A Diverse Display of Digital Deviations

A Diverse Display of Digital Deviations

I tend to shoot JPEG for most of my image making and one of the features this makes available is the Digital Filter selection on almost all current cameras. I have a particular favourite with the Pentax Q-S1, the Bold Monochrome setting. I've explored this in a previous blog, so I won't repeat that here, but suffice it to say that it delivers exactly the style of black and white that I was always seeking in the darkroom.

I reviewed the Nikon Z5 for EPZ and there is a massive selection of "creative" digital filters in there. I have to say that I am at a loss to understand how pressing a button can be described as creative, but let's forgive the manufacturers for the use of words. It comes down to what we might find useful, such as the aforementioned Bold Monochrome.

So today a quick look at the Nikon Z5 options that I think I might use if I used the system routinely, and perhaps a word or two about those I would definitely not.

Dream - not quite sure how this is related to dreams, but a bit bland for my taste



Morning - again, how is this morning? Looks greenish to me rather than the blue of morning



Sunday - Never on a Sunday? A mysterious title indeed



Dramatic - more likely for me than any so far. I like a bit of drama



Silence - this is more or less the exact opposite of what I aim for with monochrome



Bleached - this is what I would know as Bleached Bypass, and it emulates what happens when the bleach process is omitted from the E-6 reversal process. A maybe for me



Denim - regardless of the title, this seems to have some potential for my style of phoptography



Sepia - sadly, this doesn't cut it for me. If I want sepia toning then Photoshop delivers.



Graphite - this is probably the closest to my favourite Bold Monochrome, but not quite there.



Binary - I think this is meaning just pure black and pure white, but it has limited usefulness



I've no doubt that all of these are worth playing with, as who knows, you might find something that just ticks the right boxes. The names may be somewhat fanciful, but the effects are what matters.