[madison_wi_gal]

Hi Pentaxians,

Have been going through the threads looking for "best practices/best settings" for in-camera jpg settings for my new K-3 III.

This thread touched on what I am trying to accomplish, the OP is ~similar to me in that their interest was taking pics for family/friends/themselves. And since my free time is limited for the foreseeable future, I really want to optimize my K-3 III experience by treating it like a very expensive point and shoot (for now).

In my first post about this camera, I bemoaned that (RAW-only, no post processing) test shots looked "meh" and I now know that I pretty much tested under the stupidest conditions possible.

I ordered a UHS-II card for slot 1 and I have a standard 64GB card for slot 2 - so I can shoot in RAW + jpg (one on each) and I suspect that I'll mostly use the jpgs for now. This post discusses that.

Now I just need to figure out the "best" settings (on average) for jpgs. I have a mix of high end lenses and kit lenses, I am told that I should disable lens correction for the good ones (If I am reading that right). If so, maybe I need to have a few custom User settings for "good" vs. "meh" lenses.

Anyway, I appreciate all the supportive comments, and continue to learn from forum members.

[que es tu]

I would suggest looking at the thread “Creating a jpeg style” to get some ideas about different color profiles. There are some good ideas for modifying the jpeg custom image settings for different looks! Have fun!

[madison_wi_gal]

I would suggest looking at the thread “Creating a jpeg style” to get some ideas about different color profiles. There are some good ideas for modifying the jpeg custom image settings for different looks! Have fun!

Ah yes, I searched "jpg" but not "jpeg".

[pepperberry farm]

Hi Pentaxians,

Have been going through the threads looking for "best practices/best settings" for in-camera jpg settings for my new K-3 III.

This thread touched on what I am trying to accomplish, the OP is ~similar to me in that their interest was taking pics for family/friends/themselves. And since my free time is limited for the foreseeable future, I really want to optimize my K-3 III experience by treating it like a very expensive point and shoot (for now).

In my first post about this camera, I bemoaned that (RAW-only, no post processing) test shots looked "meh" and I now know that I pretty much tested under the stupidest conditions possible.

I ordered a UHS-II card for slot 1 and I have a standard 64GB card for slot 2 - so I can shoot in RAW + jpg (one on each) and I suspect that I'll mostly use the jpgs for now. This post discusses that.

Now I just need to figure out the "best" settings (on average) for jpgs. I have a mix of high end lenses and kit lenses, I am told that I should disable lens correction for the good ones (If I am reading that right). If so, maybe I need to have a few custom User settings for "good" vs. "meh" lenses.

Anyway, I appreciate all the supportive comments, and continue to learn from forum members.

as the resident contrarian, I do not shoot in RAW ever; all of my photos are jpg, right from the camera, with some-to-none post processing....

I cringe when I read a thread here or any other photography forum that the participants state that RAW is the only way to shoot - it isn't...

if you are happy with your photos as jpgs out of the camera - good

if you'd like to improve your post-processing abilities - good

if you want to shoot RAW and use that as the basis of your photography - good


do what makes you happy....

[madison_wi_gal]

as the resident contrarian, I do not shoot in RAW ever; all of my photos are jpg, right from the camera, with some-to-none post processing....

I cringe when I read a thread here or any other photography forum that the participants state that RAW is the only way to shoot - it isn't...

if you are happy with your photos as jpgs out of the camera - good

if you'd like to improve your post-processing abilities - good

if you want to shoot RAW and use that as the basis of your photography - good


do what makes you happy....

Yes, thanks. I do plan to try to shoot in jpg for now, but am looking for guidance on settings to optimize this in a K-3 III. Most of the advice so far is geared towards changing factory defaults that affect usability and specialized buttons, not for turning a $1700 camera into a point and shoot.

[pepperberry farm]

Yes, thanks. I do plan to try to shoot in jpg for now, but am looking for guidance on settings to optimize this in a K-3 III. Most of the advice so far is geared towards changing factory defaults that affect usability and specialized buttons, not for turning a $1700 camera into a point and shoot.

that I really can't help with, though - I shoot primarily manual-focus primes on my cameras....

even when I am using an AF lens, I usually have the dial set to aperture-priority and the ISO as low as possible....

[Parallax]

If you're happy with .jpg then that's the way to go. I have one suggestion, though.
Shoot Raw + .jpg and just file the raw files away for the future. There may come a day when you want to start to delve into more in depth post-processing. If you're like virtually every other photographer you will, as your skills progress, look back at older photos and think "I can do better" and if you were shooting in raw + .jpg you'll have the basis for tweaking them. If not, great. You will have lost nothing except a few gigs of storage on a hard drive.

[madison_wi_gal]

If you're happy with .jpg then that's the way to go. I have one suggestion, though.
Shoot Raw + .jpg and just file the raw files away for the future. There may come a day when you want to start to delve into more in depth post-processing. If you're like virtually every other photographer you will, as your skills progress, look back at older photos and think "I can do better" and if you were shooting in raw + .jpg you'll have the basis for tweaking them. If not, great. You will have lost nothing except a few gigs of storage on a hard drive.

Yes, that is the plan. I guess my title should have been clearer, and I expect I will get some flack from this next comment, but:

Someone needs to tell me what to do re: initial settings for jpg processing. Yes, I know all lenses are different, I know that all subjects are different, all lighting and composition is different, and that my enjoyment of my final images can differ from other people. I just need a good starting point.

So far I have seen a few threads about saturation, sharpness and EV settings on some cameras. Hoping for someone to dumb this down for me. Yes, I suspect this is too much camera for me. But it is mine and I want to enjoy it.

[kypfer]

Someone needs to tell me what to do re: initial settings for jpg processing. Yes, I know all lenses are different, I know that all subjects are different, all lighting and composition is different, and that my enjoyment of my final images can differ from other people. I just need a good starting point.
So far I have seen a few threads about saturation, sharpness and EV settings on some cameras. Hoping for someone to dumb this down for me. Yes, I suspect this is too much camera for me. But it is mine and I want to enjoy it.

OK … my take on the issue, also being a primarily JPG photographer.
Let's assume that Pentax actually do have some idea (after 20 years) of how to produce a DSLR which takes reasonably acceptable pictures straight out of the box!
Let's also assume, for argument's sake, that the supplied Pentax Digital Camera Utility software is actually quite good, if a little "different"!
Given these two provisos, take some "normal" pictures with the camera at the default settings, then use the Digital Camera Utility to "enhance" them to YOUR requirements.
You'll have probably noticed by now that the software and the camera both use the same terminology
Transfer any regular adjustments in DCU directly to the camera and try again … after a couple of iterations you'll be producing pictures exactly as YOU like them straight from the camera
Use all the time you've just saved to take more stunning masterpieces
Enjoy

[madison_wi_gal]

OK … my take on the issue, also being a primarily JPG photographer.
Let's assume that Pentax actually do have some idea (after 20 years) of how to produce a DSLR which takes reasonably acceptable pictures straight out of the box!
Let's also assume, for argument's sake, that the supplied Pentax Digital Camera Utility software is actually quite good, if a little "different"!
Given these two provisos, take some "normal" pictures with the camera at the default settings, then use the Digital Camera Utility to "enhance" them to YOUR requirements.
You'll have probably noticed by now that the software and the camera both use the same terminology
Transfer any regular adjustments in DCU directly to the camera and try again … after a couple of iterations you'll be producing pictures exactly as YOU like them straight from the camera
Use all the time you've just saved to take more stunning masterpieces
Enjoy

DCU not supplied (at least in box). ** WRONG!! I can get DCU *update* from Ricoh but not DCU itself. So, stuck. **

Found it. K-3 III <-- usb --> computer.

Installed and updated (Mac OS).

[mikesbike]

No reason that your fine camera should be treated like a P/S type just because you are shooting highest quality JPEG images. My KP does a great job with images right out of the camera. As to settings, be sure to avoid having your mode dial set to the green "Auto" mode as this will disable many controls and disallow access to most settings. Then it would be essentially a P/S camera. Use the P mode instead for fully automated exposure by the camera, if desired. I do this depending on conditions, though I set my own ISO.

Then the first thing I always recommend is setting up "Fine Sharpening" in the Sharpening adjustment in the Custom Image menus, especially in the most often used "Bright" category. You might find this category is default on your K-3 III, so is readily accessible. The 4 buttons around the ok button are then for navigation and adjustments. This will provide superior fine detail in images. If the sharpening is set up conservatively with this camera, it will be so when sharpening levels are set to normal. This has been fairly common with flagship Pentax DSLR models. With the "Bright" category, the default level setting is up by +1. You might go ahead and up it by yet one more notch using one of the buttons, in addition to establishing "Fine Sharpening"-which is done using your rear thumb dial. If no undesirable artifacts result, you are good to go. Try it at both levels and see.

[madison_wi_gal]

No reason that your fine camera should be treated like a P/S type just because you are shooting highest quality JPEG images. My KP does a great job with images right out of the camera. As to settings, be sure to avoid having your mode dial set to the green "Auto" mode as this will disable many controls and disallow access to most settings. Then it would be essentially a P/S camera. Use the P mode instead for fully automated exposure by the camera, if desired. I do this depending on conditions, though I set my own ISO. Then the first thing I always recommend is setting up "Fine Sharpening" in the Sharpening adjustment in the Custom Image menus, especially in the most often used "Bright" category. You might find this category is default on your K-3 III, so is readily accessible.

Yep, "AUTO" was the culprit in the initial tests.

[que es tu]

I leave distortion correction and clarity enhancement disabled as they significantly slow down processing speed. I also don’t use the “digital filters” as they also slow down the camera’s processing speed. I leave noise reduction at default and enable the other lens corrections. Also, I enable highlight and shadow correction and leave them on auto. Hope this helps!

[madison_wi_gal]

I leave distortion correction and clarity enhancement disabled as they significantly slow down processing speed. I also don’t use the “digital filters” as they also slow down the camera’s processing speed. I leave noise reduction at default and enable the other lens corrections. Also, I enable highlight and shadow correction and leave them on auto. Hope this helps!

It does, thanks!

[allanmh]

I also shoot mostly jpg, and have set up the Bright image style to my preferences. You can do the same, and the process is not really all that complicated. My preference is to turn saturation and contrast up a notch, and turn sharpness all the way up. I have also turned on every kind of lens correction the camera allows. YMMV. Fortunately, Pentax provides 2 different methods for making a RAW image if the jpeg doesn't suit you. You can push the RAW button and take a RAW image for later post-processing, or you can push the Exposure Compensation button and save the data from the buffer as a RAW file. I also, on all my Pentaxes, turn the EV down -.7 to preserve the highlights. I also use central weighted metering as a good all round compromise. White Balance I usually adapt to the circumstances. As I prefer a slightly warm WB I have set them all to A+2 and M+1.
There is no chance of damaging the camera by experimenting with all these settings, so play to your heart's content, and enjoy your new camera. It's awesome!