[WazA]

Hi,
Yesterday I went through my camera and put in the recommended setting. My question is has any of the recommended settings changed since the in depth review was written?

[Na Horuk]

Hi!
The beauty of DSLRs is that they have a lot of settings and features - but the downside is that you have to figure out what they do, and choose the ones that you want, in order to get the photos you want!
So I recommend you keep the recommended settings from that review and experiment, until you know exactly why you have each setting. The idea of the recommended settings is to give you a good place to start, and then you can grow out of them! It takes some time to learn all of that, but since you have the recommended settings you are not in a rush
Great camera you have there, good luck!

[WazA]

Thanks for the reply. I guess experimentation aside from being part of the fun of photography is the only way you learn about the capabilities of the camera.

[SpecialK]

The "recommended" settings are as from the factory. The factory engineers are far, far away, and know nothing about you, your photo subjects or preferences. I can only suggest shooting raw and adjusting settings to suit in PP. These adjustments will be specific to the image and should provide the best results.

Post processing (PP) software provides far more capabilities than the camera.

[Na Horuk]

I think the Pentax Forum's post about recommended settings is already a little better than the standard factory settings.
I change some things depending on what I am photographing.
For example, white balance. I generally have it set to AWB, but sometimes I change it to Tungsten (when indoors, with artificial lights) or CTE (for sunsets and other cases where you want strong, kind of unusual colors).
I have Highlight correction turned off almost always, except on very special occasions like very sunny days, where sun gets reflected from streets, sea, etc. (to avoid parts of photo being completely white, blown out).
So my best advice is to slowly move away from the Auto mode and use the various modes on the dials. Eventually you will move to the modes that are more advanced, like P and then Av, Tv.

[Transit]

..... Eventually you will move to the modes that are more advanced, like P and then Av, Tv.

heck I thought P was the most advanced one, took me ages to get from M to Av

[RobA_Oz]

Waz, if you're just getting accustomed to the camera, and not shooting any critical work, then straight out-of-camera JPEGs are probably the way to go, especially as they won't chew up too much hard-drive space. If so, then the settings will be important for the occasional shot that you'll want to keep. I did that with my first DSLR, for the same reason, then I shifted to RAW settings (PEF at first, then DNG ever since).

The difference with some subjects will be dramatic, particularly those with broad variations in light across the image. With RAW, you'll find much more detail can emerge from processing shadows and highlights, than with JPEG. You can, though, achieve faster and longer burst speeds if you shoot multiple frames in JPEG. RAW, however, requires good processing software, to get the most out of it.

[WazA]

Waz, if you're just getting accustomed to the camera, and not shooting any critical work, then straight out-of-camera JPEGs are probably the way to go, especially as they won't chew up too much hard-drive space. If so, then the settings will be important for the occasional shot that you'll want to keep. I did that with my first DSLR, for the same reason, then I shifted to RAW settings (PEF at first, then DNG ever since).

The difference with some subjects will be dramatic, particularly those with broad variations in light across the image. With RAW, you'll find much more detail can emerge from processing shadows and highlights, than with JPEG. You can, though, achieve faster and longer burst speeds if you shoot multiple frames in JPEG. RAW, however, requires good processing software, to get the most out of it.

I got busted up in a bike accident a month ago so I'm trying to learn and get to know the camera. Basically I can't pick it up with both hands and not being able to walk 100% means that going out shooting off a heap of shots is pretty well on hold for a while.
I purchased my K-01 in Japan when they first came out and basically shoot in manual mode as I have many old lenses.

[RobA_Oz]

I got busted up in a bike accident a month ago so I'm trying to learn and get to know the camera. Basically I can't pick it up with both hands and not being able to walk 100% means that going out shooting off a heap of shots is pretty well on hold for a while.
I purchased my K-01 in Japan when they first came out and basically shoot in manual mode as I have many old lenses.

OK. Thanks for sharing that. I take it, then, that you're familiar with the basics. Has this affected your ability to sit at a computer and post-process?

[Na Horuk]

Ah, too bad about the fall! In the mean time, you can watch tutorials, do still life, practice product photos, abstracts, learn more about raw dng and PP.. (raw is useless without a software that lets you work on it)
If you already have K-01 and use it with manual lenses, then you already have some experience, so you probably already know a lot of what was said here

[WazA]

OK. Thanks for sharing that. I take it, then, that you're familiar with the basics. Has this affected your ability to sit at a computer and post-process?

It has and it hasn't affected my ability to sit at a computer but I am limited to one hand which even on a computer is frustrating.

Ah, too bad about the fall! In the mean time, you can watch tutorials, do still life, practice product photos, abstracts, learn more about raw dng and PP.. (raw is useless without a software that lets you work on it)
If you already have K-01 and use it with manual lenses, then you already have some experience, so you probably already know a lot of what was said here

I have been watching tutorials ad nausieam, particularly for my wife .

[panonski]

The "recommended" settings are as from the factory. The factory engineers are far, far away, and know nothing about you, your photo subjects or preferences. I can only suggest shooting raw and adjusting settings to suit in PP. These adjustments will be specific to the image and should provide the best results.

Post processing (PP) software provides far more capabilities than the camera.

what a stunning advice

[35mmfilmfan]

I have been watching tutorials ad nausieam, particularly for my wife

I wish they'd had tutorials for wives when I was married ! Seriously, best of luck, and enjoy what you do.