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12-29-2020, 01:03 PM   #16
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Welcome to the forum! Nice to have you with us. I'll throw in a comment not related to your exposure issue.

My K10D was given to me by someone who no longer wanted it. It came with the Pentax 18-55mm kit lens. SMC Pentax-DA 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 AL Reviews - DA Zoom Lenses - Pentax Lens Reviews & Lens Database I had been a photographer for decades, but was always disappointed with the images it produced. Before long I bought a used Sigma 17-70mm DC Macro lens. Sigma 17-70mm F2.8-4.5 DC Macro Lens Reviews - Sigma Lenses - Pentax Lens Review Database Wow! What a huge improvement in image quality! Since you've upgraded your camera to a K-70, you may want to look at the reviews for the specific version of the 18-55mm lens you have. My guess is that you may eventually want to get something better to do justice to your new camera. These two are highly regarded here on the forum:
SMC Pentax-DA 18-135mm F3.5-5.6 ED AL [IF] DC WR Reviews - DA Zoom Lenses - Pentax Lens Reviews & Lens Database
HD Pentax-DA 16-85mm F3.5-5.6 ED DC WR Reviews - DA Zoom Lenses - Pentax Lens Reviews & Lens Database

Of course, there are other options as well. Then again, you may find that you are happy with the 18-55mm you have. The usual advice is to get the very best lens you can afford. A $5 lens mounted on a $1000 camera will give you $5 images.

12-29-2020, 01:47 PM   #17
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QuoteOriginally posted by Apet-Sure Quote
Of course, there are other options as well. Then again, you may find that you are happy with the 18-55mm you have. The usual advice is to get the very best lens you can afford. A $5 lens mounted on a $1000 camera will give you $5 images.
And yet... Nikon's 'Worst' and 'Best' Zoom Lenses Compared
12-29-2020, 03:39 PM   #18
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QuoteOriginally posted by Neoma Quote
It is a 90’s 80-320 lens that is the brightest. The 18-55 seems a bit bright too. I’m a bit disappointed as I was led to believe that my lenses would work ( the reason I bought another Pentax) the 80-320 takes lovely low light photos though.
So I guess I will be looking at buying some glass.

---------- Post added 12-29-20 at 11:00 AM ----------

It is a 90’s 80-320 lens that is the brightest. The 18-55 seems a bit bright too. I’m a bit disappointed as I was led to believe that my lenses would work ( the reason I bought another Pentax) the 80-320 takes lovely low light photos though.
So I guess I will be looking at buying some glass.
Well, if you are getting similar problems with both lenses, this indicates another matter is in play here. There might be an issue with settings. Of course, your FA 80-320mm lens will need to be set with the aperture ring on "A" so the camera can set the aperture properly, as was true with your old K10D. I am wondering where your K-70 mode dial is set. Also your metering mode- should be to the matrix multi-segment, not to spot metering. Also, make sure your exposure comp +/- is not activated. It is also important to shoot a number of different kinds of scenes to evaluate performance. There are a number of conditions that can fool any camera's exposure metering system.
12-29-2020, 06:44 PM   #19
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I didn’t mean it was a good low light lens , just that when there isn’t any bright light ( like focusing on a bird in the forest for example) the shot is really nice. I love this long lens and have shot lots with it. I am shooting in the A setting. I shot the test shots on auto, which I was always able to do with my K10. I’d like to be able to do the same with the lenses on this camera until I re-learn all the manual stuff. I will post some pictures shortly. I appreciate your help








I realize there are a lot of ideas flying around and questions being asked. Just slow down and focus. Right now there isn’t enough info to help you diagnose the issue. I can assure you that the 80-320 - while it isn’t perfect - should give you good photos if it is working correctly and your use is within the limits of the lens. Virtually no one would consider that lens a good low light lens for example.[/QUOT

12-29-2020, 06:52 PM   #20
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Waterfall image 18-55
Path image 80-320 I like the image even though it’s bright (LOL) but it was shot on auto and on A setting
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12-29-2020, 08:54 PM - 1 Like   #21
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QuoteOriginally posted by Neoma Quote
Waterfall image 18-55Path image 80-320 I like the image even though it’s bright (LOL) but it was shot on auto and on A setting
I don't think the path photo is too bright. It's a tricky scene because of contrast between the bright sunlit trees against the heavily shadowed mountain(?) in the background. If the sunlit trees were darker then everything else might be too dark. The camera exposure meter makes educated guesses when shooting in auto modes.

