Having another go at Photography after children.

Maxibear · 01-29-2018, 12:39 AM

Hi all,
I've been wanting to get back into photography for over 20 years! I decided recently I could afford an entry level DSLR. I purchased a Pentax K-70, I am enjoying learning how all this works again. The DSLRs seem to do almost everything for you, not like the old K1000 which used to drive me spare when i would forget to set the camera correctly before shooting and then getting that sick feeling when you picked up the prints from the photo-shop!!! When I got it right it was worth the heartache of the ones that didn't work. Seems like a life time since that happened.
Now I have a small issue. I read up a little about the DCU V5 that came with the K-70 to see whether or not it was worth while for a beginner like me. long story short, I decided to give it a go. I can't even load the pictures from the files after downloading the camera ! Very frustrating. I'm not a dummy but i'm obviously not savvy enough to get it happening. I did up-date the version 5 to 5.7.2, but still nothing. Files loaded from camera ok I can view in windows, DCU V5 just doesn't open from the folder.....

Hope someone can shed some light.

Maxibear.

Photodana · 01-29-2018, 01:28 AM

I suppose you are talking about digital camera utillity 5?
Did you try other apps - like photoshop, irfan view or ...

**Tas** · 01-29-2018, 03:52 AM

Originally posted by Maxibear

Hi all,
I've been wanting to get back into photography for over 20 years! I decided recently I could afford an entry level DSLR. I purchased a Pentax K-70, I am enjoying learning how all this works again. The DSLRs seem to do almost everything for you, not like the old K1000 which used to drive me spare when i would forget to set the camera correctly before shooting and then getting that sick feeling when you picked up the prints from the photo-shop!!! When I got it right it was worth the heartache of the ones that didn't work. Seems like a life time since that happened.
Now I have a small issue. I read up a little about the DCU V5 that came with the K-70 to see whether or not it was worth while for a beginner like me. long story short, I decided to give it a go. I can't even load the pictures from the files after downloading the camera ! Very frustrating. I'm not a dummy but i'm obviously not savvy enough to get it happening. I did up-date the version 5 to 5.7.2, but still nothing. Files loaded from camera ok I can view in windows, DCU V5 just doesn't open from the folder.....

Hope someone can shed some light.

Maxibear.

G'day Maxibear,

Welcome to the forums. The K70 sounds like an excellent camera and I'm sure once you've gotten over the little software hiccup you'll be good to go.

I'm no real expert with DCU5, but I'll see if I can help get you along the way whilst you wait until the smart people come along to provide some advice. I'm not real sure what you're seeing, so it may assist if you can get some screen grabs to post in the thread.

To start with, is DCU5 opening on your system? If it is, ensure you're in 'Browser' which is identifiable by a button in the top left of the page. If you're in the browser it will be blue.

On the left side of the screen, below where the 'Browser' button is you should see a series of tabs. Ensure the 'Folder' tab is selected. I'm using a Windows system and it will appear the same as the Windows folder view.

If this is working so far then you should be able to select a folder with photos, RAW, JPEG, TIFF files will all work. If I've got it right then a thumbnail of the images in the folder should appear at the bottom of the screen and you can select them from there. To process an image select 'Laboratory' which is the button next to 'Browser'.

Let us know if any of the above has assisted or what you are seeing when you start DCU5.

Tas

kjphilippona · 01-29-2018, 04:02 AM

Welcome to the forum

**TER-OR** · 01-29-2018, 07:55 AM

I really like Lightroom for processing from RAW. I find it intuitive and does what I want - processing.

I know it doesn't answer your questions about DCU, but there are other options which may be easier even if they cost some money.

**UncleVanya** · 01-29-2018, 08:22 AM

Are you starting the program or clicking on the files and wanting the program to open automatically?

C_Jones · 01-29-2018, 01:07 PM

Welcome to the forums.

**Kerrowdown** · 01-29-2018, 02:35 PM

Welcome to the forum, hope you get your issues resolved promptly, I'm just an Adobe man and I no nothing of your software.

Maxibear · 01-29-2018, 05:39 PM

Originally posted by Tas

G'day Maxibear,

Welcome to the forums. The K70 sounds like an excellent camera and I'm sure once you've gotten over the little software hiccup you'll be good to go.

I'm no real expert with DCU5, but I'll see if I can help get you along the way whilst you wait until the smart people come along to provide some advice. I'm not real sure what you're seeing, so it may assist if you can get some screen grabs to post in the thread.

To start with, is DCU5 opening on your system? If it is, ensure you're in 'Browser' which is identifiable by a button in the top left of the page. If you're in the browser it will be blue.

On the left side of the screen, below where the 'Browser' button is you should see a series of tabs. Ensure the 'Folder' tab is selected. I'm using a Windows system and it will appear the same as the Windows folder view.

