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Forum: Pentax K-30 & K-50
06-27-2015, 03:59 AM
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... the Pointe de Raz. On deck early hoping to photograph some dolphins, but used the smc Pentax 55-300 on the landscape instead.
Pointe du Raz by Richard & Sheila, on Flickr
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Forum: Pentax K-30 & K-50
05-14-2015, 03:24 PM
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Tripod
Fast lens - Fast 50mm's are quite cheap, and can help you get those low-light shots you need.
Steady hand
It's also quite amazing how much detail you can rescue from the shadows in a RAW file. A picture might look dark on your LCD, but try and see what you can do with it through post-processing.
Also, I've found the shake reduction to be quite good. After some practice, I can usually get good shots at 1/20 if needed.
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Forum: Pentax K-30 & K-50
05-14-2015, 03:27 PM
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Wow, if iso 32k is what you need that is going to be tough for nearly any camera. A 24 or 28mm f2.8 will help at a fairly low price point but a 3.5-5.6 zoom will not be your best option. Can any other ambient light be added to the room?
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Forum: Pentax K-30 & K-50
05-14-2015, 03:28 PM
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I actually find the low light performance of the K-30 to be quite good - certainly a step up from my K-x (which was also quite good)!
I shoot up to iso 800 without second thought, don't mind using up to 3200 on a regular basis, and can get some usable results from 6400 (with noise reduction in post-processing).
As you said, it helps to use lenses with a large maximum aperture (f2.8 or less), as small f-stops mean that the lens lets in a lot of light.
Fellow PF member Heie has written a useful guide on holding the camera steady for long exposures: Making the Most of Long Exposure Handhelds - Introduction - In-Depth Articles |
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Forum: Pentax K-30 & K-50
05-14-2015, 04:04 PM
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I'm pretty content with it so far. The sensor-based SR and decent high-ISO performance make a good team.
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Forum: Pentax K-30 & K-50
05-14-2015, 04:16 PM
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Probably. It's the same classic sensor as the K-5 era cameras, and they're all pretty well regarded in the APS-C world.
There's your problem then. I don't shoot about 1,600 on my K-30 normally, but will push to 3,200 if required to get the shot, and only higher if it's absolutely necessary.
Whilst the dial allows you to set higher ISO figures, they're close to worthless in reality.
Across the board there has been a big push for high Mega Pixel count cameras/sensors, often at the expense of noise/high ISO capabilities.
Agree there are times where you can't control the lighting, flash isn't allowed or isn't suitable, and where some decent ISO ability would be really handy.
Maintaining a fast shutter speed to freeze motion is not easy if you haven't got enough light to play with.
What subject matter/location are you trying to shoot?
Do you have any control over lighting levels at all?
Can you shoot earlier in the day for instance, where applicable?
Shooting with a wide aperture / lower f values, say f1.8 - f4 for instance, opens up the lens and lets in as much light as possible.
It will reduce your depth of field though, so getting focus correct is very important at these wide apertures.
Keep your shutter speed as low as possible, to gather more light.
This doesn't work so well if there is any movement, unless you're going for that effect. Keep the camera steady if there is no movement in the shot, using a tripod or a monopod for support etc.
Yes basically after doing all you can on camera you will need to introduce some more light to play with, and flash seems the most obvious way to do this.
So, if it's suitable use the on camera flash or use one or more off camera flashes.
Wait and buy the new FF camera, as hopefully this will have better low ISO
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Forum: Pentax K-30 & K-50
05-14-2015, 04:19 PM
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I think for the most part, it's a question of mastering the technique. Around ISO 3200 the K-30 does exhibit a noticeable amount of noise, but you should still be able to get excellent images for web and print use.
First of all, are you shooting in RAW? Feel free to post samples of results you're dissatisfied with and we'll take a look.
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Forum: Pentax K-30 & K-50
05-14-2015, 05:14 PM
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Are you selecting 32,000 or is your camera auto selecting? I don't know of too many crop sensor cameras that won't exhibit a good amount of noise at that high ISO. Try limiting your ISO range lower.
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Forum: Pentax K-30 & K-50
05-14-2015, 05:15 PM
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Agree, and what is the OP's approach to dealing with the noise in post also?
