Where's the pop?

Originally Posted by Trader

Ah! As far as getting an image to pop. YES! It can. The features are there if you know how to use them.

Uhmm... As good as Photoshop?

Not likely, read my post again.

[Trader]

Originally Posted by maxharvard

Uhmm... As good as Photoshop?

Not likely, read my post again.

Sorry but you are wrong. The D300 has the ability to do post procerssing on images directly in camera. D-Lighting and Color Balance along with Filter Effects are very powerful tools to work with. They will bring out that Pop quality in an image without having to use Photoshop.

[mschwarz]

Back on the topic of color pop

Someone earlier in the thread made a good point. There is a setting (at least in Nikon, and I would guess in other camera models as well) to shoot in "vivid" mode for your jpg images. Obviously this doesn't impact RAW files, since RAW is unprocessed information.

It would be helpful to know how you're shooting (JPG/RAW, etc..).

[sk66]

Originally Posted by mschwarz

Back on the topic of color pop

Someone earlier in the thread made a good point. There is a setting (at least in Nikon, and I would guess in other camera models as well) to shoot in "vivid" mode for your jpg images. Obviously this doesn't impact RAW files, since RAW is unprocessed information.

It would be helpful to know how you're shooting (JPG/RAW, etc..).

It does affect RAW images *IF* your viewing/editing program is told to apply the information. In lightroom it's applied under camera profiles (doesn't use the "instructions" from the camera which are recorded into the file). Nikon's Capture NX can read the instructions and apply the settings during display.

[mschwarz]

sk66 - are you referring to the display on the camera?

I guess what I was referring to (poorly) was that RAW files are unprocessed on the camera, but are initially intepreted by external applications.

[PrimeTime]

Originally Posted by sk66

It does affect RAW images *IF* your viewing/editing program is told to apply the information. In lightroom it's applied under camera profiles (doesn't use the "instructions" from the camera which are recorded into the file). Nikon's Capture NX can read the instructions and apply the settings during display.

I agree, my canon does the same thing. It apply's the in-camera settings when i view the images.

[sk66]

Originally Posted by mschwarz

sk66 - are you referring to the display on the camera?

I guess what I was referring to (poorly) was that RAW files are unprocessed on the camera, but are initially intepreted by external applications.

Both.
The camera settings are recorded into a RAW file as a set of "display instructions". The camera obviously can read these instructions and displays the raw file with settings applied.
An external program can do the same *IF* it has the ability to read the instructions (generally the included proprietary software as a minimum) AND the software was told to apply those instructions.
For Nikon, Capture NX can read the instructions, Lightroom doesn't. With Lightroom you set a "Camera Profile" to adjust the default image display settings. It's basically a set of external "custom camera settings" in an instruction file Lightroom can read. Photoshop can't read a Raw file directly, you can adjust the defaults by changing the ACR programs "Camera Raw Defaults" and saving it as a subset, or applying a camera profile as done in lightroom.

[arlon]

Just another thought is your white balance control. You might try using some of the specific setting when you are in those conditions, cloudy, sunny, etc. Auto works most of the time but it's always a compromise of sorts. I shoot my D70 in the custom "pre" mode most of the time. If the white balance is off, you can get a dull gray cast to the pictures.
Auto seems to work better on my D90 than it does on the D70.

I always have the in camera controls on VIVID and use preset/custom white balance a lot.

Are you using any kind of UV/haze or any other type of filter to protect the lens? If so try some identical shots with the filter on and off. I had a cheap UV filter that just dulled everything shot with it. It was so bad I broke the glass out of it so it could never accidentally be used by anyone ever again.. (-:}

[DogHeadGod]

Thanks for the replies, good to know it's not me

I shoot RAW, and set the white balance manually (shooting the white side of my reflector to give the setting).

Thanks again!