[mrpromod]

Ok so i have sme more questions for you guys with camera know how i see people knocking the low light problems with the k10d
i will mainly using it outside most of the time but would like to use it inside at auto shows also , what would i want to do to get better pics my idea would be to keep the lense open longer,correct but does this cause a problem with being able to hold the camera still long enough? I am a very novice beginner am i even going to notice this in my pics at all or not

thanks
john

[MichaelBilson]

Hello John,

you are right that with longer exposure time, images tend to get blurry if handheld.

There's a rule of thumb that says that your exposure time should be smaller then 1 divided by your focal length; i.e. if you have a 50mm lens, then make sure your exposure is below 1/50 of a second. Of course this depends on the photographer and his ability to hold still. I prefer to use an exposure well below this rule, just to make sure!

You may not always notice if your images are blurry on the tiny LCD screen, even if you zoom in. So make sure to take a lot of pictures, that way chances are great that a few of them will be sharp!

What you can do is take a tripod with you (if you have one). Maybe try to shoot a few pictures at home, so you get the feeling.

Michael

[jatrax]

John,

I do not know anything about the k10d. But even if it gets knocks for low light performance remember that people took photos in low light for a long time before the k10d came out. There may be better low light options now, but that does not mean the k10d will not work. You have to learn to take pictures with the equipment you have.

In low light, you can raise the ISO, slow down the shutter speed, or increase the aperture. Which or all of those you use is determined by what you want the photo to look like. As mentioned above a good tripod, if you can use it in the venue will help tremendously. You might also look into flash options. The on board flash is usable but does not always produce the best effect. Usually a good external flash is worth the money if you do a lot of indoor shooting.

Also, the lens being used will make a large difference. A 50mm f/1.4 is a completely different animal than the 18-55 kit lens or any other slow zoom.

You really, really need to have a firm understanding of the ISO, shutter speed, aperture triangle. All of these affect the amount of light recorded on the sensor (or film). The frustration level and learning curve can be very high for new DSLR shooters unless these principles are well understood.

You might want to get a basic book on photography to get started. One that is often recommended here is "Understanding Exposure" by Bryan Peterson. I've read it several times and found it well worth the time and money. There are any number of other books available as well.

[mrpromod]

Thanks guys for all the info and yes i do need to learn about fstops apature depth of field etc i just no not want to buy something that may or may no work for me i learn much faster by doing than with text always have and always will in my opinion.

Thanks again
john

[Ash]

Hi John,

Your might do well to start learning about the exposure triad to increase your skills and photographic abilities, such as with these tutorials: Beginners Article 1: Nomenclature - PentaxForums.com, Learning basic photographic techniques - PentaxForums.com and Exposure: Shutter Speed, Aperture, ISO - PentaxForums.com

[raz-0]

I'll give you my answer form my experience with the k10d.

I really wouldn't use it at a higher iso setting than 400 for an indoor shot that is reasonably lit to the human eye. MAYBE 800 if you are going to convert to B&W because you effectively convert chroma noise to luminance noise which in B&W, we are conditioned to find more acceptable.


Having taken mine to the new york auto show with my sigma 17-70 2.8-4.5 lens, I could get something serviceable form any of the very well lit dais type displays, but most of the generic floor displays where the cars are just out there under the basic hall lighting were pretty messy. Also, everything is a mix of light sources with a lot of tinted sodium vapor type lamps. You will have to know how to set a custom white balance if you want something that looks good out of camera without any post processing. You can shoot with a fast lens, in raw, and underexpose a bit, and you can go home with some thing not horrifically noisy that you can salvage. IMO I do think you are at the ragged edge of the abilities of the k-10d + a 2.8 lens to get you something nice looking as the shallow DOF is not necessarily your friend in the shooting situations you will be stuck with with large crowds close up.

[yustr]

How you hold the camera can make a big difference too.

I was taught that the weight of the camera is supported in the palm of your left hand. The heal of that hand is under the base of the camera and the thumb and index finger are around the focus ring of the lens. Then you tuck your left elbow against your chest to form a very secure shooting base.

This then leaves your right hand to firmly but not too tightly grip the handle and very gently depress the shutter. Don't tap or bang it. Your right elbow gets tucked to your right ribs.

Using this method along with the shake reduction of the Pentax and hand held shots of 1/30 sec should be achievable, even 1/15 sec or less if you're good.

[dylansalt]

Above were shot using ISO 1600 with the K10D.

Easily printable up to 5x7 and I have shot 100's at 1600 iso.

But it is knowhere and I repeat knowhere in the same park as the K5 wrt high iso where you can easily print A4 at 2500iso.

I bought the K10D for the colors the sensor could produce - I still feel it's still the darned best sensor compared to all the latest cmos sensors for color.

[mrpromod]

Thanks again people for all the info those pics are fantasic.

JOHN