K7 lens correction / software question

[rogerdaltx]

<p>One of the new k7 features is automatic lens correction. Per a review I read that it works in camera for jpg but can also be done if shooting raw with the included "Digital Camera Utility version 4". Has anyone played with raw file lens correction yet? I'm very curious how well it works in automatically correcting distortion on the wide end of the DA*16-15 or DA 21 limited. And how effective is it af PF reduction? I'm pretty well rooted in Lightroom 2.5 for about 80% of my post processing and raw conversion and go to CS3 / nic and some portrait software as needed. I almost bought a copy of DxO Optics Software a little over a year ago to get the automated lens correction from raw (Their demo is really, really cool) but their Pentax support is seriously lacking so I opted not to make the investment.</p>

<p>In particular I'd like to automatically correct barrel distortion on a couple of my wider Pentax lenses rather than having to individually take a shot into CS3 and "eye it" . So I'm wondering if the K7 does in this in raw file though desktop software can I make this work with my K20d's raw files? All the EXIF data is there and if the desktop software has the lens profiles why not? Thoughts? Who's played with the lens correction feature in the raw software?</p>

[jgredline]

<p>hmmm, while I have heard about this, I have never given it much thought. What exactly is this suppose to do? For example, will it fix the corner distortion of my Sigma 10-20 at say 10mm?</p>

[rogerdaltx]

<p>Javier, To my understanding it requires both a camera profile and a lens profile. The latter containing how the lens response regarding things like vignetting, distortion, CA, PF at various f-stops, focal lengths and focus distances. Then the software corrects for those known lens design compromises. The lens of course has to be modem enough to communicate it's shooting settings to body which saves it in EXIF data. I first learned of it maybe 18 months ago when looking at a software product called DXO Optic Pro (about $170) which now supports about 7 Pentax lenses and three or four bodies. Canon added this feature a while back to their free photo professional software. So yes, in theory this would fix the distortion and vignetting of your Sigma 10-20 but I would not expect that as no manufacture I know of is profiling competitors lenses, Pentax understandably would rather sell your a DA 12-24 :)</p>

<p>What I want is to automatically correct known distortion especially on my DA*16-50 A16mm and DA21mm limited. It would also be nice to be able to "unfish" shots from my DA 10-17 as the DXO software can automatically do on some Canon / Nikon lenses. There is also a $25 utility called PT lens that does optical correction, but settings appear to be all manual for Pentax glass (I've used it a few times to "unfish" a few images; it's handy, but I want it done automaticly in my raw conversion without "eyeing" each correction.</p>

<p>I'm finding very little information on the new "Pentax Digital Camera Utility version 4" included with the K-7. I don't know if the raw file correction is automatic or there are just sliders to manually adjust settings; in which case there is little point in it for me. Also not sure if Pentax offers a paid upgrade for Photo lab 3 owners. I guess I could download a Silkypix 4 demo that the Pentax software is based on, but this ability is not worth another $250 program to me as I can manually do it in software I already own. And Canon gives this ability away... :-(</p>

<p>This may be an abstract enough question that I'll have to hunt down my password and post it over on PentaxForums to get a bigger audience.</p>

[jgredline]

<p>Hmm, now you have really peaked my curiosity Roger. Do you have a K-7? i hear that the software that came with the K-7 has this fix in it. I have the software at work and will load it tomorrow to check and see what it does have.</p>

[michael_kuhne]

<p>From what I have read, the new software that comes with the K7 is a big improvement over that previously packaged. I wonder if one could order the new Pentax software alone?</p>

<p>The idea of IN CAMERA auto correction is very intriguing to me, that the camera can automatically detect and correct CA, and the distortion of a given lens.</p>

[jgredline]

<p>I just loaded the software (silkypix 4.0) and it is way different than the previous 3.0 version.<br>

The entire folder of 4.0 is 69mb, so if you guys want to try it out, let me know and I will upload it to my website for you to download.</p>

[robert goldstein]

<p>Roger,</p>

<p>I am a huge fan of DxO Optics Pro. If you can wait a few months, there will definitely be support for the K-7 and 16-50. Currently, I use DxO with my K10D. The lens correction module for the 16-50 is fantastic. It truly does correct for all of the lens' flaws, including softness. Since I started using DxO, I can get better results from the 16-50 than I can from the 31 Ltd and the 77 Ltd, two of the elite lenses in the Pentax lineup. By the way, DxO does better with <em>non-supported</em> lenses than any other RAW converter that I have used or tried, and that includes a whole bunch of them.</p>

