when to turn the dynamic range highlight setting on ? and when not to ?

dh4412 · 02-27-2012, 06:58 PM

should i just leave the D-Range Setting / highlight correction on all the time ? or not ? this is both for the k-x and the k-5.

Adam · 02-27-2012, 07:03 PM

Don't turn it on if you're shooting in continuous mode, as it slows your camera down. Also, it only applies to JPEGs so if you shoot RAW then automatically gets disabled.

I personally don't bother with this setting.

demp10 · 02-27-2012, 07:36 PM

Originally posted by Adam

Also, it only applies to JPEGs so if you shoot RAW then automatically gets disabled.

This is incorrect at least for the K-7. I shoot only in DNG and it is available as a setting.

It WILL affect the raw data and it is helpfully in extreme contrast situations when the highlights will be clipped severely.

Normally it should be set to off since the ISO is increased by one stop (min 200 for the K-7) for this to work. Basically it under exposes the image by one stop and then boosts the darker areas to capture a wider dynamic range.

Philoslothical · 02-27-2012, 07:41 PM

Yep, same with the K-r, it is one of the settings that will affect raw. I keep it off, unless I decide it's needed in difficult light, which isn't very often really. I also usually prefer to have access to ISO 100, which requires it be turned off.

hcarvalhoalves · 02-27-2012, 08:18 PM

It works on RAW, indeed.

One caveat: some applications don't process the RAW file correctly if you enable DR. Apple's Aperture, for instance, will mess the white balance.

Anvh · 02-27-2012, 08:44 PM

Originally posted by Philoslothical

Yep, same with the K-r, it is one of the settings that will affect raw. I keep it off, unless I decide it's needed in difficult light, which isn't very often really. I also usually prefer to have access to ISO 100, which requires it be turned off.

Just keeped it turned off with RAW.
What it roughly does is take a shot at ISO100 and then brun up the shadows and middle parts up a stop and leaving alone the highlights.

you can just as well shoot at ISO100 and underexpose and later bring it up in PP

With JPG it can be handy though.

Philoslothical · 02-27-2012, 08:57 PM

Pretty much what I've been doing. Given the conditions for it, I much prefer shooting at ISO 100 anyway, even when it's not totally necessary. I think the last time I had highlight correction on was to experiment a bit one day last fall.

Adam · 02-27-2012, 11:22 PM

You guys are right- I was thinking of HDR in RAW mode. In any case, it does make a slight difference, but it's basically in-camera processing that can also be achieved via PP with RAW files. It all depends on what you're trying to accomplish, I guess

liukaitc · 02-27-2012, 11:26 PM

I never turn it on...mainly because it raise lowest ISO to 160...I want ISO 80..so I never turn in on..

philbaum · 02-28-2012, 08:34 AM

I used to think that horizon correction was fluff, but found that it saved me a lot of PP time. If one gets clipped highlights, there is no recovery in pp. I don't do a lot of continuous shooting so camera processing time is not a concern. Think i'll give it a try for indoor events and some outdoor things.

asp1880 · 02-28-2012, 08:49 AM

Does highlight and shadow protection really slow the camera down? I've shot lots of sports with those settings on and I've never felt any slowdown on K-x or K-5 ? It's not the filters or lens correction kind of slowdown that's for sure.

re the OP: I'll switch on highlight protection when light is plenty and contrast is high, eg. sunshine. Highlight protection preserves detail in the clouds, in sunlit windows, in bright white dresses and highlights in the hair.
I'll switch it off in low light. It costs an ISO step. You can easily afford that in bright light, not so much in weak light.

Shadow protection is useful when you have deep shadows that contain important detail, like dark clothing. The first two levels are OK, the max setting is too strong for me, it hurts overall contrast too much.

Regards,
--Anders.

dh4412 · 02-28-2012, 04:15 PM

thanks for your replies, still not sure about this setting, i've tried it numerous times, but can't really see a great difference in the images, maybe it is very subtle ? i'll maybe experiment with it some more, what i get from your replies is it's for high contrast bright scenes more than in lower light ?

**Lowell Goudge** · 02-28-2012, 04:40 PM

I have shot both the K7 and K5 and use almost exclusively JPEG.

Here is my take.

Many times, I like to have my images occupy the full histogram, but find the conditions in lighting can vary somewhat. I constantly monitor my shots and change contrast and / or use highlight and shadow protection to ensure I get a nicely distributed shot, (histogram speaking) unless I really want someting different

THey are not gimics. You gain at least 1 stop both + and - average exposure before the histogram gets compressed, and perhaps a total of 3-4 stops overall improvement in the dynamic range in terms of the total number of stops between 0 and 256

Anvh · 02-28-2012, 07:51 PM

Originally posted by dh4412

thanks for your replies, still not sure about this setting, i've tried it numerous times, but can't really see a great difference in the images, maybe it is very subtle ? i'll maybe experiment with it some more, what i get from your replies is it's for high contrast bright scenes more than in lower light ?

