[drypenn]

I'm quite late to the Pentax party, and my first Pentax DSLR is a K30.

As I browse at various images, the ist DS' rendition has caught my eye. It's quite different and I dare say, very lovely in a very subtle but distinct way. Now, my question is, is there a way to adjust the K3/K30?Kx images in PP to mimic the ist DS rendition? I'm doing some trial and (mostly) error and I can't copy it quite enough.

Does anybody have a cheat code for this? Or do I have to hunt for an ist DS? Which can be quite risky because of its age.

Thanks!

[JohnX]

I think you'll find it's to do with the sensor technology. Many people make the same comments about the K10D.

Up to and including the K10D Pentax used variants of a Sony CCD sensor, changing to CMOS sensors with the K20D.

[Fauxton]

Hi John;
No the rendition has nothing to do with the sensor technology. I'm afraid that is a urban myth. What it may encompass is the selection of the bayer array colors and perhaps in the JPEG engine, the tuning and noise parameters. If you are shooting raw and post processing it has a lot to do with the camera profile used by the raw processor.

To the OP's question it is possible to tune the rendition of any current DLSR to come close to the rendition of any other camera. For example DXO Optics provides a wide variety of camera and model specific profiles to be applied to your photograph. For example if you like Olympus blues as rendered by a E510 you can select that profile for a photograph taken with a K30. In Adobe's case you can create a profile recipe that you can tune yourself and then apply to your photograph via ACR profiles. Capture One has a similar capability to DXO Optics.

[jkomp316]

the sensor in question 6.1mp was the culmination of a sony science experiment. i believe it was thier first sensor that awnsered to 35mm digital.

[Dartmoor Dave]

No the rendition has nothing to do with the sensor technology. I'm afraid that is a urban myth. What it may encompass is the selection of the bayer array colors and perhaps in the JPEG engine, the tuning and noise parameters. If you are shooting raw and post processing it has a lot to do with the camera profile used by the raw processor.

Yet there does seem to be a consistent look delivered by the classic 6mp CCD used in the *ist DS and other cameras, no matter which of the many different raw processors available is used. And if you look through the K10D Club here on Pentax Forums, you'll also see a consistent rendering style from the 10mp CCD that remains no matter which raw processor is used.

I use my own custom profiles created with a Macbeth card and the Adobe DNG Profile Editor, but even the so results I get from the 10mp CCD sensor have a very different rendering style than those from the 20mp CMOS. So there must be something more going on than just the influence of the camera profile and raw processor.

[Adam]

I would definitely play around with your custom image settings and/or raw presets. The newer default Pentax JPEG profile applies rather vibrant colors, but you can tweak things until everything is to your liking.

The best way to do it, IMO, is to take a snap, in RAW, of a scene you would typically shoot. Then, import the file into the Pentax digital camera utility, adjust the custom image settings until the photo looks the way you want, and then copy those settings into your camera.

[Just1MoreDave]

If you end up deciding to buy a camera for that sensor, look at the K100D Super. You get SR and contacts for SDM or DC autofocus lenses. The *ist DS has a pentaprism viewfinder and works with TTL flashes, but SR is a big advantage. It allows lower shutter speeds. You won't have much ISO flexibility - if there is magic in that sensor, it probably goes away at high ISOs. So you'll want shutter speed help.

There are also just more K100D and K100D Supers out there. I don't know production numbers but that model was a big hit for Pentax, while the *ist DS was barely noticed.