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Hi everyone, just wondering about custom curve.

I have read a bit about them and still not a full bottle.. suprise suprise

Anyhow, I was wondering is it worth downloading one from a link and putting it in, or is the way the camera came sufficent? I only have the kit 18-70 lens

And if you do put one in, can the original setting be replaced without a headache?

Sorry to bombard you all with questions, but i appreciate replies.

G'day,
I've only just started playing with custom camera curves, and find they make a big difference... Easey peasey to load...

You can either use the custom one you've installed (can only have one curve other than default loaded in the camera at a time, I think) and you can easily switch in a moment between the custom curve and the default curve using the utility menus in the camera when working "in the field"...

Also, you can emulate their effects in Nikon Capture etc, so you can try the different ones out before you load one in the camera itself.

They're certainly worth trying out, they can make a big difference to your results, and when shooting raw they can be either applied or bypassed when loading the shots onto a PC as the curve is like a "flag" that is applied to the raw image so you can choose whether or not to apply it when shootign raw so you're not commited. I think that when shooting jpegs the curve is actually applied to the image though...

One of the guys will follow with some more extensive advice and some links so you can try them out etc. but I certainly suggest have a play and try some out...

Don't be apprehensive about asking questions, that's what the forum is all about

Cheers,
Mudder

Have a search on here - there are many many threads covering the topic of custom curves, including a massive collection of just about all the popular ones linked off Killakoala's site.

Curve Surgery/Raw magick may be programs you wanna look into as well.

There are five tone cuves already loaded into the camera - however I find the first and fifth (lowest and highest contrast) unusable in practice. Most custom curves are derived from the normal tone curve, but I personally favour the medium-low tone curve in camera, or custom curves that reduces overall scene contrast (Provia, Astia, etc).

The answer to your question - it depends what you're shooting, and what your imaging goals are.