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Forum: Pentax K-30 & K-50
05-14-2015, 05:57 PM
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I think the OP meant iso 3200, but either way, show us some pics or we can't help! I don't mind using iso 3200, but I do post process the RAW file afterwards.
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Forum: Pentax K-30 & K-50
05-14-2015, 06:10 PM
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As indicated by others, the K-30 has a decent sensor and should be a good performer in low light. But you need to mount a fast lens to get good performances in very low light.
What lens do you use? Your kit lens?
In low (to very low) light, you need to use a fast lens: f1.8, f1.4 or even f1.2. This is a necessity.
Let me share a personal experience with my old K-7. The K-7 is well-known to be quite bad at high ISO. Anything above ISO 800. I was shooting many years ago with my K-7 together with a friend who had a FF Nikon with a zoom lens (f2.8 possibly, but most likely f4). We were outdoor and it was sunset. About 19:00, I had to stop shooting with my zoom and I replaced it with my VL58mm f1.4. At 19:15, my friend stopped to shoot with his Nikon FF. I was able to shoot with my old K-7 + fast prime until 19:45 when I went home. And I had decent shots....
Simply a fast lens (ie a fast prime) is a must in low light.
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Forum: Pentax K-30 & K-50
05-14-2015, 07:04 PM
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As above though, it may not be suitable for the shot you had in mind, as in f1.4 is going to give a narrow depth of field, unless you're back far enough that the subject is past the infinity setting of the lens.
Overall better ISO / low noise ability is something I'd really want in a camera, more so than an ever increasing MP count. You have to be bold to achieve it though, such as Sony's A7s camera.
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Forum: Pentax K-30 & K-50
05-14-2015, 09:02 PM
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Yes assume so :)
To the OP, how are you viewing your photos? If 1:1 then you will see noticeable noise with any crop sensor camera at 3,200. Most of the images posted here are down-sampled to ~1024 pixels on the long edge, and certainly there are a bunch of very nice high iso examples from the K30 in the image thread. Or use the sample photo search tool and select K30 and 3,200 iso. Do you get similar results to these?
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Forum: Pentax K-30 & K-50
05-14-2015, 09:08 PM
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For ISO 3200, you need software for noise reduction. Shoot in Raw, adjust the luminance noise slider.
Do consider a fast lens. The Sigma 30mm/1.4 is an excellent indoor choice. Shoot it at f2, and it's quite great, and probably 2 full stops faster than your zoom. Any 50mm 1.7 or 1.4 is also great.
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Forum: Pentax K-30 & K-50
05-15-2015, 12:48 AM
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I think that most of us agree that you're the only one :) It might also be your expectations. Maybe post a sample image (with EXIF intact).
An external flash with bounce and swivel can be an option.
DA35/2.4 and DA50/1.8 are not the most expensive options. But be aware that shooting wide open results in shallow(er) DOF so it's not always the solution.
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Forum: Pentax K-30 & K-50
05-15-2015, 06:52 AM
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I believe that the K-30 & K-50 share the same sensor. I will shoot up to ISO 3200 on my K-50 without issues. I process the DNG file after to get a clean shot. I'll go up to ISO 6400 in a pinch. Thats where the noise starts to get very aggressive. Try post processing the RAW file & see what comes out. :)
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Forum: Pentax K-30 & K-50
05-15-2015, 08:45 AM
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I also believe the OP meant to say ISO 3200.
From what I've seen, you're not going to get much better high-ISO performance than the K-30 without spending thousands of dollars on a new FF camera specifically designed for high-ISO shooting (and priced for professionals). Comparing the K-30's high ISO performance to any other current APS-C cameras would be an exercise in splitting hairs, and you will likely end up disappointed if you upgrade.
So you have three options:
1) Learn to live with the noise
2) Try some noise-removal software and different post-processing techniques.
3) Find a way to shoot at lower ISO (lower shutter speed, faster lenses, additional lighting, etc.)
Here are some pictures I shot at ISO 3200 with my K-30 at a performance of "The Nutcracker" this last December. I shot in RAW, applied a little noise reduction, and then down-sized them to a vertical resolution of 2160 pixels (the native resolution for 4K displays), so they're still fairly large image files. To me, they look very good when viewed at 100%. Lots of detail and not too much noise evident.
Click on each picture for the full-size version:
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