June 18, 2003

If you own a Canon 10D, you probably have wondered what settings you should set in Parameters. Parameter settings affect how JPG images are generated from RAW image data, even the embedded JPG images in RAW image files. I have wondered the same question and so I set out to do some experiments to determine how each value affects the image and which values will meet my needs.

There are four settings you can set in Parameters: Contrast, Sharpness, Saturation, and Color Tone. For each of these settings, there are five values that can be set: -2, -1, 0, +1, +2. 0 is the default value and it is also called Normal. For brevity, I will be showing only the Normal and extreme values -2 and +2.

Contrast

Contrast setting affects the contrast of the image -- higher contrast makes the shadows darker and highlights brighter. Contrast +2 has the tendency to blowout the highlights and kill the shadows. In most circumstances, Contrast +2 will result in clipped shadows and highlights; the result is lost detail in both the shadows and highlights. Given the results of Contrast +2, one would think that Contrast -2 would result in greater detail in shadows and highlights. However, all Contrast -2 seems to do is reduce the overall contrast of the image by lightening the shadows and darkening the highlights. No more detail is visible in either the shadows or highlights over Contrast 0. Furthermore, Contrast -2 generates images with smaller dynamic range; this means that the resulting images actually have less detail overall than images from Contrast 0.

Given these results, I have to decided to use a Contrast setting of 0 for majority of shots and use +1 when shadow and highlights details are not crucial.

Contrast -2	Normal	Contrast +2
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Sharpness

Sharpness determines how much a sharpening filter is applied to the resulting JPG images. The higher the value, the sharper the image and the lower the value, the softer the image. Unlike Contrast, Canon did not go overboard iwith sharpness. Even with Sharpness +2, the image is still a bit soft though it is sharper than Sharpness 0. At Sharpness -2, the image is rather soft. Also, at Sharpness +2, there is no evidence of any artifacts.

Based on these results, I have decided to use Sharpness +2 for all situations as I prefer a clean and sharp image out of the camera. When necessary, I plan on applying additional sharpening during post processing.

Sharpness -2	Normal	Sharpness +2
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Saturation

Saturation, like Sharpness, affects the image just enough without going overboard. For example, Saturation -2 desaturates the image just slightly; it does not desaturate the image to the point of making the image B&W. Saturation +2 adds a powerful punch to the images. It is a bit much for portraits (skin tones) but great for nature and landscapes. Saturation +1 seems to add just the right amount to make the image more vivid yet still have realistic skin tones.

Since I like a tad bit of punch in my images, I use Saturation +1 in all my shots.

Saturation -2	Normal	Saturation +2
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Color Tone

Color Tone setting allows you to make the skin tones more reddish or yellowish. Color Tone -2 makes the skin tone rather red whereas Color Tone +2 can make a person look rather sickly. If you like to adjust skin tones of your subjects, then using this setting in camera would save you a lot time over changing the skin tones during post processing.

I have opted to leave Color Tone at Normal (0) for all shooting conditions.

Color Tone -2	Normal	Color Tone +2
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