E-PM1 Settings For Someone That Does Not Do Image Processing On A PC?

[ReallyBadPictures]

I have been reading through the threads trying to learn more about photography and have noticed that most here seem to do image processing on a computer...

My question is that if I have no real desire to mess around with the pictures on a PC should the camera settings be changed?

I shoot in P mode
I currently have IBIS on 1
Sharpness is -1
Picture mode is natural
Gradation is normal
WB is auto
S-AF
Noise filter is off
Keep color warm is off
ISO is auto
JPEGs only

Most of the pictures I take are indoors of my daughter with either daylight coming in the windows or at night with lamps on. I prefer not to use a flash if that matters...

I am using the kit lens.
Thanks

 

[Ulfric M Douglas]

Your setup and usage seems ideal for NOT needing post processing on a computer.
Your camera settings are ideal, provided you've turned off that "keep warm colour" thing.

As a bonus you'll never see noise : which means you might want to turn Gradation back to Auto and see what the pictures come out like.

 

[ReallyBadPictures]

Your setup and usage seems ideal for NOT needing post processing on a computer.
Your camera settings are ideal, provided you've turned off that "keep warm colour" thing.

As a bonus you'll never see noise : which means you might want to turn Gradation back to Auto and see what the pictures come out like.

Thanks for the feedback.
The keep color warm has been turned off. All of the settings I have are from reading through the threads here since I know nothing about photography.

I think my pictures come out good (despite my username) and am just wanting to make sure I have the best settings for someone like me that does not want to fiddle around with lots of pictures on a PC.

I forgot to mention in the OP that I have the shutter release lag thing set so they are a bit sharper...

 

[Armanius]

Try also reducing the noise reduction to -1. In the EP2/3, it balances out well with the -1 sharpness setting.

 

[ReallyBadPictures]

Try also reducing the noise reduction to -1. In the EP2/3, it balances out well with the -1 sharpness setting.

Where do I find that at?
Also I updated the OP to mention that noise filter is set to off.
Thanks

 

[PeeBee]

I've decided to keep IBS switched off as I haven't noticed it to be helpful in any test shot, but possibly a hindrance in some. My other M4/3 body doesnt have it anyway. I've switched as much in camera processing off as possible, as I always shoot in RAW and pass all my photos through software.

 

[ReallyBadPictures]

I've decided to keep IBS switched off as I haven't noticed it to be helpful in any test shot, but possibly a hindrance in some. My other M4/3 body doesnt have it anyway. I've switched as much in camera processing off as possible, as I always shoot in RAW and pass all my photos through software.

Thanks. Do you use a tripod (I do not)? For me at least I think the IBIS helps, especially after i set the short lag on the shutter release.

 

[Armanius]

Where do I find that at?
Also I updated the OP to mention that noise filter is set to off.
Thanks

Oopst. That's what I meant! I forgot that Oly doesn't use the numbers for the noise filter!

 

[ReallyBadPictures]

2 sample pics

 

[PeeBee]

Thanks. Do you use a tripod (I do not)? For me at least I think the IBIS helps, especially after i set the short lag on the shutter release.

Yes, when I can. I also have antishock set at 1/8 of a second. I tried IBS a few times indoors and to be honest, I couldn't see any improvement with the faster primes that I tend to use and sometimes it seemed to even add blur.

There's a lot of talk on here on whether the EPM1's IBS is worth having, and the general opinion is that it helps hand held / lower shutter speeds and hinders when tripod mounted / at higher shutter speeds. Since I use faster primes and zooms with IS built in, I've decided to leave it off. Try a few test shots with and without and see what works best for you.

 

[oto02]

It would apply the same settings for PM-2?

Is sharpness better to keep it at -1? What would be the benefit if set it at +1 or +2?

 

[Ulfric M Douglas]

It would apply the same settings for PM-2?

Is sharpness better to keep it at -1? What would be the benefit if set it at +1 or +2?

Because out of the box they are set up to make oversharpened Jpegs which can be a bit too 'crispy' for afficionados such as we forumites.

 

[atmo]

How much better do images post-processed from the PEN Mini turn out in terms of sharpness and noise?

 

[PeeBee]

How much better do images post-processed from the PEN Mini turn out in terms of sharpness and noise?

I think thats a very open-ended question that depends on the indiviual, their ability with a camera, their ability with software, the quality of the software etc. Some of my photos are vastly improved by PP, but not only that, I really enjoy the extra creativity and control that it enables.

This isn't a particularly interesting photo, but it shows what a couple of minutes in software will do.

Subscribe to see EXIF info for this image (if available)

 

[woody112704]

What all did you do in the PP picture because that is stunning to see the difference. Love the enhanced colors in the bottle and how polished the table looks.

 

[PeeBee]

Nothing advanced to be honest. My usual workflow:

Create a folder (by date) in my photo directory.
Create a RAW folder and a TIFF folder within the dated parent folder.
Copy the RAW files from memory card into the RAW folder.
Import the RAW images into Lightroom 3, select the keepers, delete the bad.

Then the PP begins:

Select the image and crop as desired.

I'll then work my way down the sliders as required, mainly adjusting exposure, black levels, contrast, clarity, vibrance, saturation, sharpening and noise reduction.

I then export as a TIFF file to the (you've guessed it!) TIFF folder.

If I want to go more advanced, I might then open the TIFF file in CS5 and add effects, adjust levels, convert to B&W, HDR toning, sharpen further with a highpass filter layer etc etc.

I'll then save the finished result to the TIFF file, and save this again as resized jpegs where required (Yep, in a folder called jpegs).

I keep the RAW, TIFF and Jpeg files, which also get backed up automatically to a server.


This might not be the best workflow, but it works for me. It's self taught though so I'm open to suggestions.

I know I could use the edit in CS5 option from within LR3, I'm just not that bothered about tracking all the changes.

PS, the table is that highly polished :smile:

 

[woody112704]

Lol that's true, but the polish doesn't really come through till the PP. Thanks for the reply.