If this is working so far then you should be able to select a folder with photos, RAW, JPEG, TIFF files will all work. If I've got it right then a thumbnail of the images in the folder should appear at the bottom of the screen and you can select them from there. To process an image select 'Laboratory' which is the button next to 'Browser'.

Let us know if any of the above has assisted or what you are seeing when you start DCU5.

Tas

Hi again, thanks everyone for the welcome. I am already thinking I should have purchased the Adobe product, I'll persist for a bit longer...!
I will add some screen shots as Tas mentioned but not much to see. yes the program opens and i press the browser button i can see the files but just don't seem to be able to open from there. I did however, see a flash of pics along the bottom of the screen for a millisecond and then they disappeared.. not seen them since!
I am using Windows 10, 64 bit. I thought it might need to be re-started so i rebooted my laptop but no change. now the screen has frozen. Now when I press the Laboratory button the pics show at the bottom of the screen for a couple seconds and disappear again!!!

Maxibear

**Tas** · 01-29-2018, 06:00 PM - **1 Like**

Originally posted by Maxibear

Hi again, thanks everyone for the welcome. I am already thinking I should have purchased the Adobe product, I'll persist for a bit longer...!
I will add some screen shots as Tas mentioned but not much to see. yes the program opens and i press the browser button i can see the files but just don't seem to be able to open from there. I did however, see a flash of pics along the bottom of the screen for a millisecond and then they disappeared.. not seen them since!
I am using Windows 10, 64 bit. I thought it might need to be re-started so i rebooted my laptop but no change. now the screen has frozen. Now when I press the Laboratory button the pics show at the bottom of the screen for a couple seconds and disappear again!!!

Maxibear

G'day again,

I don't know why the folder view is so wide, you may be able to make that smaller by clicking and dragging it to the left, not really sure. I also see that you have an upper level folder selected (Pentax K70). The folders below that should be the ones with the images, they have the numbers and MISC. Select one of those folders. Let us know how that goes.

So far as the Laboratory module goes, once you can select an individual image you should be able to get it to appear in that module and remain there.

Tas

EDIT: Okay, I just checked out what I stated about the upper level folder and found that that 'one up' folder still showed my images. I've also been trying to find other things to test out. Select one of the folders that should contain images then go to the 'Window' drop down menu and select 'Default Layout'. Does this change anything?

Maxibear · 01-29-2018, 08:22 PM - **1 Like**

Genius! Default layout opened the file... Thanks heaps. lets see how long before I get stuck again.

A thousand thank yous.

Maxibear

**Tas** · 01-29-2018, 08:45 PM

Originally posted by Maxibear

Genius! Default layout opened the file... Thanks heaps. lets see how long before I get stuck again.

A thousand thank yous.

Maxibear

Excellent news, hope it's plain sailing from here on in.

Having said that though I will point out that as image processing software goes it works but it's not very intuitive and there are plenty of options these days that will be simpler to use with many more features. Some you buy outright others like Adobe have a monthly subscription and yet others are free. I'd recommend you work with what you've got for now and if/when you want to look at something else go to this forum thread: Digital Processing, Software, and Printing - PentaxForums.com where you will find plenty of discussions on the topic.

Have fun mate.

Tas

**UncleVanya** · 01-30-2018, 11:48 AM

My personal favorite processing software is DXO. It's easy enough to use and understandable.

Maxibear · 01-30-2018, 07:01 PM

Thanks again guys
yeah, program is very clunky, very slow between actions. Patience is running out.

Big ol "blue moon" on the cards tonight, see if i can get a clear shot or two and then try to process pics....

Maixibear

SpecialK · 01-30-2018, 11:09 PM

Originally posted by Maxibear

Thanks again guys
yeah, program is very clunky, very slow between actions. Patience is running out.

Big ol "blue moon" on the cards tonight, see if i can get a clear shot or two and then try to process pics....

Maixibear

Might I suggest FastStone Image Viewer, Screen Capture, Photo Resizer ... which is free, will process RAW files, is a good photo viewer, and has lots of handy features. The feature I use every time I shoot is the "compare" tool which allows up to 4 images to be opened and synched at a time - great for chimping (weeding out the duds). Also, the Pentax "Laboratory" only works on Pentax raw files, not jpgs. I actually use Elements 15 for converting raw files, though.

01-29-2018, 12:39 AM	#1
Maxibear New Member Join Date: Jan 2018 Location: Melbourne Posts: 6	Having another go at Photography after children. Hi all, I've been wanting to get back into photography for over 20 years! I decided recently I could afford an entry level DSLR. I purchased a Pentax K-70, I am enjoying learning how all this works again. The DSLRs seem to do almost everything for you, not like the old K1000 which used to drive me spare when i would forget to set the camera correctly before shooting and then getting that sick feeling when you picked up the prints from the photo-shop!!! When I got it right it was worth the heartache of the ones that didn't work. Seems like a life time since that happened. Now I have a small issue. I read up a little about the DCU V5 that came with the K-70 to see whether or not it was worth while for a beginner like me. long story short, I decided to give it a go. I can't even load the pictures from the files after downloading the camera ! Very frustrating. I'm not a dummy but i'm obviously not savvy enough to get it happening. I did up-date the version 5 to 5.7.2, but still nothing. Files loaded from camera ok I can view in windows, DCU V5 just doesn't open from the folder..... Hope someone can shed some light. Maxibear.

01-29-2018, 05:39 PM	#9
Maxibear New Member Join Date: Jan 2018 Location: Melbourne Posts: 6 Original Poster	Originally posted by Tas G'day Maxibear, Welcome to the forums. The K70 sounds like an excellent camera and I'm sure once you've gotten over the little software hiccup you'll be good to go. I'm no real expert with DCU5, but I'll see if I can help get you along the way whilst you wait until the smart people come along to provide some advice. I'm not real sure what you're seeing, so it may assist if you can get some screen grabs to post in the thread. To start with, is DCU5 opening on your system? If it is, ensure you're in 'Browser' which is identifiable by a button in the top left of the page. If you're in the browser it will be blue. On the left side of the screen, below where the 'Browser' button is you should see a series of tabs. Ensure the 'Folder' tab is selected. I'm using a Windows system and it will appear the same as the Windows folder view. If this is working so far then you should be able to select a folder with photos, RAW, JPEG, TIFF files will all work. If I've got it right then a thumbnail of the images in the folder should appear at the bottom of the screen and you can select them from there. To process an image select 'Laboratory' which is the button next to 'Browser'. Let us know if any of the above has assisted or what you are seeing when you start DCU5. Tas Hi again, thanks everyone for the welcome. I am already thinking I should have purchased the Adobe product, I'll persist for a bit longer...! I will add some screen shots as Tas mentioned but not much to see. yes the program opens and i press the browser button i can see the files but just don't seem to be able to open from there. I did however, see a flash of pics along the bottom of the screen for a millisecond and then they disappeared.. not seen them since! I am using Windows 10, 64 bit. I thought it might need to be re-started so i rebooted my laptop but no change. now the screen has frozen. Now when I press the Laboratory button the pics show at the bottom of the screen for a couple seconds and disappear again!!! Maxibear Attached Images

01-29-2018, 06:00 PM - 1 Like	#10
Tas Site Supporter Join Date: Aug 2013 Location: Brisbane, QLD Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 2,202	Originally posted by Maxibear Hi again, thanks everyone for the welcome. I am already thinking I should have purchased the Adobe product, I'll persist for a bit longer...! I will add some screen shots as Tas mentioned but not much to see. yes the program opens and i press the browser button i can see the files but just don't seem to be able to open from there. I did however, see a flash of pics along the bottom of the screen for a millisecond and then they disappeared.. not seen them since! I am using Windows 10, 64 bit. I thought it might need to be re-started so i rebooted my laptop but no change. now the screen has frozen. Now when I press the Laboratory button the pics show at the bottom of the screen for a couple seconds and disappear again!!! Maxibear G'day again, I don't know why the folder view is so wide, you may be able to make that smaller by clicking and dragging it to the left, not really sure. I also see that you have an upper level folder selected (Pentax K70). The folders below that should be the ones with the images, they have the numbers and MISC. Select one of those folders. Let us know how that goes. So far as the Laboratory module goes, once you can select an individual image you should be able to get it to appear in that module and remain there. Tas EDIT: Okay, I just checked out what I stated about the upper level folder and found that that 'one up' folder still showed my images. I've also been trying to find other things to test out. Select one of the folders that should contain images then go to the 'Window' drop down menu and select 'Default Layout'. Does this change anything? Last edited by Tas; 01-29-2018 at 08:47 PM. Reason: Alternative suggestion added as an edit

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01-29-2018, 01:28 AM	#2
Photodana Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Greater Copenhagen Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 161	I suppose you are talking about digital camera utillity 5? Did you try other apps - like photoshop, irfan view or ...

