Pentax K-r Modes & Menus

Pentax K-r Modes and Menus

Capture Modes

 Program mode (P): The Pentax K-r's Program mode can operate in several ways, depending on the camera's setup. By default, the K-r operates in Program Shift mode (some manufacturers refer to this as Flexible Program), which controls shutter speed and aperture automatically, but allows you to use the e-dial to bias the camera towards a faster shutter speed / wider aperture, or a slower shutter speed / narrower aperture.

The "e-dial in Program" setting under the Green Button submenu -- selected from page four of the Record menu -- allows this behavior to be changed, with the e-dial behavior being linked to the function assigned to the Green button. The e-dial can be disabled altogether, or set to switch the camera to either Shutter- or Aperture-priority Automatic (aka Hyper Shutter or Hyper Aperture) exposure -- but only if the Green button is programmed to reset the exposure to that calculated as optimal by the metering system. If the Green button is set to any other function, the e-dial is simply disabled in Program mode, and the camera takes complete control of both the shutter speed and aperture, while you control all other exposure variables.

In the Hyper modes, the e-dial can be set to directly take control of either the aperture or the shutter speed if adjusted after the Program exposure has been determined, effectively switching the camera to Aperture-priority or Shutter-priority for the current exposure only. The difference between this and Program Shift mode is that the Aperture or Shutter speed are explicitly fixed to your set value, rather than simply biasing the metering system while the camera still selects the actual values of both variables.

 Sensitivity Priority mode (Sv): While a couple of cameras can now achieve something similar with a little careful configuration, Pentax's Sv mode is still pretty uncommon as a standalone mode, meriting its own position on the Mode dial. As the name would suggest, you set the ISO sensitivity manually, by pressing the shutter button halfway, then turning the e-dial. The camera picks the appropriate combination of aperture and shutter speed automatically, so as to obtain the metered exposure.

 Shutter Priority mode (Tv): Marked with the letters "Tv," for Time value, this mode allows the user to control the shutter speed, from 30 seconds to 1/6,000 second. The shutter speed can be adjusted in 1/2 or 1/3 EV steps. ISO sensitivity can be controlled automatically or manually, and the upper limit for sensitivity adjusted when under automatic control.

 Aperture Priority mode (Av): Marked with an "Av," this mode gives the user control of aperture within the range offered by the currently attached lens, while the camera selects the corresponding shutter speed. ISO sensitivity can be controlled automatically or manually, and the upper limit for sensitivity adjusted when under automatic control.

 Manual mode (M): This setting provides complete control over the exposure, with independent settings for aperture and shutter speed. The e-dial ordinarily controls shutter speed, and switches to aperture control if the exposure compensation button is held in (or pressed once before adjustment, and then a second time to confirm the aperture value change). Shutter speeds range from 1/6,000 to 30 seconds. Auto ISO sensitivity isn't available - if the camera is left on ISO Auto in M mode, the last set ISO value is instead used. The Green button ordinarily prompts the camera to meter the scene, and set both the aperture and shutter speed to obtain the metered exposure, much as would happen in Program mode. This metered exposure is then fixed until either the Green button is pressed again, or the photographer manually adjusts the aperture or shutter speed. Alternatively, the Green button can be set to adjust either the aperture or shutter speed alone to obtain a metered exposure, while the other variable is left to the manually set value. Finally, the Green button can be disabled altogether, requiring the photographer to set both exposure variables manually.

 Flash Off mode: Disables the flash strobe, and otherwise is identical in function to the Standard Auto picture mode described below.

 Night Scene Portrait mode: The symbol of a person with a crescent moon marks this mode on the Mode dial. Here, the camera employs a slower shutter speed and a synchronized flash to capture bright portraits in dark settings.

 Moving Object (Sports) mode: An icon of a person running marks this mode on the Mode dial. The camera uses faster shutter speeds to "freeze" action on fast-paced subjects, and the drive mode is fixed to High-speed Continuous shooting.

 Macro mode: The traditional flower macro symbol indicates this mode on the Mode dial. Though actual macro focusing distances will depend on the lens in use, this mode optimizes the camera for capturing bright color in small subjects at close range.

