Forget about them, set 'em to neutral and shoot RAW - then you can set your own custom values when you "develop" the RAW image. They're only there for the PJ's who want the jpeg images ready for the newsdesk straight out-of-camera.
If you read the Andy Rouse test on warehouse express he said keep it in Faithful
Posted by Sean Bolton on March 30, 2006 at 3:46 PM
Hi Peter
As Nick says the Picture Style setting only effects the in camera RAW to JPEG conversion so if you are shooting RAW then you can select the style in your RAW conversion.
I use BreezeBrowser for RAW conversion which allows you to choose the Picture Style. So does the Canon DPP software.
I leave mine set to Faithful which is ok for reviewing shots on the LCD.
Just don't use the Portrait setting, especially for Portraits. I don't know what the Canon engineers were smoking when they defined the Portrait Picture Style, it is ghastly.
As said if you shoot RAW then these settings make no difference, however they do affect the display, in particular the flashing highlights and the histogram, set evrything to its lowest so that the display and histogram more closely match the RAW file.
BTW, just taken delivery of a 5D for my macro work, very suprised to discover that unlike my old 10D I am unable to use MLU whilst shooting remotely from the computer, think I am going to have to swap it for one of the 1Ds's we have
Here are the settings that I use on my 1D series bodies. I'm sure some of them will apply to the 5D. Hope it helps.
Menu Items
jpeg quality = default settings - I never shoot jpegs; parameters = set 3 selected and adjusted to: tone curve = standard; sharpness = 2; contrast = -1) although I never shoot jpegs, the jpeg settings affect what you see on the lcd. Setting contrast to -1 "calibrates" the blinking highlight indicator to approx 255/255/255 in the RAW file. Higher than this and you get blinkies when in fact nothing is over exposed. colour matrix = Adobe RGB; review = ON (info) review time = 4 secs noise reduction = OFFf; I think this may be a useful function for long exposures at night, but I've never done that sort of shot with these cameras; iso expansion = on - very occassionally I might need to go to iso 50 if I'm trying to get a pan-blur or something, but there is no quality advantage as the native sensitivity of the Canon imaging chip is thought to be iso 200. highlight alert = ON display AF points = ON; histogram display = BRIGHT; auto power off = OFF – the battery lasts for ages and I always want the camera ready to shoot; file numbering = CONTINUOUS; back up = OFF – I don’t use a second card; auto rotate = ON format – I always format the card when I put it into the camera;
Custom Functions
C Fn 00 = 1 – I have replaced the standard focusing screen in both bodies with the Ec-D grid screen. C Fn 01 = 0 – No view finder display during exposure. C Fn 02 = 1 – shutter release without card not possible; C Fn 04 = 1 – I prefer to shoot with exposure lock on the shutter button and auto focus on the * button; C Fn 05 = 1; C Fn 06 = 0 – exposure level increments set to 1/3-stop; C Fn 07 = 0 – required if C Fn 04 set to any value other than 0; C Fn 08 = 1 – I want to be able to see the iso as I use this as a third exposure control and I want to see how many shots remaining; C Fn 09 = 2 – I very rarely use auto-bracketing and would forget to switch it off otherwise; C Fn 10 = 3 – brighter AF point illumination; C Fn 11 = 0 – I wish there was some better way to change the AF point more quickly; C Fn 12 = 0/1 – crazy implementation of mlu imo; C Fn 13 = 0 – I frequently use off-centre AF points; C Fn 14 = 0 – ETTL II evaluative but I always shoot with the camera in manual mode and compensate on the flash compensation button using the display in the viewfinder; C Fn 15 = 0 1st curtain synch; C Fn 16 = 1; safety shift in Av-mode enabled although I mostly shoot in manual mode; C Fn 17 = 1 – AF point activation area set to 7; C Fn 18 = 1 – one button press to switch to registered AF-point (centre point); C Fn 19 = 0 – I rarely use the AF-function on the lens barrel now that that I have moved the AF function to the * button; C Fn 20 = 0 – I think this is the best compromise between focusing tracking and loosing focus due to background interference but may change it in the field if conditions warrant it. If I’m shooting fast moving subjects I will change camera bodies; the ID2/1D2N is much better at maintaining focus on moving subjects than the 1Ds2. C Fn 21 = 1 – drive speed priority AI servo AF enabled on 1D2N so that I can start shooting a burst even if the subject isn’t in focus, but on the 1D2/1D2N the AF will catch up;
Discussion
5 repliesAs Nick says the Picture Style setting only effects the in camera RAW to JPEG conversion so if you are shooting RAW then you can select the style in your RAW conversion.
