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?

[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. 

[jrhoffman75 · Accepted solution]

I did get the files this AM Valentin.

My assessment is that the statue images prior to file 348 show motion blur. In all cases the shutter speeds were at or below 1/focal length. You want to have the shutter speed to be equal or faster than 1/(2xfocal length). 

348 achieves that and the image is sharp. (FL=18; SS=1/40)

The field picture on the cellphone looks sharp, but most serious photographers will likely tell you it is over sharpened. Look at the halos around items like the power lines and even some of the grass blades. It's not realistic. But it depends on your use. If your end use is Instagram or Facebook posts (that's all my granddaughters use their images for) then it is fine and works. Even on a iPad it would look fine.

The rabbit was right on. 

No image is going to stand up to examining a small portion of the image. 

I don't think there is anything wrong with your camera, but Trevor's recommendation of trying a different lens is worth pursuing.

I also suggest you shoot in RAW and use the free Canon DPP software. DPP will utilize all the in-camera settings that the camera uses to create the JPEGs but you can more easily edit.

I mentioned in an earlier post (and it may have come across harsher than I intended) this camera may not be the best tool for your use case. I have friends who have switched from high end Canon cameras (5DIII and 7DII) to using iPhones for ease, weight reduction, and the amount of processing and customizing that can be achieved with apps. Their end use now is web posting and our camera club competitions with 1400x1050 pixels max.

[Tronhard · Accepted solution]

Hi again:
I just caught up on your interchange with John during my night.  He has given some well-considered and expressed analysis and advice.  I noticed one comment you made about the relative merits of the camera against a cell phone as regards aperture. 

The field picture on the cellphone looks sharp, but most serious photographers will likely tell you it is over sharpened. 

Yes, I was able to simulate what the cellphone did in post processing (test-244), but that is not the reason the cellphone picture is more in focus. It was able to take the picture at f/2.4, 1/593 and ISO-50, while the camera could only manage f/8, 1/80 and ISO-100.

Rather than send a lengthy explanation in this never-ending series of posts and replies, for mutual easy reference I am sending you an article I wrote that may explain why the numbers between your cell phone and the camera are so different and why all is not what it seems.

[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]

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:

[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?

[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. 

[Waddizzle]

I think both references might be correct.  The “DC” version of the lens seems to only be sold in Europe in 4000D camera kits for about 300 Euros.  The lens does not have IS.

[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. 

[jrhoffman75]

Can you post one or two of the images you are unhappy with to a Dropbox or One Drive folder so I can download them and examine them. 

[v3anders]

I played with the AV mode. The only way I could get a decent picture is not only setting the aperture to the lowest value possible with my camera (4.5), but also increasing the ISO to 400.  Increasing it to 800 made the picture too grainy.

ISO 200, AV 4.5, TV 1/30:

ISO 200, AV 5.6, TV 1/15:

ISO 200, AV 8.0, TV 1/8:

ISO 400, AV 4.5, TV 1/80:

ISO 800, AV 4.5, TV 1/80:

My lens does not have a image stabilization switch.

You can find the JPG files here:  https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1q7Gmb24qoacX-BdCjrM-IGNLYIKUilIb?usp=sharing

[jrhoffman75]

The address to the file link is being report as not valid.

Unless you are on a tripod 1/8 or 1/15 second without IS are going to be extremely difficult to avoid camera shake/motion blur.

[Tronhard]

What lens, or lenses are you using?  In your first post the EXIF data showed you were using the Canon EF-S 18-55 III lens, yet you say that your lens does not have an image stabilization switch, but this model does have image stabilization, so are you using more than one lens or is the lens faulty?