You have a few options if you would like scenes like that to be darker.
  1. Use exposure compensation to adjust the camera's guesses.
  2. Use bracketing. That tells the camera to take several shots with different exposure settings. Pick the one you want later. (the extra photos will drain the battery and fill the memory card faster, but that's only noticeable if you take lots of photos, and you can carry extras)
  3. Change the metering mode. With center spot metering you can aim at your intended subject, tell the camera to set exposure, and then reaim for composition before taking your photo.
  4. Switch to manual exposure mode.
If I'm hiking during challenging light conditions, I like bracketing because it lets me concentrate on composition and doesn't slow down my hiking. If I'm being more deliberate about my photos and using a tripod, then I'll be more likely to use manual exposure.


P.S. The upper left corner of that photo looks much less sharp than the rest of the frame. Maybe that old lens was never even across the frame, or has gotten beaten up with age. The lens is still usable just something to note.
12-29-2020, 09:00 PM - 1 Like   #22
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Cameras have no idea what they are "looking at", so they are programmed to assume every scene they photograph is 18% grey (on average). So if you are taking a photo of a white cat in the snow, it will assume all the white is meant to be greyer and underexpose the scene, making your white cat and the snow look dirty. This isn't a problem with digital cameras, because slightly underexposed photos can be rescued in post processing without losing too much information.
Now taking a photo of a black cat in a coal shaft. The camera assumes 18% grey and will wildly overexpose the photo so your cat turns burnt out white and the coal shaft looks grey. This can't be fixed in post processing.

So, the first scene has bright areas and dark areas and if you imagine 18% grey average across the scene, maybe it's not so far off. So not much need to adjust exposure.

The second photo has mostly really dark areas in the trees and rocks, but the subject (the water) is very bright and takes up only a small amount of area in the photo. So the camera has exposed for 18% grey, but the majority of the scene is dark, leading to overexposure. So to get the exposure right, you need to underexpose deliberately. That will make the rocks darker and the water darker, restoring detail. Lots of ways to achieve this, I prefer just using the +/- exposure setting.

12-30-2020, 09:24 AM   #23
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For high contrast scenes such as the two above, your K-70 has some other useful features in addition to exposure compensation and bracketing.
Highlight Correction (on, off, auto). This helps to keep highlights from blowing out (overexposing). On my KP, when this is turned on I can not set the ISO all the way down to 100, only to 160.
Shadow Correction (auto, high, medium, low, off). I haven't used this, but it is supposed to help keep the shadows from blacking out.

There is also the HDR mode (high dynamic range). It is similar to exposure bracketing, but combines multiple exposures into one image. It is best to use a sturdy tripod and shoot still scenes. The path shot above would work if the wind isn't blowing the trees around, otherwise they will be blurred. The waterfall shot would work with no wind; the water will be blurred, but that's desirable anyway right?
12-30-2020, 10:24 AM - 1 Like   #24
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Dead John and calsan are absolutely correct. In the first photo, the path and the far background are very dark. The camera did a good job still picking up some detail in those dark areas, and yet not blowing out the rest of the scene- which was because the rest of the scene is bathed in sunlight, so the extreme brightness from the sunlight has a balance with the extreme dark parts. The camera did a good job here.

In the 2nd photo, much of the frame is taken up by the dark trees, so the camera struggles to include exposure in them so the water turns out overly bright.

As to your settings, first of all I don't recommend using the point-and-shoot Auto on your mode dial. That setting will disable most controls and adjustment availability. When used, there will very possibly be selections made by the camera (which all choices are in this mode with little or nothing the user can do about it) and the camera does not necessarily reveal all the choices it has made. Other than showing the shutter speed and aperture, the camera might also have switched to any of the Custom Image processing categories, with attending color palettes along with specifics, such as sharpness, contrast, saturation, etc. according to what it "thinks" it is seeing. No way to know. For fully automatic function by the camera setting of shutter speed and aperture, use the "P" (Program) mode instead, which will confine itself to just metering and setting those two functions, and allow you control via the exclusive Pentax Hyper System.

Next, go into the Custom Image processing menus and set up "Fine Sharpening" especially in the normal "Bright" category.

Since you now have this control, here is one of several ways you could control the outcome of this scene with your Pentax camera. You will want to meter differently so the water looks more natural, but unless you want the trees to be mainly a dark outline, you'd need to bring back some degree of detail in them, so go to your shadow detail compensation control, also accessed via the info button, to activate and set the degree of compensation. This will also reduce excessive contrast. If you wish to continue shooting in the P mode, do a test shot first to see if exposure is now good for the water. If so, go ahead and shoot, but know that Pentax Hyper Program is available, so you can intercede with the camera's choices of shutter speed and aperture at any time simply by using your thumb or finger controls to make your choice. By regulating the shutter speed you can either speed up or slow down the flow of the water to get the effect you want. The camera will adjust aperture to compensate. You can restore fully automatic operation with a touch of the green button. You can thus effectively instantly switch to Av or Tv mode without having to first select these modes on your mode dial before making your selected choices, then can instantly switch back to P mode. Extremely efficient!

