Originally posted by RussV The limited dynamic range of the K10 is actually an advantage in this type of shot, adding contrast to the scene.
Originally posted by paulh Yes, I just have to be careful with those black blobs getting too black or blotchy! Shooting RAW with the K10D helps enormously with these low light scenes.
I agree with Russ that your shot looks great with exactly the dynamic range it's got, Paul.
Speaking of dynamic range in general, I think the K10D sensor has really got at least a stop more range than the embedded raw profile makes it seem. The embedded profile applies quite a contrasty tone curve, and you can easily get a stop more out of the sensor just by switching to a linear tone curve if your raw processor allows it.
I always make two versions of my custom profiles, one with the standard tone curve that Adobe Profile Editor applies when it's creating the profile from the test card, and another with the linear tone curve option that the editor also lets you select. With the linear profile that I'm currently using when I need to, I can easily get two more stops of dynamic range than the embedded profile would manage. The B&W shot a couple of pages back is a good example -- it was only possible to do it from a single frame by using a linear tone curve, then bringing the contrast back up to where I wanted it to be in Silver Efex.
Here's a snap from July that I finally got around to processing. Lydford Church with the Takumar 17mm, defished and using a profile with the standard tone curve.