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Author Topic: @Capture Vs PP Question  (Read 6262 times)

Todd Suttles

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@Capture Vs PP Question
« on: December 30, 2013, 12:13:20 pm »

I am sure this has a simple answer but I don't know it or where to find it. My camera (Cannon 5DII) allows 3 custom shooting profiles. I don't use them. Is there an advantage to adjusting  the configurable setting at capture as opposed to PP in Lr? Thanks in advance.. -t
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Rhossydd

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Re: @Capture Vs PP Question
« Reply #1 on: December 30, 2013, 01:57:49 pm »

The custom modes just allow you to pre-configure sets of settings on the camera. It saves having to wade through the menus structures for the best settings when changing the way you shoot.

Myself I have one set for shooting video and another for multiple bracket exposures and the final one is a basic starting set up for most of my preferences when shooting stills.
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Todd Suttles

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Re: @Capture Vs PP Question
« Reply #2 on: December 30, 2013, 03:41:24 pm »

Thanks Rhossydd. A component of my question I was not clear in asking: does changing the camera capture settings do anything to the image that could not be done in PP? Example: is +5 saturation in camera the same as adding saturation in PP? Are there image result advantages to adding at capture Vs adding in PP?
Thanks for taking the time to reply to my question, -t
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Rhossydd

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Re: @Capture Vs PP Question
« Reply #3 on: December 30, 2013, 03:53:59 pm »

does changing the camera capture settings do anything to the image that could not be done in PP?
Not really, although once you dig deep into the issue there can be some complications.

Most people here would recommend shooting in RAW format anyway.
If you shoot RAW you'll have greater control and options later in PP. Aspects like fine tuning colour balance can be delayed until you have a good monitor to judge the end result, plus you'll be able to recover highlight or shadow detail that would be lost in a JPG file.
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aduke

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Re: @Capture Vs PP Question
« Reply #4 on: December 30, 2013, 05:02:39 pm »

In addition, the capture settings such as saturation, contrast and sharpening have no affect on the raw data except as a note as to their values; the raw values themselves are not affected. The manufacturer's software will read those notes and automatically apply them to the data you see during raw processing. Lightroom does not do that because it has no idea of what the values mean and cannot duplicate what you saw on the JPEG version of your raw data.

Alan
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Rhossydd

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Re: @Capture Vs PP Question
« Reply #5 on: December 30, 2013, 05:16:59 pm »

the capture settings such as saturation, contrast and sharpening have no affect on the raw data except as a note as to their values; the raw values themselves are not affected.
Whilst that's entirely correct, there are issues involved with changing settings that only change JPG settings.
They also effect the way images are displayed back on the camera's LCD and histogram. If you're not aware of those implications you might not interpret the information the camera feeds back to you correctly.
« Last Edit: December 30, 2013, 05:27:06 pm by Rhossydd »
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Todd Suttles

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Re: @Capture Vs PP Question
« Reply #6 on: December 31, 2013, 10:29:01 am »

Not really, although once you dig deep into the issue there can be some complications.

Most people here would recommend shooting in RAW format anyway.
If you shoot RAW you'll have greater control and options later in PP. Aspects like fine tuning colour balance can be delayed until you have a good monitor to judge the end result, plus you'll be able to recover highlight or shadow detail that would be lost in a JPG file.


Thanks everybody or all the answers. It is what I thought but was not sure and wanted to ask to be sure. Thank you for taking the time to reply.  -t
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Ed Blagden

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Re: @Capture Vs PP Question
« Reply #7 on: January 01, 2014, 04:19:29 am »

I am sure this has a simple answer but I don't know it or where to find it. My camera (Cannon 5DII) allows 3 custom shooting profiles. I don't use them. Is there an advantage to adjusting  the configurable setting at capture as opposed to PP in Lr? Thanks in advance.. -t

If you shoot RAW and use LR you need never think about picture settings - these only matter if you shoot JPEGS and for some reason want the camera to do the PP for you.  This, for me, is one of the major hidden benefits of shooting RAW.  At capture, the photographer only has to think about the fundamentals: shutter speed, aperture, focal length, focus and subject, and he doesn't have to waste time screwing around with picture settings.  This speeds up the capture process and allows the photographer to concentrate on what really matters.  All the other stuff (sharpening, WB, contrast etc) is best dealt with at leisure when you are back at your computer.

Having said that, the 3 custom presets on the EOS 5D2 are supremely useful as shortcuts for accessing particular camera settings (not picture settings) in a hurry, according to the situation.  I use the presets almost all the time.  Your needs will vary but mine are:

C1: RAW, ISO200, f5.6 Aperture Priority, One Shot AF, Single Frame, AF on the * button (CF4).  A great starting point for 90% of my photos.
C2: RAW, Auto ISO, F5.6 Aperture Priority, AI Servo AF, Burst Shooting.  Good for sports, birds in flight etc.
C3: RAW, ISO 100, f5.6 Aperture Priority, One Shot AF, Single Frame, AF on the * button (CF4), Mirror Lock Up enabled.  For shooting on a tripod using a remote shutter release. 