If the metering still makes the water unnaturally bright, shoot in the Manual mode, leaving your shadow comp on for the trees. Switch your metering to spot meter. Find a mid-tone in your general area of your shot. In this case from what I can see, the lighter gray area of the rocks near the water would be a good place under the same lighting to train your spot meter. Now while so trained, hit the green button, which will set a meter-centered exposure based on that neutrally-lit spot. This operation is the Pentax Hyper Manual feature. Now move and frame your shot with the trees, etc and do a test shot. Adjust your exposure from there as needed. One you've got your exposure as wished, and you want to vary the shutter speed to control the water flow, first hit the AE-L exposure lock button to freeze the exposure value you have set. Then as you change your shutter speed, the aperture will follow along and change also. Another very handy part of the Pentax Hyper Manual function! You can vary your shutter speed to control action, or your aperture to control depth-of field (DOF) in this manner without having to constantly rebalance the aperture or shutter speed individually.

Last edited by mikesbike; 12-31-2020 at 05:57 PM.
12-30-2020, 11:13 AM   #25
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QuoteOriginally posted by Apet-Sure Quote
Welcome to the forum! Nice to have you with us. I'll throw in a comment not related to your exposure issue.

My K10D was given to me by someone who no longer wanted it. It came with the Pentax 18-55mm kit lens. SMC Pentax-DA 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 AL Reviews - DA Zoom Lenses - Pentax Lens Reviews & Lens Database I had been a photographer for decades, but was always disappointed with the images
Since you've upgraded your camera to a K-70, you may want to look at the reviews for the specific version of the 18-55mm lens you have.

(
I have the original da 18-55 and was never happy with it on my k100d. I ended up using a promaster 28-70 that I had from my zx-10.

I eventually ended up with the dal 18-55 wr after I upgraded to the k3. It is a lot better than the original da. My primary lenses in that range is the sigma 17-50 f2.8 but I will use the dal when weight or weather might be an issue. The dal is also used on the k100d with an IR filter.

So your point about the different versions are true in my experience
12-30-2020, 12:10 PM   #26
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QuoteOriginally posted by Sidney Porter Quote
I eventually ended up with the dal 18-55 wr after I upgraded to the k3. It is a lot better than the original da.
I don't know for sure, but I suspect the person who gave me her K10D did so because the 'camera' didn't take good pictures. Your DAL 18-55mm WR certainly gets better ratings in the Pentax lens database than my old 18-55 lens does.

My main thought for Neoma was that a camera of the K-70's quality deserves a great lens if the budget allows. I think I got lucky with my Sigma 17-70mm DC Macro. Apparently this lens was known for many copies having sub-par IQ. Lots of quality variation supposedly. I've been quite happy with mine; many of the shots in my albums here on PF were taken with it. Of course, if someone dropped $500 in my lap, I'd rush off to get the DA 16-85!
12-30-2020, 02:01 PM   #27
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Hi Neoma,

Sounds like you've got a bit of good news! Your camera and lenses are working as they should, no repairs or replacements needed.
The next step is to begin to learn more about the craft of photography.

Here's a video that will help explain how metering works with dSLRs. After watching a few videos, I think this one is the most beginner friendly.
But, be aware that when the presenter in the video talks about "partial metering" he's discussing a metering mode that Pentax cameras do not have.
The rest, however, is right on the money.


If you still have any questions, feel free to ask about it here on the forums.

While I agree with other posters in this thread that newer lenses can make your new camera really sing, I would first suggest that you work on improving your own knowledge and skills before shelling out lots of cash on gear! Without first developing the fundamentals, you'll not see dramatic improvements in the quality of the photos you take. (Plus, if you fall in love with photography like the rest of us here, you'll have plenty of time to buy more equipment!)

In the meantime, it sounds like you're beginning to take your first steps toward taking your photographic work more seriously. I hope your journey in photography brings you as much joy as it has for me!

All the best,

Last edited by Gerbermiester; 12-30-2020 at 02:27 PM.
01-08-2021, 12:48 PM - 1 Like   #28
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Thank you for all your help. My telephoto lens was broken! I ended up purchasing the 55-300
many of you suggested. I also purchased
really nice 17-55 Sigma lens ( used)that
I’m pretty impressed with. Anyway......I thank you for your input! I am also going to enrol in a photography class to re-learn the fundamentals. I have been in love with photography for a long time but have gotten lazy & have totally forgot how to use the camera in manual modes.

Last edited by Neoma; 01-08-2021 at 12:56 PM.
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