Fine Tuning the G9 JPEG

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A lot can be learned with a simple setup. The above image of Elmo and Kitty-Cow is a good example. Sure, if you’d happened upon this scene, you’d probably fire away on full auto (and get a flash photo) but a more methodical process can be very educational. In particular, I wanted to try my hand at fine tuning the in-camera JPEG settings. Besides, this was a chance to use the new cable release as well (worked great).

The above scene was lit with mixed lighting: sunlight through a window at left plus direct overhead tungsten. What is the correct white balance setting? I tossed in a old gray card for reference.

What about exposure? Light meters assume neutral gray but a Kitty-Cow is white (there are black kitty-cows but, technically, these are bear-dogs). The couch is nearly neutral and Elmo is, of course, quite colorful. I often begin a shoot in aperture mode (Av) and use the camera as a light meter. With the G9 at ISO 100, Av mode at f4.8, zoomed out all the way and set for spot metering, the “correct” exposure varied a lot as I panned over the scene. Kitty-Cow wanted 1/15 second; Elmo 1/4; the couch 1/6 and the gray card 1/5. So this is a good example of how a white object affects a light meter reading: about 1 to 2 stops off. Shifting to Program mode (P) and using evaluative metering on the complete scene, the G9 would like to take this picture at 1/13 second and f3.5. This (Program and evaluative) exposure is essentially the same as that obtained by metering the gray card or couch. In practice, I find evaluative metering to be very good so my G9 is almost always in evaluative metering mode.

What about the white balance for this mixed lighting? Using the G9 white balance options, I made two custom white balances: Custom1 was based on the gray card; Custom2 was based on the couch. Later on, based on a raw file, Photoshop said that the G9 auto white balance was at 4100K with +4 tint. Photoshop preferred 3950 and 0 tint in its own auto mode. According to Photoshop, my G9 Custom1 is at 3900, -13 whereas Custom2 is at 4200, -6. Again, later on, looking on a calibrated monitor, I preferred Custom2; however, I did most shooting in automatic white balance.

Next, I “softened” the G9 settings by minimizing the contrast, sharpening and saturation. The result is as expected. These minimums are popular starting points when the JPEG file is to be post processed. This image is downsized to 50% and cropped so that some details can be checked (click for larger image).

Finally, I went to the extreme settings for contrast, sharpening and saturation. This image is downsized and cropped as above. One unexpected result was the file size. Using the “normal” settings, the file size was 4 KB; the file size for the soft, desaturated image was 3.4 KB; the file size for the extremes was 4.5 KB. Otherwise, the results are as expected but at least now I have some feeling for those extremes.

On examining the files in BreezeBrowser and Photoshop, I was surprised that none of the special My Colors settings were retained in the file data. So if you try similar experiments, be sure to take notes.

Although all went smoothly, it seemed strange to be making these changes in-camera. I never shoot this way so I was constantly checking and fiddling with the camera to set, unset, reset, etc. My own preference is still to shoot in raw mode and make such adjustments in postprocessing.

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G9 and the In-Camera JPEG

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The G9 can create its own JPEG; I’ve taken to calling this the in-camera JPEG.

The G9 in-camera JPEG can make quite a nice picture and is very convenient. It can even be customized and fine tuned through the G9 options. I sometimes think of the in-camera JPEG as being analogous to a slide made with transparency film. A particular type of film would be purchased to match the conditions and purpose of the photo shoot; for example, a high speed, outdoor (sunlight) film having saturated colors and high contrast. When shooting in-camera JPEGs, you can, in fact should, make such adjustments. To many photographers, this is only natural. Alternatively, the G9 can and will do this for you.

When the G9 is set on full (green) Auto mode, all adjustments are made for you. In fact, you can’t change the settings for color saturation, contrast, etc. In order to fine tune the G9 JPEG to suit your own tastes, you’ll have to shoot in either P, Tv, Av or M mode – the “creative” modes.

When fine tuning or customizing the G9 image settings, the first decision to be made is about the lighting – or rather the light source. With the G9 in either P, Tv, Av or M mode, press the Func button to get to the various options. The very first option, top left on the LCD, probably shows “AWB” for Automatic White balance unless you’ve already changed it. Across the bottom of the LCD screen, is a picture of the sun, a cloud, etc. Scroll through these and pick the one that seems to match your setting and light source.

The options just below the white balance (light source) setting are labeled “My Colors”. These are very popular adjustments. The default setting is “Off” (as shown in the first image) but along the bottom of the LCD screen you’ll see options for increasing saturation (“Vivid”), decreasing saturation (“Neutral”), and many more. The very last option, “Custom Color” offers the most flexibility. By selecting “Custom Color” and then pressing the Display button, you’ll have access to fine tuning the contrast, sharpness, saturation, red, blue, green, and skin tone. It may take some tinkering to find the settings that you like. In all honesty, I’ve never used these features.

Even though a JPEG image has been sort of condensed from the full data set collected by the sensor, JPEGs can be edited. Many photographers who routinely edit their JPEGs seem to set their cameras for slightly less contrast, less sharpness, and less saturation. If necessary, these parameters can be fine tuned later during the editing process.

In a future post, I'll show some comparisons of in-camera JPEGs using the default and adjusted settings.
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