New Canon 50d owner questions and concerns

About a month ago i purchased my first Canon DSLR which was the 50d kit with a 28-135 lens.
Ever since then Ive been trying to get used to the camera and figure it out.
Ive taken around 800 or more pics so far which all seem to come out pretty good , until i compare them to some of the pictures i see one the post your best 50d pics thread.

There are lots of setting and adjustments on the camera that i dont understand and think could be the cause of why my pictures arent as sharp as they should be.

I'm hoping someone on here knows why my pics arent coming out with as good quality as they should be.

BTW i do know how to take pictures and i'm no stranger to photography.
From i can see my pictures from my Sony Dsc-R1 seem to come out with better quality . Why is this?

Why don't you tell us what you are shooting, modes and such and post up some pics. do you shoot RAW and post process?

1. Post some sample.
2. Have you read the manual yet? i mean read in and out, front to back and repeat that cycle yet?

Youridin,

The pics posted here have undergone at least some degree of post-processing. Often, people who shoot jpegs adjust their picture style to boost things like sharpening, contrast, and saturation to suit their tastes. That can make a big difference. Your manual will spell out specifics.

Many here shoot in RAW and use their RAW developing software, such as the DPP program that came with your camera, to apply sharpening, contrast, detail and white balance with a bit more flexibility. Either way, you should be able to produce great results as you learn to tweak things.

Lens choice and shooting techniques will also go a long way toward creating superior images, but if your images are properly exposed and focus but just don't have the "pop" you desire, then the above is where to start!

Ok here is a picture i took with no editing done

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Skrim17 wrote in post #6531885
Why don't you tell us what you are shooting, modes and such and post up some pics. do you shoot RAW and post process?

I mostly shoot people

Ive never shot in raw

Since i got the 50d i've pretty much been shooting in Program AE mode

And i have been shooting in 15mp

I don't see any problems with the posted photo :S

what is ur problem exactly?

Posted photo looks good, at 1/60th you can get blur from camera shake.

sandro9mm wrote in post #6537163
I don't see any problems with the posted photo :S

what is ur problem exactly?

The problem is the pictures i take are coming out clear just not as clear as i think they should be.
I'm not sure what it is maybe the lens that i am using? But then i search photo posts with the same setup and the pics look much sharper and crisp then my results.

Like i said before my Sony dsc-R1 seem to be taking better pics and i know its nowhere near a better camera

I edited a copy of the posted image, didn't download a larger size. I think yours is better.

Photos that are shot in RAW can be tweaked with little to no image degradation, jpegs can't.

Youridin, your posted picture looks underexposed to me. If you wanted it to look like it was shot in a dark forest, you have what you want. To my eye it could be brighter.

Which is not surprising since your camera is set to -0.67 exposure compensation. If you set that to 0 you'll have a brighter pic.

If you wanted the exposure you got, never mind.

-js

Are you shooting raw? If so, raws by design don't look as good until some processing work is done.

You have a great camera, that is *capable* of taking great pictures, but ultimately it's the person holding the camera that determines the picture quality. But you're off to a good start by asking questions. Keep asking and read as much as you can.

Youridin,

You should know that unless you turn on "IMAGE EDITING OK" in your profile we aren't supposed to post editing help on an image of yours...forum rules.

I would strongly recommend you shoot in raw. You can make many changes in your photos in DPP and compensate for things like over/under exposure, sharpness, white balance etc. You have the power now with digital technology to see and tweek your photos right before your eyes so why not take advantage of it? Think of it as a digital darkroom. Try it out and you'll see what I mean. Shoot raw then load it in DPP if you have it and change the settings to best suit you. Once you are done there, bring it in PS and tweak a little bit more.


your image with basic levels adjustment, selective color adjustment and a final sharpen image (do this last to add a little sharpness because jpegs tends to get a little blurry with changes)

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