Disappointed with EOS Rebel T7, issues with washed out, blurred images

[LarcR]

Just got a Rebel T7.  I knew it wasn't a professional camera, but expected it to produce better results than my Pixel 8 phone and old Canon SureShot A590.  At least in its auto modes, the T7 doesn't do as well as either.  Pictures at the L (large/fine) quality level look somewhat washed out.  Traffic moving at city speeds looks a bit blurred even in Sports mode, unlike showing no evidence of movement on my phone and old SureShot.  Haven't tried custom settings yet, but don't believe that should be necessary to get decent results.  I bought the T7 from a large and respected US new and used dealer that ships worldwide.  It and the usual kit lens had a Like New Minus rating.  The camera shutter number is apparently just over 6k.  I cleaned the lens before installing and followed manual instructions for setting up the camera and using it.  It and my SureShot have the same partial shutter button press for focus and then pressing fully to take the shot, so that's not the problem.  Any ideas?  Might I have received a problem T7 or is this typical?

[normadel]

Sounds  like you don't fully understand your new camera. 

The image quality level setting has nothing to do with "washed-out".  Cleaning the lens doesn't affect the issues you state. You should not be thinking about Custom settings until you understand all the normal settings. 

Have you reset the camera to factory default settings? Do it. Forget the Basic Zone modes. They're good for a snapshooter but you don't know what they are doing.  Set it on "P"(rogram) Mode and go out and take pictures in different light conditions. See if the camera is functional. If you want to stop moving action, use "T"(ime) mode and set an appropriate shutter speed. 

Have you downloaded the full User Guide from Canon?

There's a lot to learn. Start out with basics. Get a book on the T7....Amazon has lots. Don't be put off by the title of the "T7 Rebel For Dummies". It is highly informative and makes things more understandable than the factory Guide.

[stevet1]

LarcR,

In addition to the suggestions thar normadel offered you, there is another small adjustment you can try. By using the basic modes, I'm assuming that you are using Auto White Balance.

If you put your camera in one of the Creative Modes, like P as normadel suggested, try changing that to one of the the White Balance presets that Canon offers like Daylight if you are out shooting in the daytime. I know when I first got my camera, I was using Auto White Balance, and I always felt like my pictures were looking kind of "washed out".

Blurry subjects is usually the result of using a shutter speed that is too slow. Take a look at one of your traffic pictures where the cars are blurred. Hit your Info button and see what the shutter speed was. Now, go into your TV Mode and choose a shutter speed faster than the one that was used in your blurry shot. Try your shot again.

Steve Thomas

[kvbarkley]

Of course you have provided no images to look at. 
but make sure that your color space is set to sRGB. AdobeRGB can make images washed out if you don’t handle them correctly. 
How is the camera naming the files?

A reset will fix this, too. 

[Tintype_18]

I bought a T7 eight years ago upon advice of a professional photographer and writer. It is a great camera and does a lot for me. As mentioned, download the manual and start at the beginning with the schematic of the buttons, dials, etc. Then check the index for specific types of photos and settings. Good luck!

[SignifDigits]

While we're all conjecturing without enough information from the OP I will try one, as well.  You did not say if it was new or used.  If used you could be shooting using someone else's custom settings and a reset, as @normadel suggests should be your first step.  Even if new, it's not a bad idea.

Also, comparing phone pictures will often result in "better" pictures for the phone as most phones apply AI-based post processing to enhance the photo that you see.  Discrete cameras take accurate photos and leave the post-processing work and decisions up to you. 

For snapshots with consistently good and fast results good phone cameras are really hard to beat.  If that's all you want, that is.  You can believe whatever you want about "custom settings", etc., but just expecting to buy a camera that is more capable and sophisticated than the one on your phone and yet not having to learn anything more about it to get "better" results than you phone isn't a realistic expectation. 

Unless your camera is faulty (and if used, that is certainly possible) you should at the very least get equal or better results with it than your Sure Shot in the same modes side by side in the exact same environment.   I suggest that you try that after resetting your T7.  if you then still get worse results than the SureShot then, yes, perhaps your T7 is defective and you should reach out to the place where you purchased it for resolution.

Also, if you shoot RAW (which by your setting you are not), you should expect your image to look worse than your phone.  In RAW all of the information is there, but zero post-processing occurs.  Just mentioning it for you to know in case you go down that road.  I often shoot the same landscape with my camera and phone, and the phone photo looks better to start with, but the camera photo nearly always wins out in the end.

[LeeP]

You mention: "It and the usual kit lens had a Like New Minus rating."

So if it was "like new minus" why did the lens need cleaning? Secondly, how did you go about cleaning the lens?

[ebiggs1]

LarcR,

I don't know how much the somewhat confusing suggestions above are going to be but never dismiss the ability of a cell phone to make good images. They do and the newest iPhones do a really nice job. Any of the fully auto modes like 'Sports' should create as least as nice images as the phone does. The two are basically the same thing only your T7 has a much nicer lens which should get better results especially when conditions are not so normal. Which brings us the the advantage of a DSLR over a iPhone. It is the ability to adjust for the situation or conditions.

Next this is something nobody likes to hear but it must be said. Almost all blurry photos or out-of-focus images are user caused and not camera issues. "Traffic moving at city speeds looks a bit blurred even in Sports mode,...". A Rebel T7 is certainly capable of making a perfectly sharp photo under normal city conditions. And, if you don't look in the right place as to why it didn't, you won't find the cause.

Here is what I would do, fully reset the T7 to out of the box settings. You need to clear both the general camera settings and the custom functions. Now set the T7 to P mode. Set ISO to 200. Set WB to Auto WB. Set the lens to AF. Use One Shot and make sure no AF Servo functions are on. This is important that you use One Shot. 

Now go outside on a nice sunny day and take some random shots. All sorts of stuff but make sure some have vertical lines in them like a fence or trees etc. How do they look? If they are fine there isn't anything wrong with the T7 and your first experience has been corrected.

[LarcR]

I believe I understand the camera reasonably well since my old Canon SureShot A590 is set up very similarly and I've been getting good results from that for years.  As noted in my OP, "I followed manual instructions," so yes, I had downloaded the manual.  I did the reset per your suggestion, but am thinking the seller (KEH) had already done that.  It made no difference.

[ebiggs1]

" I cleaned the lens before installing ..."

I don't know what that means but it always scares me as to what was done. First never mess with the lens contacts. Unless there is a specific reason they do not require cleaning. Same for the camera contacts.

You might want to invest in an inexpensive protecto filter to avoid cleaning the front lens element. It is easy to destroy the lens coating if not done carefully with the correct products. Windex and a paper towel are not proper cleaning items.