I use BreezeBrowser for RAW conversion which allows you to choose the Picture Style. So does the Canon DPP software.
I leave mine set to Faithful which is ok for reviewing shots on the LCD.
Just don't use the Portrait setting, especially for Portraits. I don't know what the Canon engineers were smoking when they defined the Portrait Picture Style, it is ghastly.
cheers
Sean
As said if you shoot RAW then these settings make no difference, however they do affect the display, in particular the flashing highlights and the histogram, set evrything to its lowest so that the display and histogram more closely match the RAW file.
BTW, just taken delivery of a 5D for my macro work, very suprised to discover that unlike my old 10D I am unable to use MLU whilst shooting remotely from the computer, think I am going to have to swap it for one of the 1Ds's we have
All the best
Here are the settings that I use on my 1D series bodies. I'm sure some of them will apply to the 5D. Hope it helps.
Menu Items
jpeg quality = default settings - I never shoot jpegs;
parameters = set 3 selected and adjusted to: tone curve = standard; sharpness = 2; contrast = -1) although I never shoot jpegs, the jpeg settings affect what you see on the lcd. Setting contrast to -1 "calibrates" the blinking highlight indicator to approx 255/255/255 in the RAW file. Higher than this and you get blinkies when in fact nothing is over exposed.
colour matrix = Adobe RGB;
review = ON (info)
review time = 4 secs
noise reduction = OFFf; I think this may be a useful function for long exposures at night, but I've never done that sort of shot with these cameras;
iso expansion = on - very occassionally I might need to go to iso 50 if I'm trying to get a pan-blur or something, but there is no quality advantage as the native sensitivity of the Canon imaging chip is thought to be iso 200.
highlight alert = ON
display AF points = ON;
histogram display = BRIGHT;
auto power off = OFF – the battery lasts for ages and I always want the camera ready to shoot;
file numbering = CONTINUOUS;
back up = OFF – I don’t use a second card;
auto rotate = ON
format – I always format the card when I put it into the camera;
Custom Functions
C Fn 00 = 1 – I have replaced the standard focusing screen in both bodies with the Ec-D grid screen.
C Fn 01 = 0 – No view finder display during exposure.
C Fn 02 = 1 – shutter release without card not possible;
C Fn 04 = 1 – I prefer to shoot with exposure lock on the shutter button and auto focus on the * button;
C Fn 05 = 1;
C Fn 06 = 0 – exposure level increments set to 1/3-stop;
C Fn 07 = 0 – required if C Fn 04 set to any value other than 0;
C Fn 08 = 1 – I want to be able to see the iso as I use this as a third exposure control and I want to see how many shots remaining;
C Fn 09 = 2 – I very rarely use auto-bracketing and would forget to switch it off otherwise;
C Fn 10 = 3 – brighter AF point illumination;
C Fn 11 = 0 – I wish there was some better way to change the AF point more quickly;
C Fn 12 = 0/1 – crazy implementation of mlu imo;
C Fn 13 = 0 – I frequently use off-centre AF points;
C Fn 14 = 0 – ETTL II evaluative but I always shoot with the camera in manual mode and compensate on the flash compensation button using the display in the viewfinder;
C Fn 15 = 0 1st curtain synch;
C Fn 16 = 1; safety shift in Av-mode enabled although I mostly shoot in manual mode;
C Fn 17 = 1 – AF point activation area set to 7;
C Fn 18 = 1 – one button press to switch to registered AF-point (centre point);
C Fn 19 = 0 – I rarely use the AF-function on the lens barrel now that that I have moved the AF function to the * button;
C Fn 20 = 0 – I think this is the best compromise between focusing tracking and loosing focus due to background interference but may change it in the field if conditions warrant it. If I’m shooting fast moving subjects I will change camera bodies; the ID2/1D2N is much better at maintaining focus on moving subjects than the 1Ds2.
C Fn 21 = 1 – drive speed priority AI servo AF enabled on 1D2N so that I can start shooting a burst even if the subject isn’t in focus, but on the 1D2/1D2N the AF will catch up;