01-29-2018, 03:52 AM	#3
Tas Site Supporter Join Date: Aug 2013 Location: Brisbane, QLD Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 2,202	Originally posted by Maxibear Hi all, I've been wanting to get back into photography for over 20 years! I decided recently I could afford an entry level DSLR. I purchased a Pentax K-70, I am enjoying learning how all this works again. The DSLRs seem to do almost everything for you, not like the old K1000 which used to drive me spare when i would forget to set the camera correctly before shooting and then getting that sick feeling when you picked up the prints from the photo-shop!!! When I got it right it was worth the heartache of the ones that didn't work. Seems like a life time since that happened. Now I have a small issue. I read up a little about the DCU V5 that came with the K-70 to see whether or not it was worth while for a beginner like me. long story short, I decided to give it a go. I can't even load the pictures from the files after downloading the camera ! Very frustrating. I'm not a dummy but i'm obviously not savvy enough to get it happening. I did up-date the version 5 to 5.7.2, but still nothing. Files loaded from camera ok I can view in windows, DCU V5 just doesn't open from the folder..... Hope someone can shed some light. Maxibear. G'day Maxibear, Welcome to the forums. The K70 sounds like an excellent camera and I'm sure once you've gotten over the little software hiccup you'll be good to go. I'm no real expert with DCU5, but I'll see if I can help get you along the way whilst you wait until the smart people come along to provide some advice. I'm not real sure what you're seeing, so it may assist if you can get some screen grabs to post in the thread. To start with, is DCU5 opening on your system? If it is, ensure you're in 'Browser' which is identifiable by a button in the top left of the page. If you're in the browser it will be blue. On the left side of the screen, below where the 'Browser' button is you should see a series of tabs. Ensure the 'Folder' tab is selected. I'm using a Windows system and it will appear the same as the Windows folder view. If this is working so far then you should be able to select a folder with photos, RAW, JPEG, TIFF files will all work. If I've got it right then a thumbnail of the images in the folder should appear at the bottom of the screen and you can select them from there. To process an image select 'Laboratory' which is the button next to 'Browser'. Let us know if any of the above has assisted or what you are seeing when you start DCU5. Tas

01-29-2018, 04:02 AM	#4
kjphilippona Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2014 Location: Enterprise, Alabama Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 1,298	Welcome to the forum

01-29-2018, 07:55 AM	#5
TER-OR Site Supporter Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Dundee, IL Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 6,699	I really like Lightroom for processing from RAW. I find it intuitive and does what I want - processing. I know it doesn't answer your questions about DCU, but there are other options which may be easier even if they cost some money.

01-29-2018, 08:22 AM	#6
UncleVanya Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Jul 2014 Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 28,406	Are you starting the program or clicking on the files and wanting the program to open automatically?

01-29-2018, 01:07 PM	#7
C_Jones Pentaxian Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: NY Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 6,088	Welcome to the forums.

01-29-2018, 02:35 PM	#8
Kerrowdown PEG Moderator Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Highlands of Scotland... "Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand" - William Blake Photos: Gallery Posts: 57,819	Welcome to the forum, hope you get your issues resolved promptly, I'm just an Adobe man and I no nothing of your software.

01-29-2018, 08:22 PM - 1 Like	#11
Maxibear New Member Join Date: Jan 2018 Location: Melbourne Posts: 6 Original Poster	Genius! Default layout opened the file... Thanks heaps. lets see how long before I get stuck again. A thousand thank yous. Maxibear

01-29-2018, 08:45 PM	#12
Tas Site Supporter Join Date: Aug 2013 Location: Brisbane, QLD Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 2,202	Originally posted by Maxibear Genius! Default layout opened the file... Thanks heaps. lets see how long before I get stuck again. A thousand thank yous. Maxibear Excellent news, hope it's plain sailing from here on in. Having said that though I will point out that as image processing software goes it works but it's not very intuitive and there are plenty of options these days that will be simpler to use with many more features. Some you buy outright others like Adobe have a monthly subscription and yet others are free. I'd recommend you work with what you've got for now and if/when you want to look at something else go to this forum thread: Digital Processing, Software, and Printing - PentaxForums.com where you will find plenty of discussions on the topic. Have fun mate. Tas

01-30-2018, 11:48 AM	#13
UncleVanya Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Jul 2014 Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 28,406	My personal favorite processing software is DXO. It's easy enough to use and understandable.

01-30-2018, 07:01 PM	#14
Maxibear New Member Join Date: Jan 2018 Location: Melbourne Posts: 6 Original Poster	Thanks again guys yeah, program is very clunky, very slow between actions. Patience is running out. Big ol "blue moon" on the cards tonight, see if i can get a clear shot or two and then try to process pics.... Maixibear

01-30-2018, 11:09 PM	#15
SpecialK Pentaxian Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: So California Photos: Gallery Posts: 16,481	Originally posted by Maxibear Thanks again guys yeah, program is very clunky, very slow between actions. Patience is running out. Big ol "blue moon" on the cards tonight, see if i can get a clear shot or two and then try to process pics.... Maixibear Might I suggest FastStone Image Viewer, Screen Capture, Photo Resizer ... which is free, will process RAW files, is a good photo viewer, and has lots of handy features. The feature I use every time I shoot is the "compare" tool which allows up to 4 images to be opened and synched at a time - great for chimping (weeding out the duds). Also, the Pentax "Laboratory" only works on Pentax raw files, not jpgs. I actually use Elements 15 for converting raw files, though.