<p>The only reservation that I have with the program is the color rendering for the K10D. I have learned to leave all of the DxO color modules disabled and then to process the files as DNGs to be imported subsequently into Lightroom, where I prefer the color rendering and adjustment tools. This extra step adds a little time to my workflow, but I consider it well worth doing. Color rendering is a matter of personal preference, and you may not find DxO's to be objectionable.</p>

<p>Rob</p>

[rogerdaltx]

<p>Well I hoped for a definitive answer but did not quite get it here or on Pentax Forums. I got the chance to play with the new PCDU4 software with several of my k20d pef and dng files and various lenses. The lens correction does NOT seem to be profile driven nor automatic. It appears to be all slider based, though the vignetting adjustment does have a default value. Anyway distortion correction is not automatic, nor does it come with preset lens based starting points. So while the software is a significantly improved over version 3 and I think K-7 owners who are not using Lightroom or Aperture will find it beneficial it adds no value to my workflow to warrant purchasing it. I guess when I need lens correction I'll keep going to PTlens after lightoom conversion from RAW. The PTlens people build corrections profilesI may try working with them to expand the Pentax choices. For a $25 piece of software that works as a PS plugin or can be called from lightroom as an external editor it's pretty darn useful. </p>

<p>Robert thanks for your feedback on DXO. I ran the demo for a week or so last year and was impressed, but not as much as lightroom which I purchased. Out of the 7 or so supported lenses I own several, the 16-50 DA* being the one I'd like to correct the moston the wide end. I see little need for correction on my DA* 50-135 or FAD 50mm macro. And surprisingly not that much on my DA 18-250. And I don't use the two kit lenses. Do you find it genuinely useful on processing images from non profiled lenses? Maybe I need to have another look at it. I'm just not keen on adding another processing engine to my workflow and not sure it's worth $170 to improve one lens. I guess the question is it really that much better than Lightroom ar RAW conversion?.</p>

[photom]

<blockquote>

<p>The only reservation that I have with the program is the color rendering for the K10D. I have learned to leave all of the DxO color modules disabled and then to process the files as DNGs to be imported subsequently into Lightroom, where I prefer the color rendering and adjustment tools. This extra step adds a little time to my workflow, but I consider it well worth doing. Color rendering is a matter of personal preference, and you may not find DxO's to be objectionable.<br>

Rob</p>

<p> </p>

</blockquote>

<p>Rob, try making an ICC camera profile with Profile Prism or other lower priced software and you can customize the color as to how you like it. Portrait, landscape, sunny, shade, etc.</p>

[robert goldstein]

<blockquote>

<p>Robert thanks for your feedback on DXO. I ran the demo for a week or so last year and was impressed, but not as much as lightroom which I purchased. Out of the 7 or so supported lenses I own several, the 16-50 DA* being the one I'd like to correct the moston the wide end. I see little need for correction on my DA* 50-135 or FAD 50mm macro. And surprisingly not that much on my DA 18-250. And I don't use the two kit lenses. Do you find it genuinely useful on processing images from non profiled lenses? Maybe I need to have another look at it. I'm just not keen on adding another processing engine to my workflow and not sure it's worth $170 to improve one lens. I guess the question is it really that much better than Lightroom ar RAW conversion?</p>

</blockquote>

<p>I have done many head to head comparisons of DxO and Lightroom with images shot with non-supported lenses. I am quite convinced that DxO is superior at RAW conversions. There is just more detail in its images. Contrary to popular opinion, RAW converters use different algorithms and produce different results. I also prefer the way that DxO Lighting boosts shadows by increasing contrast as well as brightness. It's an effect that I have not been able to replicate with Fill Light in LR. You just have to be careful not to overdo the effect.</p>

<p>Regarding whether it is worth $170 for one or two lens correction modules--what I have found is that I have taken to using the DA* 16-50 almost all the time, because the IQ with DxO is better than what I can get with other lenses, including the legendary FA 31 Ltd. Of course, when I need a different focal length or more speed, I will mount other lenses, but other than that, it's all 16-50 all of the time. My next lens will be the DA* 50-135, which gets rave reviews from everyone. I cannot wait to see how it performs with the DxO correction module.</p>

<p>Tom, thanks for the suggestion about creating my own camera profile. I'm not sure that it would be enough for me to abandon Lightroom completely, as I like its adjustments tools and file management features.</p>

<p>Rob</p>