Nikon D70 picture tips
Discussion
had a D70 for some 6 months.....images coming out arent great? had canon and nikon SLR's been fine great picts, so excited to try D70 but then disappointed with D70 results. they often look a little out of focus (v.small amount) and are not vibrant and poor overall light, almost grey washed a little. if i knew how to pos a example i would ! have only used auto setting although tried some manual settings the other day but still generally poor - anyone expereinced this or got advice?
Whoa - before you go towards custom curves, just tell us about your workflow...
(sorry to butt in _dobbo_ !)
The "feature" of the D70 that takes some getting used to is it's tendency to underexpose. you also have plenty of control within the camera if you're JPEG-ing it. But obviously with a RAW file you can keep some control.
D70 should produce sparkling stuff if you grab it by the scruff of the neck and tell it what you want, and I'm curious to know what's not right in your approach:
(sorry to butt in _dobbo_ !)
The "feature" of the D70 that takes some getting used to is it's tendency to underexpose. you also have plenty of control within the camera if you're JPEG-ing it. But obviously with a RAW file you can keep some control.
D70 should produce sparkling stuff if you grab it by the scruff of the neck and tell it what you want, and I'm curious to know what's not right in your approach:
Frankly I was disappointed at first too. Going from compact to DSLR is a bit like going from an automatic repmobile to a TVR. The latter can be a bitch but is far better when you get the hang of it.
Two things will help you instantly.
1) Understand and use the histogram; you can't properly judge exposure without it. Manual will mess you up; instead, learn how to use +/-EV.
2) Get PhotoShop, even just PS Elements will do. IMHO a DSLR without PS is only half a machine.
Mail me if you get stuck.
>> Edited by simpo two on Wednesday 2nd November 22:01
Two things will help you instantly.
1) Understand and use the histogram; you can't properly judge exposure without it. Manual will mess you up; instead, learn how to use +/-EV.
2) Get PhotoShop, even just PS Elements will do. IMHO a DSLR without PS is only half a machine.
Mail me if you get stuck.
>> Edited by simpo two on Wednesday 2nd November 22:01
Have a play in the menu.
There's an option for "Optimize - vivid" that will make a difference straight away and give you much punchier colours and higher contrast.
Also check which focus mode you're in as the closest subject one can focus on the wrong thing and you end up without the shot you thought.
Lastly, getting familiar with some of the software help for post processing as most of the films you had printed will have been digitally printed and been auto adjusted before you see them.
There's an option for "Optimize - vivid" that will make a difference straight away and give you much punchier colours and higher contrast.
Also check which focus mode you're in as the closest subject one can focus on the wrong thing and you end up without the shot you thought.
Lastly, getting familiar with some of the software help for post processing as most of the films you had printed will have been digitally printed and been auto adjusted before you see them.
I posted this some time ago regarding custon curve, but you do need Nikon Capture to install the curves. They will help you out until you get the hang of things.
www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?f=109&h=&t=200962
IMHO
Dave
406TM
www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?f=109&h=&t=200962
IMHO
Dave
406TM
nic360 said:Plenty of threads on this.
if i knew how to pos a example i would ! h
Simple answer:
Hit the "quote" button on my other post on this thread
See the
(In this case it's been uploaded to Photobucket, but wherever your picture is hosted it should work. If you haven't got them up anywhere then Photobucket is one of a number of easy to use sites.)
Beano is of course completely correct about workflow.
The way I see it with a D70 you have 3 choices, one of which should suit most tastes/
1.) adjust exposure in the camera manaully for each shot. time consuming but arguably more "pure".
2.) pick up the camera and shoot. Adjust exposure manually where possible, but rely on post processing to correct any minor issues with exposure.
3.) load a custom curve, and make the "point and shoot" stuff look a lot better from the outset.
However Simpo is still right, even with 1) or 3) you still need to master the basics of post processing if you want real creative control.
The way I see it with a D70 you have 3 choices, one of which should suit most tastes/
1.) adjust exposure in the camera manaully for each shot. time consuming but arguably more "pure".
2.) pick up the camera and shoot. Adjust exposure manually where possible, but rely on post processing to correct any minor issues with exposure.
3.) load a custom curve, and make the "point and shoot" stuff look a lot better from the outset.
However Simpo is still right, even with 1) or 3) you still need to master the basics of post processing if you want real creative control.
HankScorpio said:On my D70 that option is greyed out and non-selectable. Time to dig out the manual - but that only covers the older V1.X firmware not 2.X.
There's an option for "Optimize - vivid" that will make a difference straight away and give you much punchier colours and higher contrast.
I had left the camera in Auto mode and that stooped me from selecting it.
>> Edited by page3 on Thursday 3rd November 09:05
nic360 said:
they often look a little out of focus (v.small amount)
Sounds like you need to read up on sharpening due to AA filters in digital SLRs.
Have a look at this: http://ronbigelow.com/articles/sharpe
This is by far the clearest and best explanation and a great read.
HankScorpio said:
There's an option for "Optimize - vivid" that will make a difference straight away and give you much punchier colours and higher contrast.
My hunch is that the dull colours are caused by under-exposure - the D70 can be as much as 2 stops under in some situations - far more than you can reasonably pull back later. If you remember Tall Paul's 'leaves' shot, my version had much brighter colours - but I didn't touch the colour, just corrected the black and white points
(NB If he's shooting into the light then the colours will look duller anyway)
I thought of trying custom curves too. The problem as I see it is that the camera will apply the same curve to every shot, and as every shot is different, that's not really the answer I think.
>> Edited by simpo two on Thursday 3rd November 10:04
Bee_Jay said:What a great site for an explanation!!!!
Have a look at this: http://ronbigelow.com/articles/sharpe
This is by far the clearest and best explanation and a great read.
Well found, that man!!!beano500 said:
Have a look at this: http://ronbigelow.com/articles/sharpe
This is by far the clearest and best explanation and a great read.
I'm eagerly awaiting the next installment. It is a very good piece of writing.
nic360 said:
blimey !! thanks alot everyone - this is going to keep me busy on the learning side of things this weekend............any onther advice keep it coming! much appreciated.......
My advice is - don't tie up braincells on the intricacies of 600 ways to sharpen an image just yet, concentrate on the basics of getting a good photograph
Gassing Station | Photography & Video | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff