help with DSLR settings compared to P&S

real_484

Hiya

Got a canon 30D with a Canon EF-S 17-85mm lens a while back and I am finding it difficult to get pictures as sharp and as colour vivid and my canon p&s A80. My shots on the 30D are disappointing, the pictures don't pop. I have a good idea about exposure but even on auto the results from my 30D are not satisfactory. I have messed around with the settings to try and improve things but still not happy. I have gone to extent of using Photoshop to try and improve things but this is taking too much time as I am applying it to every shoot. I would prefer to be able to take a photo and then use PS if I really want to, not as a requirement. So what I am after are the best camera settings for sharpness, colour etc before I even start worrying about taking a shot, any advice on how to improve the situation or set up would also be welcome as I must prefer the flexibility of the SLR over the point and shoot.
Best
M

kmick

Three words 'inexpensive consumer zooms'. That lens while quite expensive is just not gonna cut the mustard in terms of image quality if you are the kind of person who looks closely. There is a whole lot of material out there about using primes versus zooms. A 50mm 1.8 or the 1.4 if you can swing to it plus zooming with your feet is a far better alternative. Maybe not the answer you want to hear?
http://photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=00Bzk2

digitalbeginner

real_484 wrote:

I have messed around with the settings to try and improve things but still not happy.

P&S Cameras are usually set to make colours more vivid than they really should be, as that is what snappers generally want.

The 30D is a blooming good camera and I'm surprised you're not getting the 'quality' you expect. The 30D straight out of the box should produce excellent results. There is a good reason why a lot of Pro's use this camera. Perhaps the settings were accidentally set to an inappropriate combination. Try resetting to the default settings. First try "Clearing Custom Function Settings" (p167 of the manual) and if that does not do the job then "Clear all camera settings" (p37 of the manual).

If that still does not work for you then there is the possibility that something is up with the camera. Or it could be that your expectation of what a shot should come out like is not what the 30D can produce.

Eirebear

kmick wrote:

Three words 'inexpensive consumer zooms'. That lens while quite expensive is just not gonna cut the mustard in terms of image quality if you are the kind of person who looks closely. There is a whole lot of material out there about using primes versus zooms. A 50mm 1.8 or the 1.4 if you can swing to it plus zooming with your feet is a far better alternative. Maybe not the answer you want to hear?
http://photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=00Bzk2

I dont think this is the case here Kmick, the 17-85 isnt a completely worthless lens, especially in terms of Kit Lenses.

Maybe the OP just needs to take the time to get used to the camera? Find out what it likes and dislikes (take it out for dinner.....) and just generally get to know it a little more.

Fajitas!

Agree with Eirebear, I've seen plenty of great results from that lens.

OP, are you shooting JPEG or RAW?

As for sharpness, do you have the IS turned on the whole time?

Unfortunatly, post processing can become quite a nessicity. But it can be quite enjoyable too.

real_484

thanks guys for the fast response , keep them coming. not sure how to do multiple quotes but I will try and answer some the questions,

Kmick
I did quite a bit of research regarding lens and wanted to get a good walk around lens without having to carry a big bag of lens around with me, ideally would like to keep on the 17-85 for a while. I am not looking for perfection on my shots but want them to be better or atleast as good as my P&S.

digitalbeginner
I will try the default setting and then change the sharpness and colur, thanks for that,

Eirebear
I thought the same and have taken several hundred shots and read up a good number of books but still not happy but agree with experience does help in these situations


Fajitas
I am shooting in jpeg staying away from raw for while anyway. I am keeping the file size in the medium bracket, and the IS is on the whole time, I agree on the PS front, enjoy but not every picture.

Fajitas!

Well, if you enjoy it but not every picture, that's a good thing. Chances are, the ones you enjoy processing are your best ones.

Try shooting large fine Jpegs. Will give you much better results - more information to work with.

Fionn

id agree with most of the other posters here - the 30 D is an excellent camera and should output very clear and sharp images. The EF-S 17-85mm lens is capable enough. Have you tried different lens??

one thing to try is take a photograph handheld and on a tripod triggered using the timer - compare the results.

Another thing that comes to mind that you might find useful is Picture Styles - they can take some of the decisions for you and perhaps you might get better results.

elven

Have a look in the manual (http://www.visibledust.com/manuals/Canon_30D.pdf) on pages 56 onwards, there are settings for saturation, sharpness and contrast. If you really can't be bothered doing any processing, that's prolly what you're after.

real_484

thanks for all the help, have reset my settings and am going to try the following

under the stanard picture style
sharpness at 6
contrast 0
saturation +2
colour tone 0

colur space sRGB
white balance on auto
colour temp 5200K

file format L
will try this on auto to see if my shots improve, is there anything I could try?

Calina

Check your ISO setting. You should go for the lowest possible number in given conditions. Typically I shoot 100 when I can get away with it, otherwise 200. I find that digital noise can take from a picture. Can add too but that has to be a desired effect.

The other thing that I'd strongly recommend is coming along to a boards outing to pick brains if you get a chance.

il gatto

Make sure the colour space is sRGB (oh wait, you have:) ). Otherwise, you're shots will look flat out of the camera. If they're not pin sharp, try a smaller apperture. Alot of auto settings use the largest possible apperture. Great for low light, but a shallow depth of field.
I'd also consider changing the White Balance. Outdoors, Cloudy will warm up your pictures alot. Auto leaves it unnaturally cold looking, with a very slight blue cast (I think anyway).