[gbialka]

Hey guys,

Joined this forum because this Christmas I received a K20d and a Tamron 17-50mm 2.8. After doing a lot of research I decided to get this camera because of the image stabilization, high resolution, weather seals, and other semi-pro functions. This is my first dslr, moving from a Minolta film slr.

So far, I have not been wowed by the auto focus and image quality-especially in low light. I have never used a Nikon, but I keep hearing that they are superior in those two aspects. And I am really hoping that I made the right decision.

Anyways, my main question is that I have heard in many reviews that the k20d is a great camera once you get out of the default settings. Likewise, i have also read in dpreview that the K20d consistently underexposes.

Does anyone have a breakdown on what are some good customization settings that would help me make the K20d better for all around photography, from outdoor nature walks to indoor low light settings. Or does anyone know of any guides that are specifically written about how to fully optimize this cameras capabilities.

Thanks

[Jewelltrail]

gbialka:

I bought precisely the same combination of camera & lens back in April. I am very happy with AF speed in good & low light. I almost always shoot in manual mode and optimize exposure with the so-called "blinkies" which show over or underexposure. I always try to expose to the right as far as I can, avoiding clipping of any important details.

When I first used the camera I relied on the monitor for exposure, something which worked beautifully with the Canon I had been using. But, with the K20, using the monitor for exposure always lead to underexposed images.

I would not look for any "how-to" book. Just go out and shoot with the combination and you will get better & better. Using the histogram is another tool towards better exposures but, in the end, it is you who controlt he shot. The k20 is an awesome camera and so is the Tammy 17-50mm, IMO.

Best of luck.

[Ratmagiclady]

I bumped up the sharpness a couple notches pretty quickly, and have so far left it there: the out of the box settings are kind of a post-processing-friendly not-very-sharpened. I may dial it back, later, if I get some kind of batch-processing workflow set up, but this gives me a bit of instant gratification while I get familiar with everything else, and I can hit the RAW button if I really want to give something special attention.