 Landscape mode: The familiar mountain icon marks Landscape mode, which uses a smaller aperture to increase depth of field for sharp pictures of sweeping vistas. Saturation is boosted for bright skies and foliage.

 Portrait mode: An icon of a person's head and shoulders symbolizes this mode, which uses a larger aperture to decrease the depth of field, thereby producing sharply focused portraits in front of slightly blurred backgrounds. This mode also optimizes the camera for attractive skin tones.

 Auto Picture mode (AUTO PICT): This mode puts the camera in full control over the exposure, automatically selecting between the five previous scene modes - Portrait, Landscape, Macro, Moving Object and Night Scene -- as well as a Standard scene mode which isn't directly accessible from the Mode dial. In addition, when shooting in Live View mode, the Auto Picture mode can also select two further Scene modes - Blue Sky, and Sunset. The selected Scene mode is shown in the viewfinder info display, or at the top left corner of the LCD when shooting in Live View mode.

 Scene mode (SCN): Allows direct selection of eleven scene modes, of which two can be accessed through other positions on the Mode dial as previously described. The available scene modes are Night Scene, Surf & Snow, Food, Sunset, Stage Lighting, Night Snap, Night Scene HDR, Kids, Pet, Candlelight, and Museum. Night Scene also has its own Mode dial position, while Sunset can be automatically selected by the camera when using Auto Picture mode with Live View active. The Night Scene HDR option is newly added since the previous K-x model, and automatically captures three sequential shots with varied exposure, which are then combined in-camera to create a single shot with increased dynamic range.

 Movie mode: This mode allows the user to record videos with sound. Resolution options consist of either 1,280 x 720 (16:9 aspect, 25 fps) or 640x480 (4:3 aspect, 25 fps) pixels, each with monaural sound. There are three quality (compression ratio) options available, and you can choose to have the aperture fixed, or under automatic control. You can also enable or disable shake reduction and / or sound recording if desired, and use a subset of the digital filter and cross processing functionality that's available for still images. The nonstandard 3:2 aspect, 640 x 416 pixel movie mode from the K-x has been dropped from the K-r. See the Video tab for more details as well as sample videos.

Playback Mode

Playback mode is entered by pressing the Playback button on the camera's rear panel. In this mode, you can scroll through captured images, delete them, write-protect them, and set them up for printing on devices capable of recognizing DPOF print orders specified on the flash card. Like the K-x before it, the Pentax K-r is not PictBridge compatible, so the printer and camera can't be directly attached, however. You can also process Raw files, apply digital filters for creative effects, and watch or perform basic processing on movie clips.

When in Playback mode, the e-dial is used to zoom into and out of images, and to switch from viewing a single image to either thumbnails or a calendar view. When viewing a single image, the left and right arrow keys scroll forward and backward one image or movie at a time. Pressing the down arrow key calls up the Playback Mode Palette, from which you can perform basic image processing functions such as rotation, cropping, resizing, and digital filters, process Raw images, start an image slideshow, compare images side by side, trim movies, protect images and movies, set up print orders, create index images, and save a manual white balance preset from an image.

When playback zoom is active, the arrow keys pan around the zoomed image. In thumbnail and folder views, the arrow keys are used to move around the columns and rows to make a selection. In Calendar view, the up and down arrow keys select from available dates, while the left and right arrow keys step between images from any specific date.

Pentax K-r Menu Details

Below are Pentax K-r menu options and their descriptions. Pressing the Menu button provides access to the camera's full menu system. The arrow pad is used to navigate between menu tabs and options, and to make selections. In the main menu system, the e-dial can be used to switch between menu tabs one at a time. In the Control Panel menu, the e-dial can be used to quickly make adjustments to the currently selected item. It has no effect in the Playback Mode Palette menu, though. Although the Pentax K-r doesn't immediately return to the last selected item when the Menu button is first pressed, it can at least be configured to start off at the top of the most recently used tab, potentially saving a few button presses for frequently used options. (The K-x, by contrast, always started on the first tab of the menu system.)

Record Menu 1:

Record Menu 2:

Record Menu 3:

Record Menu 4:

Playback Menu:

Setup Menu 1:

Setup Menu 2:

Setup Menu 3:

Setup Menu 4:

Custom Menu 1:

Custom Menu 2:

Custom Menu 3:

Custom Menu 4: