K-50 vs Bridge Camera

**Alex645** · 03-11-2016, 04:17 PM

For your trip, I think you'll be happier with the zoom range on the Canon. But to improve your K-50, I would suggest using a hood and removing the filter and tweaking the menu to increase your color saturation and sharpness. Also I'd turn off SR unless you really need it with slow hand held shutter speeds. Have a great trip!

cpobuttons · 03-11-2016, 06:10 PM

Jack, after looking at the exif data of your images I notice two things...your K 50 is on center weight metering and the others are on pattern and I believe the K 50 has +1 exposure comp dialed in...one other thing...since you are using jpeg which custom image do you have set in?

jackloganbill · 03-11-2016, 06:33 PM

Regarding Custom Image, I switch back and forth between Landscape and Bright. I set EV +1 because anything else tends to be dark, even in bright sunlight. Regarding metering, is there a sugestion?

cpobuttons · 03-11-2016, 06:39 PM

i would use pattern for general photos

**Alex645** · 03-11-2016, 06:43 PM

For metering, I'd suggest Multi and not Center-Weighted for most shots. And +1EV seems to be washing out your overall image with blown highlights. Do you think "anything else tend to be dark" because of the brightness set on the rear screen? If not, then it may have been the center-weight metering being fooled by bright skies and then under exposing your foreground. Try to go back to 0EV with Multi.

jackloganbill · 03-11-2016, 07:05 PM

Thanks again!! Great suggestions. Can't wait for daylight!!!

jackloganbill · 03-14-2016, 05:58 AM

Following the suggestions above including the multi segment (pattern) metering, 0EV, bumping up the saturation and playing around with the AWB settings, the pictures are coming out much better. Funny, this is like deja vu, I had these issues when I first started with the camera last fall.

Thanks again!!!!!
Jack

Oricman · 03-15-2016, 02:58 PM

Bridge cameras are easy to use. I have a Panasonic which is similar to the Canon. They have a smaller sensor so in theory the Pentax should give better results - but this depends a lot on the lens. The kit lenses don't perform as well as the zooms on bridge cameras in my experience. Apertures need careful monitoring. Sharper images tend to be at around f8. On my bridge I don't have to worry too much about aperture settings.On the Pentax you do.
Also at the extreme ends of the Pentax zoom you can get softer images. The increase in bokeh with a DSLR can make images look less focused too. For better images they say buy better lenses. That's not cheap. And it becomes less practical carry several lenses.
I've found the larger lens glass seems to collect dust easier spoiling images which happens a lot less with the bridge camera - maybe I've just been unlucky there(?)
That said, if you can spend some time figuring out the foibles of the Pentax it can produce better images. It needs some tweaking of the settings and the serious shooters will tell you to shoot in Raw - which adds a whole new series of trials and tribulations.
For a trip the bridge is going to be a good choice. They are excellent all-rounders. You can do macro and use the long zoom without having to carry a sack load of gear around with you. And they tend to produce good sharp images with optical image stabilization that works far better than the DSRL.
I'm finding my Pentax useful for landscapes though. I'm gradually getting better at controlling the thing and finding I'm getting some decent results. The ability to turn jpegs into Raw or doing a one-push Raw shot is useful so you can do the processing on the odd shots that will really benefit. I am using the DSLR for night time shots and auroras which come out much better than on the bridge - so it's that old story of depending on what you want to shoot.
If you can take both cameras, that allows great scope for catching shots in all situations. The bridge will do most of the time. The DSLR can capture better images for when you need that bit better quality.

jackloganbill · 03-16-2016, 10:15 AM

Originally posted by Oricman

Bridge cameras are easy to use. I have a Panasonic which is similar to the Canon. They have a smaller sensor so in theory the Pentax should give better results - but this depends a lot on the lens. The kit lenses don't perform as well as the zooms on bridge cameras in my experience. Apertures need careful monitoring. Sharper images tend to be at around f8. On my bridge I don't have to worry too much about aperture settings.On the Pentax you do.
Also at the extreme ends of the Pentax zoom you can get softer images. The increase in bokeh with a DSLR can make images look less focused too. For better images they say buy better lenses. That's not cheap. And it becomes less practical carry several lenses.
I've found the larger lens glass seems to collect dust easier spoiling images which happens a lot less with the bridge camera - maybe I've just been unlucky there(?)
That said, if you can spend some time figuring out the foibles of the Pentax it can produce better images. It needs some tweaking of the settings and the serious shooters will tell you to shoot in Raw - which adds a whole new series of trials and tribulations.
For a trip the bridge is going to be a good choice. They are excellent all-rounders. You can do macro and use the long zoom without having to carry a sack load of gear around with you. And they tend to produce good sharp images with optical image stabilization that works far better than the DSRL.
I'm finding my Pentax useful for landscapes though. I'm gradually getting better at controlling the thing and finding I'm getting some decent results. The ability to turn jpegs into Raw or doing a one-push Raw shot is useful so you can do the processing on the odd shots that will really benefit. I am using the DSLR for night time shots and auroras which come out much better than on the bridge - so it's that old story of depending on what you want to shoot.
If you can take both cameras, that allows great scope for catching shots in all situations. The bridge will do most of the time. The DSLR can capture better images for when you need that bit better quality.

Oricman, which Panasonic. I am doing everthing in my power to not be tempted by the FZ200 or FZ300...

Oricman · 03-17-2016, 06:05 PM

Mine is a FZ150. The FZ300 has weather sealing so it seems a good buy. I haven't upgraded as the sensor is the same size. I have been looking at the FZ1000 which has a 1" sensor but the zoom range isn't so long. (FZ150 is 24x up to 600mm equivalent. FZ1000 goes to 400mm)

focusian · 03-17-2016, 06:29 PM

You could take them both. I always take K-3 along with X-G1. X-G1 for long zoom with lower quality of Jpeg but i get a better long range picture with good DOF.

jackloganbill · 03-18-2016, 06:04 AM

Originally posted by Oricman

Mine is a FZ150. The FZ300 has weather sealing so it seems a good buy. I haven't upgraded as the sensor is the same size. I have been looking at the FZ1000 which has a 1" sensor but the zoom range isn't so long. (FZ150 is 24x up to 600mm equivalent. FZ1000 goes to 400mm)

I had been considering the FZ200 and when it dropped to $299 I considered it. Then yesterday it dropped to $247, so I bought it. Not sure if it will be significantly better than the SX50, but thinking it will be better for museums, inside shots. And evidently, when setup correctly, it takes gorgeous pictures (though the #1 FZ200 evangelist does considerable post editing to make his images pop).... Of course now that I have had my great epiphany with the K-50 and the exposure metering ignorance, I am now taking consistently great shots with it.

Oricman · 03-18-2016, 08:39 AM

I don't know if you'll notice much difference between the Canon and Panasonic. The FZ lens should let in more light but I've not noticed much difference in practice. Lots of comparison sites show Panasonic having a slight edge over the Canon. But I don't think there's much in it. Panasonic FZ200 vs Canon SX50 HS Detailed Comparison

I've got a new lens (Sigma 17-70) which make my Pentax shots look a lot better. The drawback is it weighs quite a bit and has no weather sealing. I'm not sure I would want to lug this around on a trip but I guess it depends on what pics you take and what results you are happy with. I like the odd macro and wildlife shot which the Panasonic can handle. If you do more landscapes the Pentax can do better.

jackloganbill · 03-18-2016, 11:21 AM

Originally posted by Oricman

I don't know if you'll notice much difference between the Canon and Panasonic. The FZ lens should let in more light but I've not noticed much difference in practice. Lots of comparison sites show Panasonic having a slight edge over the Canon. But I don't think there's much in it. Panasonic FZ200 vs Canon SX50 HS Detailed Comparison

I've got a new lens (Sigma 17-70) which make my Pentax shots look a lot better. The drawback is it weighs quite a bit and has no weather sealing. I'm not sure I would want to lug this around on a trip but I guess it depends on what pics you take and what results you are happy with. I like the odd macro and wildlife shot which the Panasonic can handle. If you do more landscapes the Pentax can do better.

Other than the faster lens, the FZ200 has a much better viewfinder which is important to me...The SX50 EVF is almost useless, and I have a tough time taking pictures using the LCD display. With that said, the SX50 takes pretty good pictures by just pointing it in the general direction and pressing the shutter button!

kodai84 · 03-23-2016, 09:20 PM

My friend has a bridge and she gets awesome moon shots with that "telescope" zoom, blows away anything I can get w/my DSLR and 55-300 kit (I don't have any of the long primes)! One other advantage nobody mentioned with the bridge is: NEVER getting dirt on your sensor!!!

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03-11-2016, 04:17 PM	#16
Alex645 Site Supporter Join Date: May 2015 Location: Kaneohe, HI Photos: Albums Posts: 3,526	For your trip, I think you'll be happier with the zoom range on the Canon. But to improve your K-50, I would suggest using a hood and removing the filter and tweaking the menu to increase your color saturation and sharpness. Also I'd turn off SR unless you really need it with slow hand held shutter speeds. Have a great trip!

