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[OM] Re: E-1 what's the first settings you changed

Subject: [OM] Re: E-1 what's the first settings you changed
From: AG Schnozz <agschnozz@xxxxxxxxx>
Date: Fri, 10 Jun 2005 07:28:09 -0700 (PDT)
My settings keep evolving as I learn the system more and more.
However, here goes on a few items:

Use RAW whenever you are in a tricky situation or you've got
that killer shot that must be perfect. If you can't get the WB
right, pop it into RAW and don't worry about it. The best way to
learn the various image settings in the E-1 is to play with
those settings in Olympus Viewer. You'll get instant feedback of
each saturation, WB, sharpness, contrast or color mode change.

My portrait/wedding/event/go anywhere settings are as follows:
Saturation CS2, Contrast -1, sharpness +2, sRGB, ISO 200, JPEG
HQ (+RAW when shooting formals and anything else that will
either be printed up bigger than 8x10 or the lighting is wonky).
I did quite a bit of testing between SHQ and HQ and the
differences are so minor (for people photography) as to be a
non-issue.  I still have no specific preference between one and
three-point AF, but I do turn the AF illuminator off as it is a
bit borish and doesn't really help.  If I'm using flash, I use
manual mode (adjusting for 1-2 stops under exposed), flash on
auto (usually in bounce-card orientation) and manually set the
WB to 5300-6000 depending on the flash unit.  The E-1 nails
everything so well that other than some confirmation chimping,
I'm more than happy with JPEG HQ for the 90% rule.  The drive
mode I set to single-frame and the autofocus is AF+Manual.  The
AEL is (I think #5) which is AEL-Toggle and AF set at exposure
not half-press.  Oh, I usually use ESP as it really does work
pretty well.

Landscape and personal work. I use RAW+JPEG SQ. My SQ setting is
1024 8:1. This way, I've got instant computer screen backgrounds
with zero post-processing and a "guiding image" for
post-production work. Most of the rest of the settings are as
listed above.  Rarely will I use Auto WB because of the various
ancient lenses I use as well as a tendency for it to be fooled
by the lighting conditions I frequently shoot in.  Having shot
daylight balanced slide films for years, I prefer to make the
camera match what I'm used to and I know what to expect.  Rarely
am I wrong, but once in a while I really blow it and have to fix
in post.  Another HUGE advantage of the SQ setting is fast
sorting and review. When in "light-table" sorting mode I just
work on the SQ jpeg files to find my keepers. Once I've
identified my keepers I then retrieve the matching RAW files. 
Usually I do my initial sortdown of the SQ files right on the CF
(or plugged in camera) and only transfer to the harddrive the
keepers.  Once the keepers are transfered I format the CF.

> Shooting RAW actually saves you postprocessing time with the
> E-1.  Sounds peculiar to say that.

In many cases this is true. However, for my typical megashoots
where I'm doing 300-600 pictures at a time I'd rather get it
right "in camera" and the E-1 truely delivers!  It takes a while
to develop the settings and learn how to interpret what you are
seeing in "chimp mode", but it'll really save time.  I've got
the ability to batch process JPEGs so a colorcast correction is
pretty easy to do to 100-200 images at a time.

> * ISO boost:  might as well switch to on -- allows you to go
> beyond 800 (but do you really need to do that?)

Another question is "do you really WANT to do that?"  800 is
still quite usable, but 1600 and 3200 are pretty nasty. Whacking
the noise with NoiseWare, Noise Ninja, etc., is a requirement
for anything printed larger than 5x7.  I've made a few fantastic
8x10s at ISO 3200 though.  The key isn't to eliminate the noise,
but to control the noise. Otherwise the pictures look mushy and
watercolored.  Noise removal at high ISO settings tends to
really muck up skintones. Just remove only what you need to and
the skin will maintain detail and look natural. If you kill too
much noise the hair gets all blocky.

> * Chimp Mode...

I use the histogram for "normal photography" where I'm shooting
JPEGs. For landscape and product photography I typically use
flashing highlights.  I can always bring up the shadows in post,
but you can't recover the highlights.  Just like in B&W
photography, you expose for the highlights and develop for the
shadows.  I'm usually a 1/2 stop more conservative, though, on
the expose-to-the-right as it's easy to run out of gamma.

AG


                
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