Yes it's for high contrast and mainly if you shoot in JPG.
JPG only have a short range between the darkest and the lightests point RAW has a for wide spread.
To keep it simple you can see it like RAW that get his higlights lowered so that more "information" fits into the JPG.

Inside i wouldn't use it and certainly not the option to pull up the shadows, with low light situation it's the key to get the exposure perfect.

**Lowell Goudge** · 02-29-2012, 11:05 AM

Originally posted by dh4412

thanks for your replies, still not sure about this setting, i've tried it numerous times, but can't really see a great difference in the images, maybe it is very subtle ? i'll maybe experiment with it some more, what i get from your replies is it's for high contrast bright scenes more than in lower light ?

The way to tell the difference is if you have a photo editor that can show you a histogram within a selection.

When I got my K7 I took several shots using a tripod, at a rather high contrast flower in the garden. COntrast was largely due to direct lighting and shadows. I took one shot with no corrections, one with shawdow protection, one with highlight protection and one with both.

WHat I saw, using spot metering was the following.

Shadow protection did not alter any histogram values above the metering point, and for values about 2 stops below the metering point. i.e. histogram value of about 40 in the origonal (note. metering point has a histogram of about 120 and with neutral contrast every 40 within +/-90 of metering is roughly 1 stop), the histogram value was increased by almost 1 stop.

A similar reduction in the histogram was observed with highlight protection, which only acted on parts of the photo above the metering point, and with both on, the entire histogram in the linear portion had about an overall increase in dynamic range of about 2 stops.

You can do the test, and if you can find a subject with about 14 stops between darkest and brightest, you could probably map out the effectiveness over the entire histogram

02-27-2012, 06:58 PM	#1
dh4412 Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: connecticut Photos: Gallery Posts: 248	when to turn the dynamic range highlight setting on ? and when not to ? should i just leave the D-Range Setting / highlight correction on all the time ? or not ? this is both for the k-x and the k-5.

02-27-2012, 07:03 PM	#2
Adam Administrator Site Webmaster Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Arizona Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 51,608	Don't turn it on if you're shooting in continuous mode, as it slows your camera down. Also, it only applies to JPEGs so if you shoot RAW then automatically gets disabled. I personally don't bother with this setting. Adam PentaxForums.com Webmaster (Site Usage Guide \| Site Help \| My Photography) PentaxForums.com server and development costs are user-supported. You can help cover these costs by donating or purchasing one of our Pentax eBooks. Or, buy your photo gear from our affiliates, Adorama, B&H Photo, KEH, or Topaz Labs, and get FREE Marketplace access - click here to see how! Trusted Pentax retailers:

02-27-2012, 11:22 PM	#8
Adam Administrator Site Webmaster Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Arizona Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 51,608	You guys are right- I was thinking of HDR in RAW mode. In any case, it does make a slight difference, but it's basically in-camera processing that can also be achieved via PP with RAW files. It all depends on what you're trying to accomplish, I guess Adam PentaxForums.com Webmaster (Site Usage Guide \| Site Help \| My Photography) PentaxForums.com server and development costs are user-supported. You can help cover these costs by donating or purchasing one of our Pentax eBooks. Or, buy your photo gear from our affiliates, Adorama, B&H Photo, KEH, or Topaz Labs, and get FREE Marketplace access - click here to see how! Trusted Pentax retailers:

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02-27-2012, 07:36 PM	#3
demp10 Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Atlanta Photos: Albums Posts: 602	Originally posted by Adam Also, it only applies to JPEGs so if you shoot RAW then automatically gets disabled. This is incorrect at least for the K-7. I shoot only in DNG and it is available as a setting. It WILL affect the raw data and it is helpfully in extreme contrast situations when the highlights will be clipped severely. Normally it should be set to off since the ISO is increased by one stop (min 200 for the K-7) for this to work. Basically it under exposes the image by one stop and then boosts the darker areas to capture a wider dynamic range.

02-27-2012, 07:41 PM	#4
Philoslothical Veteran Member Join Date: May 2011 Posts: 1,889	Yep, same with the K-r, it is one of the settings that will affect raw. I keep it off, unless I decide it's needed in difficult light, which isn't very often really. I also usually prefer to have access to ISO 100, which requires it be turned off.

02-27-2012, 08:18 PM	#5
hcarvalhoalves Pentaxian Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: São Paulo, Brazil Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,019	It works on RAW, indeed. One caveat: some applications don't process the RAW file correctly if you enable DR. Apple's Aperture, for instance, will mess the white balance.

02-27-2012, 08:44 PM	#6
Anvh Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2011 Posts: 4,616	Originally posted by Philoslothical Yep, same with the K-r, it is one of the settings that will affect raw. I keep it off, unless I decide it's needed in difficult light, which isn't very often really. I also usually prefer to have access to ISO 100, which requires it be turned off. Just keeped it turned off with RAW. What it roughly does is take a shot at ISO100 and then brun up the shadows and middle parts up a stop and leaving alone the highlights. you can just as well shoot at ISO100 and underexpose and later bring it up in PP With JPG it can be handy though.