03-11-2016, 06:10 PM	#17
cpobuttons Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: Norwich, Ct Posts: 139	Jack, after looking at the exif data of your images I notice two things...your K 50 is on center weight metering and the others are on pattern and I believe the K 50 has +1 exposure comp dialed in...one other thing...since you are using jpeg which custom image do you have set in?

03-11-2016, 06:33 PM	#18
jackloganbill Junior Member Join Date: Sep 2015 Posts: 39 Original Poster	Regarding Custom Image, I switch back and forth between Landscape and Bright. I set EV +1 because anything else tends to be dark, even in bright sunlight. Regarding metering, is there a sugestion?

03-11-2016, 06:39 PM	#19
cpobuttons Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: Norwich, Ct Posts: 139	i would use pattern for general photos

03-11-2016, 06:43 PM	#20
Alex645 Site Supporter Join Date: May 2015 Location: Kaneohe, HI Photos: Albums Posts: 3,526	For metering, I'd suggest Multi and not Center-Weighted for most shots. And +1EV seems to be washing out your overall image with blown highlights. Do you think "anything else tend to be dark" because of the brightness set on the rear screen? If not, then it may have been the center-weight metering being fooled by bright skies and then under exposing your foreground. Try to go back to 0EV with Multi.

03-11-2016, 07:05 PM	#21
jackloganbill Junior Member Join Date: Sep 2015 Posts: 39 Original Poster	Thanks again!! Great suggestions. Can't wait for daylight!!!

03-14-2016, 05:58 AM	#22
jackloganbill Junior Member Join Date: Sep 2015 Posts: 39 Original Poster	Following the suggestions above including the multi segment (pattern) metering, 0EV, bumping up the saturation and playing around with the AWB settings, the pictures are coming out much better. Funny, this is like deja vu, I had these issues when I first started with the camera last fall. Thanks again!!!!! Jack

03-15-2016, 02:58 PM	#23
Oricman Guest	Bridge cameras are easy to use. I have a Panasonic which is similar to the Canon. They have a smaller sensor so in theory the Pentax should give better results - but this depends a lot on the lens. The kit lenses don't perform as well as the zooms on bridge cameras in my experience. Apertures need careful monitoring. Sharper images tend to be at around f8. On my bridge I don't have to worry too much about aperture settings.On the Pentax you do. Also at the extreme ends of the Pentax zoom you can get softer images. The increase in bokeh with a DSLR can make images look less focused too. For better images they say buy better lenses. That's not cheap. And it becomes less practical carry several lenses. I've found the larger lens glass seems to collect dust easier spoiling images which happens a lot less with the bridge camera - maybe I've just been unlucky there(?) That said, if you can spend some time figuring out the foibles of the Pentax it can produce better images. It needs some tweaking of the settings and the serious shooters will tell you to shoot in Raw - which adds a whole new series of trials and tribulations. For a trip the bridge is going to be a good choice. They are excellent all-rounders. You can do macro and use the long zoom without having to carry a sack load of gear around with you. And they tend to produce good sharp images with optical image stabilization that works far better than the DSRL. I'm finding my Pentax useful for landscapes though. I'm gradually getting better at controlling the thing and finding I'm getting some decent results. The ability to turn jpegs into Raw or doing a one-push Raw shot is useful so you can do the processing on the odd shots that will really benefit. I am using the DSLR for night time shots and auroras which come out much better than on the bridge - so it's that old story of depending on what you want to shoot. If you can take both cameras, that allows great scope for catching shots in all situations. The bridge will do most of the time. The DSLR can capture better images for when you need that bit better quality.

03-16-2016, 10:15 AM	#24
jackloganbill Junior Member Join Date: Sep 2015 Posts: 39 Original Poster	Originally posted by Oricman Bridge cameras are easy to use. I have a Panasonic which is similar to the Canon. They have a smaller sensor so in theory the Pentax should give better results - but this depends a lot on the lens. The kit lenses don't perform as well as the zooms on bridge cameras in my experience. Apertures need careful monitoring. Sharper images tend to be at around f8. On my bridge I don't have to worry too much about aperture settings.On the Pentax you do. Also at the extreme ends of the Pentax zoom you can get softer images. The increase in bokeh with a DSLR can make images look less focused too. For better images they say buy better lenses. That's not cheap. And it becomes less practical carry several lenses. I've found the larger lens glass seems to collect dust easier spoiling images which happens a lot less with the bridge camera - maybe I've just been unlucky there(?) That said, if you can spend some time figuring out the foibles of the Pentax it can produce better images. It needs some tweaking of the settings and the serious shooters will tell you to shoot in Raw - which adds a whole new series of trials and tribulations. For a trip the bridge is going to be a good choice. They are excellent all-rounders. You can do macro and use the long zoom without having to carry a sack load of gear around with you. And they tend to produce good sharp images with optical image stabilization that works far better than the DSRL. I'm finding my Pentax useful for landscapes though. I'm gradually getting better at controlling the thing and finding I'm getting some decent results. The ability to turn jpegs into Raw or doing a one-push Raw shot is useful so you can do the processing on the odd shots that will really benefit. I am using the DSLR for night time shots and auroras which come out much better than on the bridge - so it's that old story of depending on what you want to shoot. If you can take both cameras, that allows great scope for catching shots in all situations. The bridge will do most of the time. The DSLR can capture better images for when you need that bit better quality. Oricman, which Panasonic. I am doing everthing in my power to not be tempted by the FZ200 or FZ300...