Obviously different photographers will choose different presets according to their own needs... the above examples are chosen for my own needs.  The only time I don't use the presets is when I am shooting in Manual Mode with a flash.
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Rhossydd

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Re: @Capture Vs PP Question
« Reply #8 on: January 01, 2014, 06:08:54 am »

All the other stuff (sharpening, WB, contrast etc) is best dealt with at leisure when you are back at your computer.
But it does need to be set to something sensible to ensure that the LCD display and histogram is giving reliable information.
A prime example of this is shooting video; many sources will recommend using no sharpening, low contrast and saturation, plus possibly a radical picture style to make grading easier. Leave that in place when shooting stills and you get a nasty shock when looking at the review.
Quote
If you shoot RAW and use LR you need never think about picture settings
It's also worth noting for completeness, that some other RAW converters, eg DPP, use the picture styles etc as default base settings for their conversions.
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Ed Blagden

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Re: @Capture Vs PP Question
« Reply #9 on: January 01, 2014, 07:13:43 am »

But it does need to be set to something sensible to ensure that the LCD display and histogram is giving reliable information.
A prime example of this is shooting video; many sources will recommend using no sharpening, low contrast and saturation, plus possibly a radical picture style to make grading easier. Leave that in place when shooting stills and you get a nasty shock when looking at the review.

I didn't know that the picture settings could affect the histogram when shooting RAW.  Guess you learn something every day...  :-\

Personally I spend very little time looking at the LCD.  All I use it for is to check the histogram to see if I am in the right exposure ballpark, and look at the image to see if I have done something egregious like cutting someone's head off.  Proper image evaluation has to wait for when I am back at the computer in LR... when I am capturing I am capturing, not evaluating.  But everyone works differently.

It's also worth noting for completeness, that some other RAW converters, eg DPP, use the picture styles etc as default base settings for their conversions.
I didn't know that either  ;D.  I did load DPP on my computer when I bought my original EOS5D back in 2007... I think it lasted on there for a couple of weeks but I found it unbelievably clunky and I soon downloaded a trial copy of LR1.x and lived happily ever after.
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Bryan Conner

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Re: @Capture Vs PP Question
« Reply #10 on: January 14, 2014, 09:40:38 am »

There is one definite place where setting an in camera setting delivers a benefit that is not so easy, or impossible, to achieve in post production.  Long Exposure Noise Reduction on Canon Cameras does indeed make a change to the raw file in that the camera automatically makes a second, dark field exposure, calculates the pattern noise from this exposure and subtracts the pattern noise from the first image before writing it to the card.  I say only Canon, because that is the only one that I am familiar with.  I do not know about Nikon, Panasonic, Leica....etc.  Long exposure noise reduction is a setting that one could leave on all of the time without the need for a custom setting to turn it on and off.

The second setting where some people may argue (and probably will argue) that an in camera setting makes a change to the raw file is Highlight Tone Exposure in Canon canon cameras.  I have my own opinion about HTP but will refrain from sharing it for fear of getting burned at the stake by one side or the other.  But, I will say that I have it turned off in my settings.  Now that I have probably stirred up the hornets nest, I will run and cower in the corner.    :o
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Todd Suttles

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Re: @Capture Vs PP Question
« Reply #11 on: February 28, 2014, 11:01:38 am »

There is one definite place where setting an in camera setting delivers a benefit that is not so easy, or impossible, to achieve in post production.  Long Exposure Noise Reduction on Canon Cameras does indeed make a change to the raw file in that the camera automatically makes a second, dark field exposure, calculates the pattern noise from this exposure and subtracts the pattern noise from the first image before writing it to the card.  I say only Canon, because that is the only one that I am familiar with.  I do not know about Nikon, Panasonic, Leica....etc.  Long exposure noise reduction is a setting that one could leave on all of the time without the need for a custom setting to turn it on and off.

The second setting where some people may argue (and probably will argue) that an in camera setting makes a change to the raw file is Highlight Tone Exposure in Canon canon cameras.  I have my own opinion about HTP but will refrain from sharing it for fear of getting burned at the stake by one side or the other.  But, I will say that I have it turned off in my settings.  Now that I have probably stirred up the hornets nest, I will run and cower in the corner.    :o
Thanks Bryan, I did not know about the Long Exposure Noise Reduction interaction
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Bryan Conner

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Re: @Capture Vs PP Question
« Reply #12 on: March 01, 2014, 12:43:29 am »

Thanks Bryan, I did not know about the Long Exposure Noise Reduction interaction

Glad I could be of help to you.
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