02-27-2012, 08:57 PM	#7
Philoslothical Veteran Member Join Date: May 2011 Posts: 1,889	Pretty much what I've been doing. Given the conditions for it, I much prefer shooting at ISO 100 anyway, even when it's not totally necessary. I think the last time I had highlight correction on was to experiment a bit one day last fall.

02-27-2012, 11:26 PM	#9
liukaitc Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: New York Photos: Albums Posts: 1,008	I never turn it on...mainly because it raise lowest ISO to 160...I want ISO 80..so I never turn in on..

02-28-2012, 08:34 AM	#10
philbaum Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Port Townsend, Washington State, USA Posts: 3,659	I used to think that horizon correction was fluff, but found that it saved me a lot of PP time. If one gets clipped highlights, there is no recovery in pp. I don't do a lot of continuous shooting so camera processing time is not a concern. Think i'll give it a try for indoor events and some outdoor things.

02-28-2012, 08:49 AM	#11
asp1880 Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Lyngby, Copenhagen Photos: Albums Posts: 742	Does highlight and shadow protection really slow the camera down? I've shot lots of sports with those settings on and I've never felt any slowdown on K-x or K-5 ? It's not the filters or lens correction kind of slowdown that's for sure. re the OP: I'll switch on highlight protection when light is plenty and contrast is high, eg. sunshine. Highlight protection preserves detail in the clouds, in sunlit windows, in bright white dresses and highlights in the hair. I'll switch it off in low light. It costs an ISO step. You can easily afford that in bright light, not so much in weak light. Shadow protection is useful when you have deep shadows that contain important detail, like dark clothing. The first two levels are OK, the max setting is too strong for me, it hurts overall contrast too much. Regards, --Anders.

02-28-2012, 04:15 PM	#12
dh4412 Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: connecticut Photos: Gallery Posts: 248 Original Poster	thanks for your replies, still not sure about this setting, i've tried it numerous times, but can't really see a great difference in the images, maybe it is very subtle ? i'll maybe experiment with it some more, what i get from your replies is it's for high contrast bright scenes more than in lower light ?

02-28-2012, 04:40 PM	#13
Lowell Goudge Site Supporter Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Toronto Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 17,891	I have shot both the K7 and K5 and use almost exclusively JPEG. Here is my take. Many times, I like to have my images occupy the full histogram, but find the conditions in lighting can vary somewhat. I constantly monitor my shots and change contrast and / or use highlight and shadow protection to ensure I get a nicely distributed shot, (histogram speaking) unless I really want someting different THey are not gimics. You gain at least 1 stop both + and - average exposure before the histogram gets compressed, and perhaps a total of 3-4 stops overall improvement in the dynamic range in terms of the total number of stops between 0 and 256

02-28-2012, 07:51 PM	#14
Anvh Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2011 Posts: 4,616	Originally posted by dh4412 thanks for your replies, still not sure about this setting, i've tried it numerous times, but can't really see a great difference in the images, maybe it is very subtle ? i'll maybe experiment with it some more, what i get from your replies is it's for high contrast bright scenes more than in lower light ? Yes it's for high contrast and mainly if you shoot in JPG. JPG only have a short range between the darkest and the lightests point RAW has a for wide spread. To keep it simple you can see it like RAW that get his higlights lowered so that more "information" fits into the JPG. Inside i wouldn't use it and certainly not the option to pull up the shadows, with low light situation it's the key to get the exposure perfect.

02-29-2012, 11:05 AM	#15
Lowell Goudge Site Supporter Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Toronto Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 17,891	Originally posted by dh4412 thanks for your replies, still not sure about this setting, i've tried it numerous times, but can't really see a great difference in the images, maybe it is very subtle ? i'll maybe experiment with it some more, what i get from your replies is it's for high contrast bright scenes more than in lower light ? The way to tell the difference is if you have a photo editor that can show you a histogram within a selection. When I got my K7 I took several shots using a tripod, at a rather high contrast flower in the garden. COntrast was largely due to direct lighting and shadows. I took one shot with no corrections, one with shawdow protection, one with highlight protection and one with both. WHat I saw, using spot metering was the following. Shadow protection did not alter any histogram values above the metering point, and for values about 2 stops below the metering point. i.e. histogram value of about 40 in the origonal (note. metering point has a histogram of about 120 and with neutral contrast every 40 within +/-90 of metering is roughly 1 stop), the histogram value was increased by almost 1 stop. A similar reduction in the histogram was observed with highlight protection, which only acted on parts of the photo above the metering point, and with both on, the entire histogram in the linear portion had about an overall increase in dynamic range of about 2 stops. You can do the test, and if you can find a subject with about 14 stops between darkest and brightest, you could probably map out the effectiveness over the entire histogram