Favorite Custom Settings on a D-Lux 4

[Lumistu]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

Hi,

I'm trying to get some suggestions as to how to configure the Custom Settings on my DL4 to take the most advantage from them. So far I figured one would be for B&W, another perhaps for portraits.

 

I would really appreciate any other suggestions from all you fine photographers out there.

 

Thanks in advance,

Tony

[Cherub]

Hi,

I'm trying to get some suggestions as to how to configure the Custom Settings on my DL4 to take the most advantage from them. So far I figured one would be for B&W, another perhaps for portraits.

 

I would really appreciate any other suggestions from all you fine photographers out there.

 

Thanks in advance,

Tony

 

Hello there !

 

My C1 is Standard B&W 80 ISO.

 

My C2-1 is Standard Color 80 ISO

My C2-1 is Nostalgic Color 80 ISO

My C2-3 is Standard Color 400 ISO

 

The possibilities are enless, so YOU have to choose for what purpose you want to "create" YOUR custom settings, mine are good for me, but probably NOT good for most !

[regedit]

I'm not so a pro but sharing is learning so

 

C1: A mode with ISOMAX 200, Natural color - use this mode as a standard one if other regular S, A or M are messed by other creativity settings

 

C2-1: P mode, min shutter 1/60 and autoISO, Natural color - that's because I take a lot of pics of my kids and sometimes the preferred 1/30 shutter of Leica AI is too long exposure and I got waving hands

 

C2-2: P mode, min shutter 1/125 and ISOMAX 200, Natural color. This is my flash mode settings. As an extra here I also use the Intelligent exposure in standard mode.The flash favorite settings are S red eye, second curtain -1 EV - and generates effect of soft fill in.

 

C2-3: It's a classic one I think - A mode, Dynamic BW Intelligent ISO and exposure.

 

As an extra mention in all custom modes I use QAF and auto brightness for screen.

 

My fn is set for focus type and in any mode I can quickly adjust the desired focus type. I usually change between multi, high speed and tracking focus (still learning here).

 

Hope is useful for you to know my settings, but again it depends on shotting style and subjects, and personal flavors.

[Lumistu]

Thank you both for your contributions. They give me a point of reference for what to do with my settings. I hope others will take advantage and / or add to this pool of suggestions.

 

Cheers,

Tony

[Cherub]

You're welcome, I forget to tell I always use my D-LUX4 in A mode almost in all the settings...

[ken_tanaka]

My own preference is to get an in-camera full-color image file with the highest fidelity and normally requiring only minor manipulations. To that end I've chosen to start with the "Smooth" setting but set contrast to 0. This has produced the best results for me so far, delivering image files which are nicely malleable but which usually only require nudges.

 

I have no interest in the camera's synthetic period and "b&w" settings. I much prefer to keep my options open and make aesthetic tonality decisions later. They "dynamic" settings, for example, are far, far too contrasty and crush too much shadow detail. One of this camera's distinctions is its ability to actually -preserve- that detail, which is what the "smooth" settings do so well.

[kschwarz]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

I shoot in manual exposure mode almost entirely, and only rarely use aperture priority if I really need to work super fast. I capture both RAW and JPEG, so I can make adjustments to the color if absolutely needed in post-processing. I suppose the custom functions would allow quicker access to ISO changes compared to going to the menu. Otherwise, I am not sure if the custom functions have all that much value. I will follow this thread and see what suggestions others have, as it is clear the value of the custom functions are mostly a mystery to me as well.

[regedit]

My own preference is to get an in-camera full-color image file with the highest fidelity and normally requiring only minor manipulations. To that end I've chosen to start with the "Smooth" setting but set contrast to 0. This has produced the best results for me so far, delivering image files which are nicely malleable but which usually only require nudges.

 

I have no interest in the camera's synthetic period and "b&w" settings. I much prefer to keep my options open and make aesthetic tonality decisions later. They "dynamic" settings, for example, are far, far too contrasty and crush too much shadow detail. One of this camera's distinctions is its ability to actually -preserve- that detail, which is what the "smooth" settings do so well.

 

nice point Ken, but if you prefer out of the camera posting of pictures, sometimes DBW produce nice impact photos. I like smooth BW mode as well but it's a bit too complicated for me. Thanks for sharing info.