Canon 80d worse than Canon rebel t3i

[yteln]

Hi,

I just got a brand new Canon 80D and took some test shots on the exact same settings as my old T3i (f/stop, shutter speed, ISO but also all the other settings I could manually set.. white balance, focus mode, exposure comp, flash exposure comp, image effects, auto correct image brightness off, one shot AF, metering mode, etc.). Also swapped the lense so that it was the same on both.I set both cameras to take L + raw and am comparing jpegs. 

I'd expect 80d win this comparison but t3i produced much nicer, brighter images. Even when looking at just LCD screen I could immediately tell that t3i photos are brighter and better looking, but then downloaded it on PC and confirmed that as well.

How's that possible? Either I'm missing something or my new 80d doesn't function properly since it's obviously a much better camera and with the same settings should produce superior images.

Any ideas what I may be missing, any hidden setting which might be causing it or is there anything I can do to figure it out?

Regards

[RobertTheFat]

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@yteln wrote:

Hi,

I just got a brand new Canon 80D and took some test shots on the exact same settings as my old T3i (f/stop, shutter speed, ISO but also all the other settings I could manually set.. white balance, focus mode, exposure comp, flash exposure comp, image effects, auto correct image brightness off, one shot AF, metering mode, etc.). Also swapped the lense so that it was the same on both.I set both cameras to take L + raw and am comparing jpegs. 

I'd expect 80d win this comparison but t3i produced much nicer, brighter images. Even when looking at just LCD screen I could immediately tell that t3i photos are brighter and better looking, but then downloaded it on PC and confirmed that as well.

How's that possible? Either I'm missing something or my new 80d doesn't function properly since it's obviously a much better camera and with the same settings should produce superior images.

Any ideas what I may be missing, any hidden setting which might be causing it or is there anything I can do to figure it out?

Regards

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Which camera produces a more realistic image? I'm going to guess it's the 80D.

The 80D, a newer and more expensive camera, undoubtedly has a greater dynamic range than the T3i. Which means that a picture taken under normal lighting conditions will take up more of the dynamic range of the T3i than of the 80D. This is apt to make the highlights brighter, and the shadows dimmer, on the T3i. But it's really an artificial effect. You can choose to have the same effect on the 80D by turning up the brightness and contrast in post-processing, but what you're really doing is matching the artificiality of the T3i.

Also, you should be shooting in RAW mode on the 80D for best effect. (You should be shooting in RAW mode on the T3i as well, but it will probably make less difference there.)

Also note that when assessing the accuracy of an image, you can't always trust your lying eyes. The human eye-brain combination has an uncanny ability to project what it expects to see on a scene. A camera lacks that ability and has to show you what it actually saw, which may not be what you thought you saw.

[ebiggs1]

"The human eye-brain combination has an uncanny ability to project what it expects to see on a scene. A camera lacks that ability and has to show you what it actually saw, which may not be what you thought you saw."

This is so true.  It is a good idea to have two or more people look at the A-B comparisons. When I prepare wedding photos or Senior photos or any photos for sale, I always have at least three people look over the proofs before I do any printing or delivering to the client.

[Waddizzle]

Same settings?  Does that include downloading lens data into the 80D?  

Speaking of lens, what lens did you use?  A high resolution sensor can miss focus with lenses that are not all that sharp.  For example, zoom in on the image to 200%. Does it look soft?  That is almost what the camera is seeing to bring the image into focus.

Zooming to 100% means your monitor displays one image pixel per monitor pixel.  The 80D images should seem as if they are zoomed in deeper, because they are. The 24MP image from the 80D will need more display pixels than an 18MP image from a T3i.

As far as picture style, color and contrast intensity goes, the T3i is has more noise to hide than the 80D.  I suggest that you use a quality lens.  The EF-S 18-55mm IS STM lens that comes with some 80D camera kits is a pretty good lens when shooting with good light and low ISO.  

The EF-S 18-55mm lens that usually came in T3i camera kits was an older design.  The newer STM model runs circles around it.

[yteln]

Thank you for your replies, I used a prime EF lens 2.0/f1.4.

I guess there's just much more coming into "what image is better" than the first impression. Or maybe I expected too much out of 80d based on reviews.

Also one thing I can definitely agree with is that t3i is much more noise on higher ISO than 80d, however I rarely shoot over 400ISO.

I'll need to think whether I want to keep 80d or get something better. 

[Tronhard]

For what it's worth  I have two 80D's and they both function perfectly.  I also have the Canon 600D (the same as the T3i) while it is an excellent camera of its type and time,  the 80D renders better results. across the board.

It would be helpful if you could supply a photo of the same subject taken by each, along with the appropriate details so that we can appreciate your issue.

[Waddizzle]

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@yteln wrote:

Thank you for your replies, I used a prime EF lens 2.0/f1.4.

I guess there's just much more coming into "what image is better" than the first impression. Or maybe I expected too much out of 80d based on reviews.

Also one thing I can definitely agree with is that t3i is much more noise on higher ISO than 80d, however I rarely shoot over 400ISO.

I'll need to think whether I want to keep 80d or get something better. 

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I cannot tell what lens you are referencing.

Many shooters who move up to a camera body with much higher resolution than what they are accustomed to using are often disappointed with initial results.  Using a lens with a low resolution can result in soft images.  

Your technique on how you hold the camera becomes more acute.  A small camera shake with the T3i might effect 1-2 pixels.  That same amount of shake might effect 2-3 pixels in the 80D.  The 32MP 90D is getting similar complaints of soft images.

The observation that JPEG files are "baked" in different ways in different camera bodies is spot on.  Comparing JPEG files can be misleading.  Comparisons should be made with RAW files.

Finally, please post examples of the issues, along with the exposure settings.  Without seeing samples, this discussion is pretty pointless.  We have no idea what you are talking about, and no matter what you are told will change your opinions.

[wq9nsc]

When you state you are comparing jpg images, are you comparing the jpg produced by the cameras or are you comparing the jpg resulting from conversion from RAW in DPP since you state you are shooting L+ RAW?  For doing a critical comparison, I would use the RAW files into DPP. 

The brighter image could easily result from the jpg conversion used and/or you t3i may be slightly overexposing with the 80D producing results closer to the actual scene.  It is much like audio where properly set up higher end gear should provide an accurate reproduction of the source material while individual listeners may prefer greatly accentuated bass or other colorization not present in the source material.  Use the RAW output from your camera and adjust the RAW to JPG conversion parameters to provide the style that you prefer.

Rodger

[ebiggs1]

"...I could immediately tell that t3i photos are brighter and better looking, but then downloaded it on PC and confirmed that as well."

This is impossible if both cameras are exposing properly.  Brighter could be a result of your setting on the LCD screen or your monitor.  One very important thing you need to keep in mind, is all current and even recent DSLR's are very good.  The improvements are going to be slight.  Some people set their TV's to very vivid colors almost comic book levels but they think and to them the picture is great.  Is it accurate, well probably not.

As others have said you need to do comparisons done in Raw format. The same lens.  Converted in the same post editor and viewed on the same monitor. Not on two different camera backs for instance.

[Peter]

@yteln, would you like to share the raw files?