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Best Workflow for JPEG only Capture

Larry Brown

New member
Jean, I would think a wide angle prime lens even a manual focus may cost more than that camera. Although I prefer primes myself and have several I have found the kit lens a nice lens and a good starting point and will not disappoint IMO, yes it's not a fast 1.4 or 2.8 but versitile and is AF, a good all-rounder, maybe one of the best kit lenses compared to Canon or Nikon. Depending on the version can be found used for under a 100 bucks, I have seen them go for 50 bucks before.
So 18mm is wide enough for most shots I do but depends on what you shoot.

Larry
 

Jean Henderson

New member
Larry, thank you for your input. I'm curious if you can tell me the relative rankings of the Pentax kit lenses that would equal the Canon and Nikon kit lenses? Also, I guess with the popularity of the DSLRs, combined with the fact that they are backward compatible with the Pentax lenses, that the lens prices have skyrocketed! I'll take the kit lens suggestions you offer after all!

Beyond the JPEG capture suggestions you offered, what is your preferred PP workflow? I have CS4 and Lightroom 2.7.

Jean
 

Larry Brown

New member
Hi Jean,

Well Jean I don't have all the reviews and rankings of all the Pentax lenses as compared to the others but I have read some where that the 18-55 kit did compare well to the others. A little searching by you may find it but I would not fret about if it is as good just know it is not bad and for the price it is not bad and will serve you well till you can do better if you decide to go Pentax DSLR. The Pentax kit 18-55 comes in two versions, the original and version ll which is what I have, here is a review of it....

http://www.slrgear.com/reviews/showproduct.php/product/1172/cat/all

here is the review of some others from this site...

http://www.slrgear.com/reviews/showcat.php?cat=all&stype=1&si=Pentax

from the Pentax Forums, they have an extensive database of most Pentax compatible lenses......

http://www.pentaxforums.com/lensreviews/

Some time spent reading thru some of reviews may give you the answer you seek but know versions l and ll are not bad lenses for kit lenses and compare well with the others kits but could be debated and nitpicked like anything else in life IMO. For me the kit lens is a no-brainer for a starter lens for the budget Pentaxian to get shooting with considering the price. Hope this helps you in your quest...

As for my PP workflow, LOL, I might get embarrassed by sharing as I am a minimalist in that regard.Please note I am not a pro photog but just a avid enthusiast. I don't sell my images (I guess I would if someone offered,LOL) but it is mostly just for me and friends and the occasional post here and there, ect. But I will share my workflow as it is now. Coming from being a P+S JPEG shooter and my wife shoots JPEG I have found Picasa to be my choice for viewing and allowing the quick adjustments for these. I have become comfortable with Picasa over the years as it keeps track of all my photo folders and makes quick reviews of all my images and the wife's as well, it's down and dirty quick for this. It also will convert my RAW images as well for review to cull the ones I want to delete quickly before I do any real PP work.
Like you I have LR 2.7 and I have CS3 (you have CS4). I seldom use CS3 as I have never got comfortable with Photoshop to tell you the truth so LR is my workhorse for my RAW images. I don't go crazy with the images just suttle stuff like cropping, exposure, WB if needed. Some sharpening and noise removal if needed. To be honest I could use some guidance in using both CS3 and LR. I have found that if you work to get the best shot possible to begin with that you will spend less time working on it later with better results. PP is needed for most shots, sure, but even shooting RAW you only have so much room to work with, yes it is much more room than JPEG but it is not unlimited room for adjustment. Definitely many more here have the experience with PP and their advice may be much better than mine. Being I have found that much of PP is a time killer for me I have kept it to a minimum unless I have a image that deserves the extra attention. When I have a image that needs more ( well here is the real embarrassment) I have a friend that is good with photoshop and I let him have at it! He makes it look sooo easy, LOL!

Larry



Larry, thank you for your input. I'm curious if you can tell me the relative rankings of the Pentax kit lenses that would equal the Canon and Nikon kit lenses? Also, I guess with the popularity of the DSLRs, combined with the fact that they are backward compatible with the Pentax lenses, that the lens prices have skyrocketed! I'll take the kit lens suggestions you offer after all!

Beyond the JPEG capture suggestions you offered, what is your preferred PP workflow? I have CS4 and Lightroom 2.7.

Jean
 

Jean Henderson

New member
RAW wins!

Larry, with all due respect, RAW wins over JPEG even in my little P&S! Yes, it's worth the extra time and effort! Take a look at this image to see what I mean:

WilliTests
IMG_0212_01-__Bridge-over-Glass_W_.jpg

WilliTests
 
Last edited by a moderator:

Jean Henderson

New member
Asher, I'm confused about what to do. I did see that the "gears" link is present in the post without an image, just the link, but, when I click on the link, it goes to the photo. What do I need to do to correct things?

Jean
 

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
Asher, I'm confused about what to do. I did see that the "gears" link is present in the post without an image, just the link, but, when I click on the link, it goes to the photo. What do I need to do to correct things?

Jean

Jean,

Just put the URL of each image between


If you also center it by selecting that whole line and then pressing the 5th icon in the dialog box, then it will be better placed on the page too!

Asher
 

Jean Henderson

New member
Asher, for some reason I got a message at the Google site that the URL had changed. Here is the new one:

IMG_0099.jpg

Does that correct things OK? I've lost the edit capability on the Bridge photo so I can not center it now.

Jean
 

Jean Henderson

New member
Really? I'm only seeing one! Maybe it's because I tried to post the URL 3 times before the image showed up in Preview mode. I thought I had deleted each of the first 2 before trying again, though. Of course, there's only supposed to be one image! :)
 

Larry Brown

New member
Yes Joan you have some nice images here! the bridge and the gears have been done very nice indeed and definitly worth the effort and it shows. Good work you have done here and look forward too more!

Larry

Larry, with all due respect, RAW wins over JPEG even in my little P&S! Yes, it's worth the extra time and effort! Take a look at this image to see what I mean:

WilliTests
IMG_0212_01-__Bridge-over-Glass_W_.jpg

WilliTests
 
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