:57 AM   #30
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The issue here is definitely the photographer, not the camera.

Lens is also not the culprit, you can see stunning pictures taken with a very modest K100D and the kit lens. Check the thread on the kit lens. Of course, better lens helped but not the primary cause.

I don't want to be harsh but I (and majority of us here) can produce better pictures with my 6-year old point and shoot camera.

I suggest the OP to at least read the manual of instructions of the K-r and and the basics of photography.

The K-r is an excellent entry DSLR camera.
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