Life-changing insights into Z750 picture-taking
After I reached my Casio Exilim EX-Z750 conclusions, I began to rummage around the digital photography forums looking for insights from other Z750 users on improving its performance. I felt that the middling camera I was using was not the stellar camera favorably reviewed time and again.
Though my search for enlightenment is ongoing, I ran across some great posts to the Casio Talk forum at http://www.dpreview.com. In particular, Bart Hickman posted a great piece showcasing some nighttime photos he took with a Z750, which do not resemble anything I’ve been able to produce.
Subsequent research of Hickman’s posts revealed a link to Bart Hickman’s Best Shot Collection, which is a set of ‘Best Shots’ (basically camera setting presets which you can load into the Z750 in addition to its library of built-in Best Shots) which provide ‘virtual’ ISO 800 and ISO 1600 settings. This, coupled with post-processing using the exposure compensation curves he provides and a little noise reduction, enables high shutter-speed low-light photography with dramatic effects.
Hickman uses Paint Shop Pro 9, not Photoshop, so I’ve taken the liberty of converting his adjustment curves to Photoshop. They don’t yield quite the same results as Photoshop’s Exposure adjustment, but given that he’s calibrated them to the Z750’s frequency response curve at various EV settings, I’m inclined to give his the benefit of the doubt.
They are:
You can use them in Photoshop by creating a Curves adjustment layer and loading the appropriate curve values file using the ‘Load…’ button.
Hickman’s technique is to use his Virtual 800 or Virtual 1600 best shot profile (which one you use depends upon lighting), then dialing down the EV compensation until the shutter speed is acceptable, even if the adjustment leads to an underexposed shot. I didn’t realize (perhaps because I’m a digital photography n00b) that adjusting the EV compensation caused the camera to adjust the shutter speed; I thought EV compensation was just a post-processing adjustment to the data from the sensor.
Normally, underexposing the shot would suck, but Hickman’s exposure compensation curves allow you to re-adjust exposure in the other direction in roughly the same way the Z750 would adjust it by holding the shutter open longer. The adjustment curves, particularly the +2 curve, lose detail in the highlights, so it’s not a completely free adjustment, however I find the difference between some loss of detail and a nuked flash exposure or missed shot is worth the compromise.
The final stage of the Hickman technique is to apply noise reduction (NR) to the brightened image. Noise reduction usually costs some detail, but if you’re using a powerful noise reduction tool like Noise Ninja, the dramatic reduction in noise is usually worth the nominal loss of detail.
I’ve been playing around with this technique alot, and I’m pretty pleased. I get fast shutter speeds without a flash, and the adjustment in saturation coupled with the NR post-processing keeps noise in check. Thanks Bart!
I’ve also resolved to keep an eye on the dpreview forums for further nuggets of wisdom.
Tags: camera, Migrated from Drupal, tech diary, z750