Well, this is aimed more at those who might be at the 'learning to drive' stage

Yes, I know a good amount about all the camera controls and options, (and lets remember these DSLRs are not exactly simple devices), but because I don't have the chance to go out shooting with a tripod much, I found it helpful to go through step by step all the optimal settings and list them. Then, rather than spend time in the field, I try and get the camera ready beforehand so that it will perform consistently and not jump out of my required settings during my session.

It seems to me also that it might be useful to some others to consider this specific list as it may raise questions and alternative ideas, and so spread knowledge about the enormous variety of technical control the Pentax DSLR system offers.

Hey, of course, we can all agree with that sentiment, and when it all 'comes together', that's the beauty of the whole experience.

This is not about setting the artistic apart from the technical ... I have not said that getting all these settings right beforehand will make you produce great photos! But, if you find that you are spending extra time when standing in front of all the beauty fiddling and re-adjusting things that could have been prepared before setting out, then a checklist approach might help.

The two aspects of knowledge and artistic insight need to co-exist. As I said, for me, running through a checklist on the camera before heading out on a specific type of shoot (say landscape, but you could make one for other shoots as well), is helpful, making sure I'm just spending time on the shots, not on correcting and resetting things that could have been set up at home.

OK, sure, but a thorough & complete checklist covering what is actually a fairly complex piece of equipment and also a multi-step process (shooting landscapes) is always going to look like a chore. Although I can see some fun in it !

Look, some people can treat their photography and the practical details to achieve it in an instinctive manner, just caring about the inspiration and the moment, and the technical knowledge is just there, usually through great experience.

But others may find that technical aspects can impede the artistic, by causing frustration and wasting time. For me, yes, I understand all the features and options, but my camera is used for different types of shooting all the time. I found that I don't want to get to a location, be ready to shoot, but have to start setting things and re-shooting at the critical time.

For example - using remote control means setting that Drive Mode. But the Drive Mode for everyday shooting may be single shot or continuous say ... you might set Remote Control mode for the first part of your landscape session, then turn off the camera while you move somewhere else. When you turn it on again you find that you have to reset the Drive Mode. The solution is to have previously programmed the Memory item in the menu to retain the set Drive Mode. The checklist ensures you remember this before heading out and saving time on site.

Or maybe for some people they are not sure about the purpose or effect of certain setting options - or for what type of shot they may work best for. So by setting out this 'definitive' checklist for one particular type of working can be a springboard for thinking about the alternatives and learning more about our Pentax DSLRs amazing range and variety of control options

Jules, thanks for those ideas on the quality issues with FF. I have always felt the number of photographers who would actually require the extra pixels and whatever else the larger sensor offered, would be fairly small. By 'require', I mean that there is no way they could produce equivalent output on APS-C.

I feel the same kind of thing was demonstrated with my K511 / s testing - there's a difference in certain situations, but the number of people who would absolutely require it (ie they would have no other means to produce the results using the standard K5II) I think is limited.

Good question ... as I was saying earlier, It's clear that FF is not just a simple or obvious 'upgrade' for all, nor something you could categorise as only for Pros. There are now more complex personal choices to be made.

Plus on other brands we're getting FF models on otherwise 'lower-spec' bodies, ie bodies that might not be ideal for working pros.

I've changed my approach as well. Used to robotically copy every shot from the SD card to an external drive, then later use my imatch catalogue program to produce thumbails and then choose a large selection of 'keepers' and copy them over to the laptop for future processing. But still kept everything from the card originals.

But I've amassed thousands on that drive that there will never be time in this life to deal with.

So now I read the SD card from within imatch, see the thumbnails straightaway on the card, then I take a generous approach and copy them over to the laptop. I back up these to DVDs, but then the SD card is re-used when full, so all those I didn't choose are gone for good.

Not the kind of thing that makes it into the tourist board publications, but a tourists view none the less. It doesn't take much to dramatically change the message in an image just by slightly altering which way you look.

Come on, you can think of something ! Or would a 'Pentax-Specific Street Sharp Shooters Checklist' be more useful ?

What's interesting with digital developments now is the wider range of questions concerning model choices than during the 'film era'.

I mean, with film, quality was determined by the film size, and lenses. Within the various film ranges the quality was fixed for any camera, and photographers chose their systems according to their own uses - so, amateurs had APS or 35mm, enthusiasts and news / sports pros had 35mm and landscapers or 'art' Pros had medium or large format.

Within the 35mm camera category there were different models targeting different user groups. Here, the distinction between the top models (for the news / sports pros) were features aimed at that type of use - motor drives, flash sync sockets, levers and dials for easy control etc. But, with the same lens and film, the output from these cameras would be exactly the same as could be taken on a budget consumer SLR.

So no quality distinction really marking out who might choose which.

Now with digital, as well as all the camera feature choices, we have to decide on what sensor we need, which opens up all these new questions about what purpose each specific sensors output is actually needed for.

