[Aristophanes]

For color, absolutely. For blown highlights, not so much.

I have more than enough headroom in RAW shooting DNG to deal with blown highlights.

I'd rather a modest underexpose than over any day to retain mid-band colour saturation naturally. That's been known since 1935.

[Paleo Pete]

I'm not sure how to take all this, I'm not very familiar with DSLR at all, having used a P&S Samsung until now, and after recently getting my first DSLR which is a K-x, I have to say I'm pretty satisfied with it.

I do tend to get underexposed shots now and then, depending on lighting, and washed out colors, again depending on lighting. I simply try to compensate beforehand with on camera settings, if possible, and if not, after the fact by pushing the contrast and saturation or brightness. It doesn't take much, and most of my shots are acceptable. Usually if I have to scrap a shot it's because of MY out of focus tendency, not the camera.

I usually shoot Av, since I'm mostly using manual lenses, I rarely compensate more than +1, usually +1/2. Normal setting mostly, JPEG, rarely with flash. Expanded sensitivity turned off, I'm not ppushing brightness or contrast in camera, I do that in post processing, and then only if really necessary. I like to do the least post processing I can get by with. My biggest problem? FOCUS...I find with digital the focus really shows, where with film I could be a tad off and still get an acceptable picture. Digital shows me if I'm the tiniest bit off, so I end up scrapping a LOT of pictures, just slightly out of focus.

So I guess the main thing wrong with my K-x is...the guy standing behind it.

[egordon99]

Here's an interesting read from "the other side"

Canon colors vs Nikon colors - Canon Digital Photography Forums

Basically, it would be a HUGE waste for you to switch to Canon JUST because you don't want to take the time to tweak the Pentax's JPG settings. And this is coming from a Canon user

[GeneV]

I have more than enough headroom in RAW shooting DNG to deal with blown highlights.

I'd rather a modest underexpose than over any day to retain mid-band colour saturation naturally. That's been known since 1935.

True on the second part, but my K-x has managed to blow past the headroom of in RAW for DNG. Underexposure is far preferable.

[egordon99]

True on the second part, but my K-x has managed to blow past the headroom of in RAW for DNG. Underexposure is far preferable.

I think the important part is knowing HOW your particular camera handles high contrast scenes. My Xsi and 40D both handle things quite differently from each other (and that's the SAME freakin' brand!) but I manage.

These days I actually prefer shooting indoors as I usually can control the lighting pretty well with my speedlights (both on and off camera with light stand/umbrella for posed shots) Outside I try to avoid shooting in harsh sun and try to scope out shade.

[FruitLooPs]

I also much prefer slightly underexposed in tough situations rather than blown out skies, I think Pentax usually gets pretty spot on (K100D was a bit less accurate than my K20D with manual lens green button but both acceptable).

I My biggest problem? FOCUS...I find with digital the focus really shows, where with film I could be a tad off and still get an acceptable picture. Digital shows me if I'm the tiniest bit off, so I end up scrapping a LOT of pictures, just slightly out of focus.

So I guess the main thing wrong with my K-x is...the guy standing behind it.

Hi Paleo Pete, I see you're new to DSLR's - something you might well be interested in with your film SLR backgrounds and lots of manual lens use is katzeye focusing screens. It'll give you a split prism screen which you might find much easier to get accurate shots with Pentax K100D K110D K200D K x Focusing Screen - KatzEye Optics

I don't have one, but many people here swear by them for manual stuff - and using some fast lenses wide open is certainly a challenge to nail accurately without I'll PM you this in-case you don't come back to this thread.

[SpecialK]

Still I find it aggravating, because then I spend hours post. Oh well.

If you honestly spend that much time fixing them, you need different software, a different approach, and/or a faster computer.

If exposure seems to be your biggest issue, why not set +EV in the camera and be done? There a a few other jpg setting you can adjust, but RAW offers the most flexibility on a shot-by-shot basis.

[SpecialK]

That's not a "review"; that's a comment from a random dissatisfied customer. Sure, those happen all the time with any product ever made. You original post made it sound like an actual reviewer made some claim about bad copies.

Yep, that was a weak "review".

[Aristophanes]

True on the second part, but my K-x has managed to blow past the headroom of in RAW for DNG. Underexposure is far preferable.

Agreed. But any DSLR shooting RAW still requires the user to gauge a scene while shooting and dial in compensation. Get it wrong and any sensor from any brand will blow the highlights.

We've never had it so good for these adjustment, right there at our fingertips. But knowing which ones to use when, that's the tough part. But it always has been in photography. Frankly, part of photography has always been that shadows can still be pitch black and the sky is white, white, white..but who's looking when the rest of the composition is accurate.

Also, there's filters, the DA 15 Ltd., all sorts of methods to curl back blown highlights before they happen. It sounds like you may need an ND filter or similar.

And there's a difference between high contrast and blown highlights.

[GeneV]

I think the important part is knowing HOW your particular camera handles high contrast scenes.

Agreed. That has been the point of many of the posts, including mine.

[Transit]

Beats me why anyone would buy a camera with the lame name 'rebel'.
Embarrassing.
Pete

[egordon99]

Beats me why anyone would buy a camera with the lame name 'rebel'.
Embarrassing.
Pete

I hope you're joking

Would it be better if they JUST called it the Xsi? Or the 450D? I don't care if my camera had the "Barbie" label and was pink...It takes great pictures...(well, pink might be a bit much...)

[Ben_Edict]

I hope you're joking

Would it be better if they JUST called it the Xsi? Or the 450D? I don't care if my camera had the "Barbie" label and was pink...It takes great pictures...(well, pink might be a bit much...)

"*istDS2" is not really better

And you can probably get your pink Kx, while you are at it.

Ben

[Paleo Pete]

If exposure seems to be your biggest issue, why not set +EV in the camera and be done?

Exactly what I do, sometimes I have to go +, sometimes -, it depends on the light. This whole thread seemed a bit strange to me, because my K-x seems to overexpose more than under.That may be my settings though, and I'm not totally familiar with all the various on camera settings yet either.

But at least now I know what BOKEH is...YAAAAAYYYY...

[Aristophanes]

And you can probably get your pink Kx, while you are at it.

Ben

That's WAAAAAAY more rebel than Rebel.