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12-20-2007, 11:06 AM   #1
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Posts: 9
Camera Settings

OK i kinda got my camera all wacky. im not shur if i set it correctly. or taking pictures correctly. but i think i wud understand better if i knew wut half the stuff ment.

On my camera theres somthing called AE Metering. Wut should i have that set to. and wut shud i use for different situations.

also Swtch Dst Msr pt. Wut does that mean?
i can either set it to AUTO>11 Red dot things> 1 white dot.

Also wut should Flash Exp. Comp. be set to. i dont use a flash. all i got is built in flash.

if someone could explain this to me. if wud be great help. thanks

wait, one more thing, wut shud image tone be set to? :P

thanks :P

-edit

Btw im using a pentax K100D with Kit lens

12-20-2007, 11:36 AM   #2
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Blake,

You should spend some time perusing the user's manual. It's not the best resource in the world, but the answers to your questions ARE there. These are important and basic questions.

I don't have a K100D any more but I have an *ist DS here whose menus are, I think, similar, so I'll try to give you a hint on each of your questions.


QuoteOriginally posted by Blake Reverb Quote
On my camera theres somthing called AE Metering. Wut should i have that set to. and wut shud i use for different situations.
The AE Metering determines how the camera meters the scene you're about to photograph. There are three options:
  1. The camera measures light in the entire scene and does its best to come up with a "correct" exposure
  2. The camera measures light in the entire scene but pays particular attention to the CENTER of the scene
  3. Spot metering, where the camera only meters a small area in the center of the scene.
The third option is useful if you're doing something like looking up to photograph a dark bird on a branch, with a bright sky in the background.

My advice is, put this setting on the MIDDLE option -- center-weighted metering -- until you get a feel for when one of the others might be more useful. I personally use center-weighted most of the time, center-spot some of the time, and full matrix metering almost never.



QuoteQuote:
also Swtch Dst Msr pt. Wut does that mean?
It means that the firmware programmers at Pentax have no idea how to express themselves clearly. ;-)

I think it stands for "switch distribution measuring point." There, isn't that clearer?

Forgetting what it means, let's just talk about what it DOES. It determines how the camera's auto-focus system works. On my *ist DS I have three options:
  1. Auto
  2. Multi-point
  3. Center-point
Hard to tell you what you "should" use here. I use center-spot or spot focus most of the time. But the other options will work well for you most of the time. My advice: put it either on Auto or Center-point and see whether you like the results.


QuoteQuote:
Also wut should Flash Exp. Comp. be set to. i dont use a flash. all i got is built in flash.
Set it to zero. This affects the output of the flash when you use the flash. When you don't use the flash, it has no effect. If you set this to a plus value (say, +1), then when the flash fires, it will put out more light than if it's set to 0. Leave this on auto and come back to it later on when you've learned more about exposure.


QuoteQuote:
wait, one more thing, wut shud image tone be set to? :P
This is a more complicated question.

The options here amount to "enhanced color" and "unenhanced color." They affect only JPEG output, which means, if you save your images as JPEGs in the camera, this setting makes a difference. If you save raw files, on the other hand, this setting only affects the JPEG preview, not the raw data that is saved. Since I shoot only raw, I don't worry about this setting at all -- and I always leave it on unenhanced.

If you're shooting/saving JPEG and don't want to do much post-processing, then the only way to make a decision here is to shoot some test photos, put 'em on your computer and see which approach you prefer. Different people have different opinions about these settings and also about the next three settings in the menu (saturation, sharpness and contrast). My advice: set the tone to unsaturated and the next three to zero, and take some photos. If you feel the photos aren't as sharp or contrasty or as richly colorful as you would like, get back into the menu and tweak the sharpness, contrast and saturation settings respectively.

But get that manual out. And maybe a pocket spelling dictionary. ;-)

Will
12-20-2007, 12:02 PM   #3
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Join Date: Oct 2007
Posts: 9
Original Poster
thanks a bunch will. you never fail me
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