Dull Photos - T1i

[kismetttt]

Just curious if anyone has any advice on my T1i. I also have an Elph (SD 1200) and an SX20. Both the Elph and the SX20 take incredible, vibrant, vivid, bright photos. I am always left in awe by the photos I take with each of these cameras. Recently I have taken classes to really learn how to use my DSLR (T1i) to it's full potential. The problem is all of the photos taken with the T1i seem so dull in comparison. I have fiddled and tinkered with all kinds of changes to the settings in all kinds of environments and nothing seems to help. All the pics I take with the T1i just seem dull and flat. Is there something I can do to change this? This occurs in the Auto mode as well as all the creative modes including Manual. For the price difference, the T1i should be rocking my world, and it just doesn't.

Any suggestions or ideas would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

[dlambert]

Can you post an example? When you do this, please let us know what kind of lens you're using, and the settings used to shoot the photo (ISO, shutter speed, aperture, etc.). There are all sorts of helpful people here who should be able to offer some advice.

[karen_s]

Also, let us know of you are shooting RAW or JPEG. That might prove quite helpful too.

[Happy_Mummy]

I got the T2i for Christmas and found the same frustrations. It took me a bit to figure the camera out, but now that I have a better idea of what I'm doing the colours are improving. I'm not sure what you have tried playing with, but I found shooting in Av mode (aperture priority) is what helped my photos the most. I lower the aperture as much as I can (just know that as you lower your depth of field it means your focus becomes tighter so if you have several depth you need clear you can't drop it too much. Also most point and shoot cameras do some editing to the photo when you take it to ad colour is what I have noticed people comment on these boards. SLRs don't do this as it assumes the photographer will post process the photo themselves for what they are looking for. Maybe try using the photo editing software to add colour?

[inkista]

This is a really common thing when folks "upgrade" to a dSLR from a P&S.

By default, a P&S camera assumes you want a processed JPEG that's good to go out of the camera, and cooks the files for you, adding saturation and sharpness. But it does it in a one-size fits all manner.

A dSLR, by contrast, by default is set up assuming that you probably want to bypass in-camera processing, and process each image individually, specifically tailoring each image in post-processing using software like Photoshop or Lightroom. You'll get the most out of the camera if you learn to shoot RAW and post-process. But you can set up the in-camera processing to mimic the kind of one-size-fits-all cooking P&S cameras do if you don't want to go there, just yet. (Picture Styles is the menu you're looking for).

But a dSLR is not a straightforward upgrade path from a P&S camera. Just because you paid more money doesn't mean you're going to get better image quality. You have more control. You have more options. You have more ways to expand the system. You have better high iso noise performance. But just like going from automatic to stick shift doesn't guarantee you a smoother drive, and in fact can make it harder to get one, just moving to a dSLR does not, in fact, guarantee you better pictures. It's just a tool, and one that takes a while to learn.

Better gear gives you more possibilities. But no certanties.

My suggestion is learn to do basic post-processing, and do not expect perfect images straight from camera. Curves adjustments alone can make a dramatic difference to an image.

This is an image I took with my Canon XT/350D. It had a whopping 8MP. I used my 18-55 kit lens (the non-IS one that's softer than the newer IS version). I shot RAW, and then post-processed in Lightroom.


Canon XT/350D. EF-S 18-55 f/3.5-5.6 II.
@18mm, iso 100, f/3.5, 1/800s. handheld.

I don't think it's your camera or lens. It's your expectation that this kind of result is what you should be getting straight out of camera.

[BK553]

Don't shoot RAW until you understand what it is, and what you're going to have to do to get it to look the way you want. It takes more work, but it's worth it once you learn. Until then, JPEG will work better for you, make sure you expose properly, and use the right picture style for whatever you're shooting.