point n shoot vs DSLR

I have a Sony point n shoot and a Canon rebel XTi.
I have observed that in most cases. the pics taken by my Sony are better than the one taken by the XTi.

Now , I mostly do landscape photos and that is where the difference lies.
In indoor photos/dim light, the manual mode of XTi wins hands and legs down.

I'm just curious how the point n shoot models seem to give greater brightness to a scene and also seem to have better saturation as compared to the slr.

Has anyone else observed it? or am I missing something?

asty80 wrote in post #7026270
I'm just curious how the point n shoot models seem to give greater brightness to a scene and also seem to have better saturation as compared to the slr. ... am I missing something?

Yep, you're missing something, which is that digital images need processing. Now you can let the camera do it (the way your Sony P&S does) or you can do it yourself (by changing the settings in your dSLR or doing all of the post-processing yourself in a program like Photoshop), but all digital images need to be processed. Roughly translated, what you're really saying is: "I like the processing settings chosen for me by Sony better than I like the processing settings I've chosen for my dSLR" -- and you can change that!

asty80 wrote in post #7026270
I'm just curious how the point n shoot models seem to give greater brightness to a scene and also seem to have better saturation as compared to the slr.

Because you're probably not setting up & using your DSLR properly.

P&S are all full auto everything (ISO, SS, fstop) and some have IS (which is helpful in some situations).

I have honestly never used anything but Av, Tv, or M (or B, or C1, C2, C3) on any of my DSLRs, so I don't know how good the auto modes are versus a P&S.

In camera processing is hit or miss, I've made better RAWs w/o processing on my XTi/30D/5D2 than a P&S (Fuji F50d) jpg w/ in camera processing.

Print a couple of 11X14's and let us know which is better.

asty80 wrote in post #7026270
I have a Sony point n shoot and a Canon rebel XTi.
I have observed that in most cases. the pics taken by my Sony are better than the one taken by the XTi.

Now , I mostly do landscape photos and that is where the difference lies.
In indoor photos/dim light, the manual mode of XTi wins hands and legs down.

I'm just curious how the point n shoot models seem to give greater brightness to a scene and also seem to have better saturation as compared to the slr.

Has anyone else observed it? or am I missing something?

The P&S probably applies a lot of sharpening and saturation to the file when creating a jpeg. The dSLR default will generally be a lot less. This will make the P&S look better, especially when viewed on a monitor or medium print (or smaller).

If you want us to really help compare, post up some examples and we can tell you what we think is driving the difference.

Dennis_Hammer wrote in post #7026400
Print a couple of 11X14's and let us know which is better.

x2

DSLR's operate more quickly and decisively. Point and shoot cameras that depend on electronic viewfinders have shutter and framing lag that DSLR's don't. Otherwise, it's been demonstrated that there's no significant difference in real-world image qualitybetween the best of the two kinds of digital cameras.

Have you played around with the picture styles on your XTi? This here was done with the "landscape" picture style. I find it gives very vibrant colors- similar to that a Point and shoot might give.


(taken with 10-20mm lens)

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JeffreyG wrote in post #7026410
The P&S probably applies a lot of sharpening and saturation to the file when creating a jpeg. The dSLR default will generally be a lot less. This will make the P&S look better, especially when viewed on a monitor or medium print (or smaller).

I agree..Interesting, aint it!

DStanic wrote in post #7027098
Have you played around with the picture styles on your XTi? This here was done with the "landscape" picture style. I find it gives very vibrant colors- similar to that a Point and shoot might give.

Yes..the landscape mode on the xti though is not as good as the landscape on a sony p&s.
Though I wouldnt expect it to be..since slr is primarily for manual modes

Thanks for the comments, folks

Well, that's not true & a lot of people get by just fine on auto. But if you want to take control of what the cam is doing to get better results in borderline situations, manual modes are there to let you squeeze out everything that the cam is capable of.

Try ISO1600 on that PS, and then on the XTi.
Then get back to us.

You will get better pictures with your DSLR when you begin to understand all the things the P&S camera is doing to your image.
Processing your image is done well 'in-camera', it should be, the manufacture has spent loads of time and money to get pictures that average people find satisfactory.
As you use your DSLR, you'll find that You are more able to determine how the image should be processed to make it your photo.
Remember, the sensor is much smaller on a P&S, the processors are more focused on in-camera processing instead of recording the best image, the lenses are not the quality of good SLR lenses(let alone interchangeable).
Take time to learn your DSLR and you'll find that they indeed take better pictures.
Good Luck.

I just purchased my Canon 50D and I am having issues also. My old point and shoot took really good care of me, hopefully I will learn how to use this dSLR soon.

A P&S is designed for slow subjects in really good light and medium wide to medium telephoto lens, and the processing in-camera actually oversaturates the colors and oversharpens the images - but that's what people have come to expect. Where a P&S falls down is beyond that sweet spot; indoor light, wider angle, medium to long telephoto, and medium to fast moving subjects are all areas where P&S's fail miserably.