bedouin Loc: Big Bend area, Texas

A kind thanks to all you gentlemen. I will take your good advice and begin serious remedial action. I seldom alter color saturation in editing or in my cameras, and generally use center-weighted averaging for metering. I will start a journal to record the effects of my trials. I am indebted to you all.

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

These images look like you have exceeded the camera's ability to record bright, highly saturated color(s) - otherwise known as channel clipping.

I've gotten decent results with similar highly saturated colors by using a ColorChecker Passport, which changes the color response curve of the camera's raw files and slightly lower exposures. However, if the channels are severely clipped, the only real alternatives are to a)avoid shooting in bright sunlight, b)slightly underexpose the shot to minimize clipping, and c)shoot raw, which will provide a bit of headroom and "clipping resistance" as well as better results if you choose to underexpose a bit.

bedouin Loc: Big Bend area, Texas

Gentlemen, your suggestions proved correct. In my editing program, by dialing back on the blue I was able to mostly eliminate my problem. Yesterday I went to a Nursery and made photos of red and yellow flowers while adjusting the colors in camera. I kept careful notes them evaluated the results on my computer screen. In the factory defaults, the blues were too strong. The appropriate adjustments has now greatly improved my problem with those colors and has not affected colors in shade.

Thanks again.
Charlie

kymarto Loc: Portland OR and Milan Italy

I have had the same issues with my Nikon and Sony cameras, mostly with reds and magentas. This is not a question of exposure. Putting these files into Photoshop gives a big clue, as these colors end up clipping like crazy, even while all other colors are well within the safe range. I believe this is a problem of colorspaces. As you probably know, colorspaces are all limited, and cannot display all the colors that the eye can see. This is especially a problem with actual printing in CMYK, as those inks just cannot handle vivid colors. But monitors also have a very limited colorspace, and thus these colors which exceed it end up being rather badly distorted and clipped.

Sorry for the SOOC folks, but I have found that the only way to tame this is in post processing. Adobe Camera Raw allows for selective adjustment of luminance and saturation of various colors. I reduce the luminance of reds and magentas that are clipping (mostly reds), which makes them appear pale. To then get them to look a bit richer I pull down the luminance of those colors. I use the histogram clipping indicators to make sure that I stay in the safe zone.

bedouin Loc: Big Bend area, Texas

I agree, kymarto. Today I worked on my Pentax K-1 and unlike with my K-3 yesterday, was unable in camera to eliminate the clipping. Yet I can easily do it in my editing program ( I use ACDSee Pro Ultimate 2018). One camera was a DX, the other an FX. If the sun had no gone today I wanted to start on my 645Z. I strive for as much realism of colors in my work as possible and up until now have seldom even touched color correction.

Anyway, thank you kindly for taking the time to help me.

Charlie

kymarto Loc: Portland OR and Milan Italy

Most welcome!