EOS 2000D Blurry pictures as compared to my old Samsung Galaxy S9 phone

[v3anders]

I just got the entry level 2000D in preparation for taking a photography class. I gave it a test drive. I see that the pictures are blurry and fuzzy compared to old phone, which has half the pixels. Is this normal? or do I have a defective camera?

[Waddizzle]

Compare the Shutter Speed and Aperture Value settings.  The DSLR is using a very slow shutter speed.  The DSLR is also using narrow aperture setting, which is causing it to use a slow shutter speed to get a proper exposure.  

The camera does not always use the smartest settings when it is set to one of the automatic shooting modes.  Switch it to P mode.  Av mode might be even better to use.

[Tronhard]

You said you were getting this camera in anticipation of doing a course on photography.  Personally, I would hold your reservations until you have taken that photographic class.  You have a capable camera, but you have yet to learn the appropriate technique for using this technology.
If you want to prepare for your photography course, then I recommend spending a couple of hours watching a video by National Geographic photographer Chris Bray on You Tube: HERE 

[v3anders]

Waddizzle: Thanks, getting in AV mode, decreasing the aperture and increasing the ISO, I was able to take clearer pictures.

Tronhard: Thanks for the advice. So you are saying that it is normal for this camera to take bad pictures in fully automatic landscape mode, and that I need to complete the photography course and manually set the controls for each picture? I was hoping that the software in the camera would be better than that. 

[v3anders]

I also noted that it is not just Aperture and Shutter speed. I was able to make one of the pictures better in post processing.

Here is the picture taken with the camera:

With phone:

After post processing the camera picture, making the photo darker, adding contrast and detail enhancement:

[jrhoffman75 · Accepted solution]

I assume it is a typo, but the EXIF data says 2000D; you posted 4000D.

In P mode the camera should take very good images. But, modern smartphones are dealing in computerized photography, so they are doing a lot of processing to the image. Often that produces images that initially look great and are fine for Instagram and Facebook, but really aren't quality images that you would enlarge and place on your wall.

It's like the television wall in Best Buy or Wal-Mart. In the aisle the bright crisp model catches your eye, but look closely and its over-saturated  and  over sharpened. Tiring to the eyes in the long run.

The Landscape Picture Style favors smaller aperture for depth of field at the expense of a lower shutter speed since it assumes that the landscape is stationary. It also accentuates blues and greens since they are predominant colors in most landscapes.

Set the camera to Program mode and Standard Picture Style, Auto ISO, Evaluative Metering and One-Shot AF with a singe center focus point. Then go out and shoot. 

[Tronhard]

No, I am not saying that the camera is programmed to take bad pictures, but depending on the metering characteristics of each image, and they vary a lot, then the sensor can be fooled.  Hopefully, the point of the course is to take you away from P and Auto modes, and teach you to use the strengths of this type of camera, which are centred around your ability to control the camera not the camera to control you.
If you are going to live in P or Auto mode, then use a cell phone, they are usually better at that.  The other modes on the dial: Av, Tv and M are where this type of camera shine, because they let you control the camera and the creative processes.  However, to do so you need to learn the principles of exposure and composition, which is what a good photography course should do.

Modes like sport, landscape etc. make assumptions on your behalf to take what it thinks you want to achieve. When you get into your course you will learn about a thing called the exposure triangle: which is an interplay between what is in focus, how fast the shutter works and the sensitivity to light of the sensor.  When you chose landscape mode the camera assumed you wanted everything to be in focus, that meant that the camera made settings that biased towards things near and far being in focus, but at the expense of shutter speed.  If you were hand-holding the camera, the resultant very slow shutter speed would result in camera movement, which will give fuzzy results.

If you really want to prepare for your photography course, then I recommend spending a couple of hours watching a video by National Geographic photographer Chris Bray on You Tube: HERE 

[Waddizzle]

Whoa, slow down for a minute.  Do not jump to conclusions, yet.  Listen to Trevor.  There is a lot more going on here than you might realize.  Compared to using a Smartphone, using a DSLR is like driving an 16 gear tractor trailer compared to a mini-van.

One reason why the “Landscape” mode seemed to take blurry photos is because of the slower shutter speeds the camera chose.  Most of the blurriness is coming from camera shake from the way you’re holding the camera.  

That does not mean you’re holding the camera wrong.  At those shutter speeds, the slightest wobble or wiggle will blur the photo.  The camera probably assumes that you are using a tripod when you select Landscape mode, so camera shake does not factor into the equation.  

Your photography class should teach you how to best hold the camera to minimize camera shake, and why shutter speeds come into play when you are hand holding the camera.

TRY THIS!  Switch the camera back to Landscape mode.  Put the camera on a tripod, or on a stable surface.  Very carefully,, press the shutter without shaking the camera.  There is a built-in shutter delay timer in the camera, 2 or 10 seconds.  USE THAT to do this test.

[v3anders]

Thanks  jrhoffman75. Yes, it was a typo. I have a 2000D camera. I will try the P mode tomorrow, with your recommended settings.

I did zoom on the pictures I have taken, and the ones from the phone seemed to be clearer, and the ones from the camera too fuzzy. Hopefully, playing around with the P and AV modes, as you guys suggested, I will get better pictures. 

[Waddizzle]

NICE!

Do you know how to read the display inside of the camera viewfinder?  Do you know where to see Shutter Speed, Aperture Value, ISO Value, and most importantly Exposure Value?