Light Through The Lens

I recently updated the firmware on my Pentax K-7, and to my delight, Pentax has added the popular Reversal Film mode to this camera (previously only available on the Pentax 645D).  For those of you who don’t know, reversal film is another name for slide, or transparency film.  As someone who still shoots quite a bit of film (mostly medium format) and a good portion of it being transparencies, this is much welcome addition to the already extensive selection of color palettes available on the K-7.

I’m still running tests, but it would appear that this new color mode nearly replicates the look and feel of Kodak Ektachrome, specifically, E100G.  Colors are nice and punchy, with slightly cool shadows.  I’ve included the following side-by-side comparison showing how this new film mode stacks up against my standard processing in Lightroom.

First, the original file as imported into Lightroom using the Adobe Default profile:

Lightroom 2.7 Adobe Default

Next, the original file as imported into Lightroom using the Camera Default profile:

Lightroom 2.7 Camera Default

Next, the original file as processed in Lightroom using my standard develop settings:

Lightroom 2.7 Standard Process

Finally, the original file, imported into Pentax DCU 4.21, Reversal Film mode applied:

Pentax DCU 4.21 Reversal Film Mode

From these examples, it appears the Pentax Reversal Film Mode  does an impressive job of not only capturing the vivid green in the leaves of this leaf, but also of bringing out subtle differences, such as the yellow in the stem of the leaf.  even better is the additional clarity/sharpness obtained by processing in Pentax DCU, applying Reversal Film Mode, and adjusting the Sharpness slider to taste.

Here’s a side-by-side 100% crop of the water droplet in the center of the frame.  Notice how the Pentax DCU software is able to resolve more detail in the droplet, as well as the surrounding area:

Click the image to view Full Size

I’m going to be doing more tests on this new feature in the coming weeks, and will publish an update once I’ve gathered the results.

A big Thank You to Pentax for providing us with yet another great option for enhancing our images!