Its a whole lot more complicated, that's for sure.

Pentax-DSLR-Specific Landscapes Shooting Checklist

If you’re like me and mostly take the camera out with family, grabbing shots handheld where possible, then when the time comes for some more considered tripod mounted landscape work, you might find the lack of practice can make you all fingers and thumbs, fumbling around as the sun starts to leave for the day.

It does for me, so I set up at home to practice my techniques and refresh my knowledge of the camera settings, with the aim of making sure I was quicker and more precise with my camera techniques before heading off to the hills.

This helped a lot, and I realised it would be good to have a record, or checklist, of the setup steps and key camera controls I needed, and that also got me thinking more about the different options available. I want to share this one approach here, with the aim of encouraging others of all experience levels to also share their particular ideas about landscape shooting on the Pentax DSLRS, and what camera setups and shooting controls works best for differing situations.

Please note - my ’checklist’ here is deliberately prescriptive (do this, do that), and describes tripod mounted photography with remote control. This is so that it is laid down as definitive, and therefore can be used as the springboard for all the alternative methods and different situations that could be recommended. This is not a photography course either (!), so I do not give reasons for or the purposes of my specific choices - that would come through in later discussions when other ideas are raised or things questioned.

Menu descriptions should be accurate for the K7 and K5 ranges.


1) Pre-Shoot Setup & Preparation

I’m not covering the generic and obvious checks, like battery charging, lens & sensor cleaning, SD cards and backup etc - that’s all in the guidebooks. Just the Pentax specific items. If an item is not listed, it should not affect the actual photo taking. Custom settings are not covered. This is a checklist of essential camera picture taking options to act as a reminder and save time and extra work at location. The order of setup though will have some affect, so should be followed through as laid out.


a. LENSES -

Aperture rings to A (if fitted)
Camera Focus switch to M or AF.S (as required)


b. BATTERY GRIP -

Camera Li-lon battery in place then fit the Grip
Extra Li-lon battery or 6x AA in place inside Secure your tripod baseplate to the Grip

c. CAMERA MENU SETUP -

Choose your required File Format & JPEG Pixels / Quality
Live View - activate Histogram
Digital Preview - On plus Histogram
Instant Review - On plus Histogram
Electronic Level Display - On
Choose Color Space & RAW file format
Memory - activate the following items : Drive Mode, White
Balance, Sensitivity, Playback Display, File No. Deactivate EV Compensation
Shake Reduction - Off
Select Battery - set as needed by your charging options
Perform Dust Alert (if you have a DA lens) and / or Dust Removal


d . CUSTOM IMAGE MODES

Set these if needed for JPEG shooting. Set these up generally, you can fine tune in the field. For RAW capture these settings will only have an effect on how your shots will be displayed on the LCD during image reviewing. The settings metadata will be recorded in the RAW file, but different software will interpret it differently or not at all.

Only Pentax Digital Camera Utility will exactly match up and apply all the settings when opening the file, when any adjustments can be made non-destructively. These CIM settings will not affect the actual image data recorded by the sensor


e. WHITE BALANCE


If using a Preset then set it now - you can make additional fine tuning in the field. Likewise, if intending on making a Custom WB, set the nearest suitable preset now to avoid unintentionally jumping to tungsten or something in the field


f. USER MODE SET FOR EXPOSURE BRACKETING -


Mode Dial to Av - Set ISO 100 (or as needed) - Drive Mode set to Exposure Bracketing with Remote Control, set 5 images (front e-dial), set exposure spacing (rear e-dial), press OK
In the camera menu enter the USER item, choose ‘Check Saved USER Settings’ - check the settings are all OK - press OK then choose the item ‘Save’, and then ‘Save’ again


2) On Location Shooting Setup & Camera Control


Once you’re set up and the shot is framed :


Check Av mode set, ISO and White Balance preset already set
Drive Mode set to Mirror Up with Remote
Ev Compensation to 0(these items should be pre-set in the camera memory from your pre-shoot setup)

Set final White Balance from custom or manual, and fine tune if needed.

Manual Focussing - Press LV (Live View) and use the Info button to zoom view into the scene. Use the 4-way controls to centre on something at an approximate hyper-focal distance into the scene and then focus carefully on this. When done exit LV.

Set required aperture

Half Press Shutter Button to get metered shutter speed

Wait for the right moment (eg wind drop, people to pass etc)

Take shot with Remote Control

Review image on LCD - use histogram to confirm desired exposure range was captured.

If needed set appropriate exposure compensation value, and reshoot

Assess the contrast range you can capture in a single shot and decide on whether to shoot a further exposure for blending in software, or whether it is so great you need a bracketed range of shots for HDR work. If needed, switch to User mode, set appropriate ‘master exposure compensation’ for all the brackets, and shoot the brackets, using the focussing methods above first.

All feedback, alternatives and corrections gladly anticipated !