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Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help
01-01-2013, 06:40 AM
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I just tried a couple of experimental shots keeping the exposure the same for both the auto setting and manual. I changed nothing else. The 1st one is on auto green button and has the dull veil over it that has been my problem all along. No matter what I have done it has never been right, even moving onto priority settings and fiddling with everything that has been suggested and I could find to fiddle with! Changimg one thing just changed something else, nothing ever came out natural. Using exposure compensation never really worked either, just made the dullness lighter or darker.
For the 2nd photo all I did was change to manual and set the exposure to the same that the auto setting chose.
Appologies for the quality, I know they are both rubbish lol, but just showing the difference even though exposure is the same!
Would be interested to see what you guys think.
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Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help
12-30-2012, 02:42 AM
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I wont be shooting in anything other than manual too from now on! The difference when I took control was immediate. Images are 100% better already, compared with using the priority settings and relying on the camera. :)
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Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help
12-27-2012, 01:29 PM
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I can't believe it's been over a year since I first got my k-x and posted here. Over that year I had learned to hate my k-x with a passion! I got off the 'green' settings straight away as you guys suggested and fiddled with all the other settings but never lost the grey veil over my photo's, the muted dull tones or the gastly colour renditions etc. I thought I'd tried everything, and to be honest for the first time in 30 odd years I lost interest in photographing anything unless it was essential. A very sad state of affairs especially as I got this camera to expand my horizons not to diminish them! I've never been this frustrated with a camera in my life.
However just before Christmas, knowing I'd be wanting to take pics of family over the hols, I gave it another try. I decided having tried everything else I would switch to manual. I had a manual camera as a child and was offered a position at a local newspaper as trainee photographer on the strength of pictures taken on it! (Didn't take up the opportunity obviously!) So I thought I might have an outside a chance at getting better pics this way even if I was rubbish at it!
OMG I only wish I had tried this a year ago! All the horrid dumbed down images have gone!!!!!!! Now I can actually start learning how to use my camera!
OK, my images are still pretty rubbish, but that should change now as I relearn to use the camera in manual mode! Has anyone else come across this? I really wanted to post about this revelation in case anyone else is stuggling to get the pictures they want too. It might just help :)
OMG I'm so happy, it's like I got a new camera for xmas!!!!!!!!!! LOL!!!!!!!! :D
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Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help
11-28-2011, 02:24 AM
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Thank you for the explination of why my whites appear grey. This is what I find most frustrating.
I'll try to get my head around the metering. I read the article, but I seem to have a blank spot when it comes to understanding cameras :o
I was taking pics for ebay on Saturday and used the oportunity to practise. I ended up with one image I remained reasonabley happy with. The rest..... well I'll keep trying! :lol: I lost some detail so I could have done with a deeper depth of field (?), but the light and colour is what I was concentrating on. Not sure how I did it though, doh! I'm sure you guys can find many more faults than me! I've added the pic so you can see what i've been upto with your help. (No post processing btw :))
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Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help
11-25-2011, 01:54 AM
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Does he ever come to North Wales by any chance?! :lol:
Thanks for letting me know I'm not on my own struggling with the K-x! :D
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Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help
11-22-2011, 02:36 AM
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Thanks for the continuing replies :)
I'm slowly learning, trying things out, fiddling and learning a little more. It seems when I change one thing something else changes too. I'm grainy pics at the mo.... I'll keep fiddling!
The recommended book has arrived so I am looking forward to going through that :D
I really just want my pics to look true to life. The opening pics were taken on a beautiful bright sunny day, hopefully you can see this from the strong shadows, yet the pics didn't reflect this (looking dull). However the video setting did.
I think in trying to correct this I am over compensating at the moment and doing exactly what you said - trying to make the images to vivid - but that's not my aim. I just want them to show what I see.
It's a big learning curve but hopefully I'll get there in the end! :)
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Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help
11-18-2011, 09:56 AM
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Just ordered it, thanks for the suggestion :)
I've run out of daylight but feel i've been getting somewhere now! I've changed to Shutter priority instead of Auto pict which means I can adjust the contrast, saturation etc settings, and bumped the exposure compensation 1 stop. Much happier with the results so far. I'll try it all out again tomorrow when the light is back, but think I'm on the right track now. Thanks everyone :rolleyes:
I want to stick with jpegs for my 'snaps'. However
I think it might be time to get the photoshop book out! I've got the software but no idea how to use it. Can't use RAW on the software I normaly use. And it looks like that's the direction I'll need to go for the proper photo's I eventually want to take ;)
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Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help
11-18-2011, 08:39 AM
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This is exactly what I don't like! Does anyone know if this is a specific default setting I can change?
I have found that changing the High/Low Key Adj (I think this may be what I change for above problem?) makes a huge difference, but I can't change this for the auto setting. In fact I don't seem to be able to change any of the settings (contrast, saturation etc) for auto :(
I just wanted to add that I got a DSLR because I do want to learn and do more using manual. I mainly want to photograph birds and use it for timelapse. For these things I'm happy to spend hours (I'll need it!) setting up and fiddling and learning and improving to get what I want. So I really don't intend to always use auto. But I also use this camera for ebay listings and quick snaps when my pets or family are doing things I want to capture. I'm more interested in speed of use and ok pics for this, hense the auto use. I just don't feel I can move on to the more interesting and creative stuff when i can't get to grips with auto!!! I am learning all the time though and your comments are hugely helpful for my present incapabilities :o and for what I am progressing too.
The light is rubbish this afternoon but I'll be going through all the advice given here in detail and fiddling anyway :D
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Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help
11-17-2011, 07:36 AM
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Thanks so much everyone :)
You've given me lots of options to try out, and it's really helpful to know it's me with the problem not the camera!
I have mainly had Canon and Nikon cameras before this one so that probably does have something to do with my perseption of what is ok and what isn't :confused:.
I took these pictures this morning in lovely bright light but to me it just isn't natural or reflecting what I'm seeing in real life at all, obviously in low light the problem is magnified :(.
I will be trying all suggestions out and hopefully something will work for me :rolleyes:
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Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help
11-17-2011, 05:24 AM
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I bought a K-x with kit lense earlier this year. I just can not get to grips with it. I think it is a fault with the camera one minute and then think it must just be me the next (relative beginner to DSLR). I've hardly used it as whatever I do the images are frustratingly rubbish :(
The problem is a grey/dull tone to the images.
I have taken some test shots so you can see my problem. I think all settings are on automatic/factory settings and I'm using the Auto pict. (I realise I'll never get the best shots using these settings but it should be reasonably acceptable surely or whats the point of having auto at all??!!)
The comparison shots are stills taken from using the video setting. This is what I would expect the auto shots to be like regarding colour, tone, exposure.
I'd be extemely greatful for your opinions on whether this is a case of me and the camera just not getting on, or whether this could be a fault.
I've had several high end compacts and one other DSLR (Nikon D40) and never had any issues with using auto on them for snaps.
(Just to clarify I can't get rid of this dull tone even when changing the exposure, WB or anything else :()
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Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help
07-18-2011, 09:32 AM
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Thanks for the advice :rolleyes:
I took these shots just as a test to see if it was me or the camera that was causing my problems. Looks like it's me!
I was wrong initially thinking it was a white balance problem I was having, however I have learnt alot from you guys about white balance now, so I will be able to take this into account as well in future. Including using caps/cards ;)
So, back to more experimenting to see if I can get the image I want for my cat drawing and future time lapse photos, armed with the extra knowledge I've learned from you guys.
No doubt I'll be back soon :lol:
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Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help
07-18-2011, 09:19 AM
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That is reasurring thank you. I don't understand ISO at all - no idea what it is! But I can set it to a max of 6400. Will this help with the indoor shots?
I will do a bit of research on ISO as this is obviously important!
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Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help
07-18-2011, 08:50 AM
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OK, I've done some shots that hopefully will help. I fixed the shutter speed to 1/100 for all shots except the auto shot which did it to 1/100 itself. Then the rest are manual, I've just changed the aperture for each one. Will this be enough info for you?
1. Auto - F11
2. F5.6
3. F4
4. F8
5. F7.1
The last couple are the most realistic to life. It was a cloudy but bright day (mid summer here). Auto was way to dark as usual :( I haven't cropped them, just resized for posting here.
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Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help
07-17-2011, 11:24 AM
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It's pouring down with rain today and the batteries are on charge so haven't been able to do this today. I will though as soon as I can.