03-17-2016, 06:05 PM	#25
Oricman Guest	Mine is a FZ150. The FZ300 has weather sealing so it seems a good buy. I haven't upgraded as the sensor is the same size. I have been looking at the FZ1000 which has a 1" sensor but the zoom range isn't so long. (FZ150 is 24x up to 600mm equivalent. FZ1000 goes to 400mm)

03-17-2016, 06:29 PM	#26
focusian Junior Member Join Date: Sep 2013 Posts: 42	You could take them both. I always take K-3 along with X-G1. X-G1 for long zoom with lower quality of Jpeg but i get a better long range picture with good DOF.

03-18-2016, 06:04 AM	#27
jackloganbill Junior Member Join Date: Sep 2015 Posts: 39 Original Poster	Originally posted by Oricman Mine is a FZ150. The FZ300 has weather sealing so it seems a good buy. I haven't upgraded as the sensor is the same size. I have been looking at the FZ1000 which has a 1" sensor but the zoom range isn't so long. (FZ150 is 24x up to 600mm equivalent. FZ1000 goes to 400mm) I had been considering the FZ200 and when it dropped to $299 I considered it. Then yesterday it dropped to $247, so I bought it. Not sure if it will be significantly better than the SX50, but thinking it will be better for museums, inside shots. And evidently, when setup correctly, it takes gorgeous pictures (though the #1 FZ200 evangelist does considerable post editing to make his images pop).... Of course now that I have had my great epiphany with the K-50 and the exposure metering ignorance, I am now taking consistently great shots with it.

03-18-2016, 08:39 AM	#28
Oricman Guest	I don't know if you'll notice much difference between the Canon and Panasonic. The FZ lens should let in more light but I've not noticed much difference in practice. Lots of comparison sites show Panasonic having a slight edge over the Canon. But I don't think there's much in it. Panasonic FZ200 vs Canon SX50 HS Detailed Comparison I've got a new lens (Sigma 17-70) which make my Pentax shots look a lot better. The drawback is it weighs quite a bit and has no weather sealing. I'm not sure I would want to lug this around on a trip but I guess it depends on what pics you take and what results you are happy with. I like the odd macro and wildlife shot which the Panasonic can handle. If you do more landscapes the Pentax can do better.

03-18-2016, 11:21 AM	#29
jackloganbill Junior Member Join Date: Sep 2015 Posts: 39 Original Poster	Originally posted by Oricman I don't know if you'll notice much difference between the Canon and Panasonic. The FZ lens should let in more light but I've not noticed much difference in practice. Lots of comparison sites show Panasonic having a slight edge over the Canon. But I don't think there's much in it. Panasonic FZ200 vs Canon SX50 HS Detailed Comparison I've got a new lens (Sigma 17-70) which make my Pentax shots look a lot better. The drawback is it weighs quite a bit and has no weather sealing. I'm not sure I would want to lug this around on a trip but I guess it depends on what pics you take and what results you are happy with. I like the odd macro and wildlife shot which the Panasonic can handle. If you do more landscapes the Pentax can do better. Other than the faster lens, the FZ200 has a much better viewfinder which is important to me...The SX50 EVF is almost useless, and I have a tough time taking pictures using the LCD display. With that said, the SX50 takes pretty good pictures by just pointing it in the general direction and pressing the shutter button!

03-23-2016, 09:20 PM	#30
kodai84 Forum Member Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Texas Posts: 97	My friend has a bridge and she gets awesome moon shots with that "telescope" zoom, blows away anything I can get w/my DSLR and 55-300 kit (I don't have any of the long primes)! One other advantage nobody mentioned with the bridge is: NEVER getting dirt on your sensor!!!