I have had a fiddle though. I can't figure out how to set the settings you suggested. I am feeling really stupid right now lol! Also it's lowest ISO number is 200 so I'm not sure what to set it to? ISO is on auto at the moment which is 200 - 1600 if this means anything to you?
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Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help
07-17-2011, 12:56 AM
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No the images haven't been cropped and yes this seems to happen all the time. A sort of grey over cast look to all the images :(
I did take some shots in the garden to see how the camera worked when I got it a few weeks ago and didn't notice the problem, though I wasn't as impressed as i thought i would be - maybe because this is a problem!
I will take some more test pics today and see what happens now I know the problem seems to be under exposure and not white balance :o
Thank you everyone for your imput it is being very helpful to me :rolleyes:
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Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help
07-16-2011, 12:04 PM
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I've found the Exif data (now know what that is!). The exposure compensation is set to 0.0
I'll see if I can find it on the camera and try and change it to make a difference.
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Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help
07-16-2011, 11:16 AM
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Enoeske, that is SO much better!
Is this the information you asked for? JPEG 1/160 F7.1 106-2727. This info is lost on me :o It's for the first image, so camera on auto.
Found this as well ISO 200.
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Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help
07-16-2011, 09:10 AM
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The paper is cream btw. Highlights are white.
They were taken in the conservatory with beautiful bright but soft afternoon light. It was sunny but not glaring (no hard shadows) in real life.
The first is taken with camera set on auto.
The second is one click of auto adjust on my comp. Much lighter though pale and still lacking true colours.
The 3rd is my best attempt at adjusting in camera. Nicer, warmer colours but still dark compared to reality.
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Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help
07-16-2011, 08:40 AM
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Sorry, that was obvious really, oops! I'll get something up, though I might be some time lol!
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Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help
07-16-2011, 08:28 AM
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At least I think that's the problem!
I'm a newbie to DSLR. I've recently bought a K-x with kit lense 18-55, but I'm really unhappy with the shots I'm taking as they all look so dull :( All my pictures look like they've been taken in low light or on overcast days. I've tried to adjust the white balance but no matter what I do whites never look white.
I can adjust the images afterwards on my comp which is suddenly like the sun has come out and they look normal.
So were am I going wrong? Is it my limitations, the camera or the lense?
I was shooting in beautiful daylight the other day but my pictures all turned out pants :(
I had a Nikon D40 breifly about 3 years ago and I didn't have any problems with that, they were great shots!
Could the camera even be faulty?
Feeling very disappointed, hope you can help.
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Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help
06-22-2011, 06:31 AM
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Thanks Agsy :)
My desk top PC should be able to cope but it got sick a while back and existing programmes were effected. I actually finished the clip on my little netbook! Same programme but it managed it somehow!
Off to look at your suggestions now, cheers :D
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Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help
06-22-2011, 03:51 AM
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Well I have a result of sorts!
You Tube
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src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/57OZJlSkXJ0?controls=1" allowfullscreen>
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OK, I know it's pants!!!!
I think the only things I got right was having the camera on the tripod and the 10 second shooting interval LOL!
I've got a lot to improve on, but the first thing I need to sort out is the programme for editing the film. I was using Microsoft Movie Maker. Unfortunately it kept freezing as it couldn't cope with the 1500 high res images I was trying to work with. Eventually I got it done but then it couldn't cope with saving it above 10M. So although I took high res pics (8GB in total!) I had to drastically reduce this for the finished clip.
So the next question is what software programme do you use/recommend for making the movies?
Thanks :)
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Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help
06-17-2011, 05:07 AM
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Thanks for all the advice Dave :)
Lots to chew over here!
I hadn't thought of the auto focusing! As my hand will be in and out of the frames if it's on auto it may well refocus on my hand rather than the painting, so I will most deffinately fix that setting. Major mistake avoided there!
Hopefully I'll get going on this this afternoon.
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Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help
06-16-2011, 12:52 PM
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You're a star, thank you :)
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Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help
06-16-2011, 09:41 AM
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Thank you NS. That is really helpful :) I'll deffinately drop the res to 2mp as I don't need still shots from this project.
I'm still a bit nervous of the white balance so I might leave that on auto this time! Obviously it's something I need to learn about and experiment with so I can improve, but your explination has helped me understand it which is a good start! :D
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