I need help with XTi--bland, dim shots.

Joined: 08 Jun 2007 Posts: 6

Hi all,
I have the XTi with the 'standard' lens, the EFS 18-55mm that it came with. My issue is this: In general, if I use the full-auto mode in good daylight, the shots are not sharp and seem a bit underexposed.

Now, I know this is not a point-and-shoot snapshot camera, but I expected the 'full auto' mode to be a pretty good substitute--a quick and easy point and shoot mode for when you just want a quick picture. Then the 'creative zone' and 'basic zone' modes would apply to when you want to put more effort in and get more creative shots.

Anyway, I looked at some old test pics from my Elph SD-500, and I then went and shot identical pics with the XTi in Full auto. The old SD-500 pictures were amazingly clearer, brighter and sharper than those from the XTi. So I then tried the same subjects using every different mode on the XTi with all sorts of different exposure settings and lighting and I simply could not come up with shots as clear and perfect as the ones from the SD-500.

However...If I go into the software provided with the camera and adjust the sharpness, then I get closer (exposure is still iffy).

So what could be the problem? Am I expecting too much? Is that 'default lens' a piece of garbage? I can't adjust the sharpness in the Full Auto mode, though I can in the other modes. Does anyone have any helpful suggestions?
Thank you,
--Jim

Joined: 16 May 2006 Posts: 12

I just experienced the same thing with my XTi ( new last Xmas). I was not satisfied with the quality of shots in any mode. I exchanged the camera and I was even not satisfied with the second one.

I spoke to Canon Tech and they had me send in the camera. If you want t photos evaluated for sharpness, send in samples on a CD with the camera.

Detail exactly what you want them to check. The kit lens is so-so. I just purchased a 70-200mm zoom "L" series lenses. Still evaluating the lenses but I do know that the "L" series are the best. Good luck

Joined: 08 Jun 2007 Posts: 6

pilotboat,
Thanks for the confirmation--I was pretty sure it wasn't just me. I've scoured different photo sites and am seeing a fair amount of the same thing on the XTi. I think Canon went wrong somewhere with that model.

I returned it today, Best Buy took it back less about $100 restocking, so I look at that as a rental fee. One option I'm considering is an XT (the earlier 8 Mp unit) body only, then getting a 28-70 L series lens. It'll cost me a bit more, but I haven't heard as much flack about the XT as I have the XTi, so maybe it's just that the 8mp sensor is a better fit. Maybe the S5 IS, but I've read some negative about that as well, so I'll wait it out.

I still can't get over how that little SD 500 was so much better. I have many pictures from various Indy 500's with this thing--I'm sitting fairly high up, and when I crop the pics so the car fills the screen, it's still so crisp you can read even the smaller decals on the car--panned at 200 mph! All I wanted was a bit more zoom for events like this...my search continues.
--Jim

Joined: 16 May 2006 Posts: 12

The kit lens is not so hot. I think that the XTi is a great camera for an amatuer. Consider just the body of an XTi and a "L" series lens??

Joined: 08 Jun 2007 Posts: 6

Yeah, but I figured going down a notch on the body to the XT, since I could save a few hundred on the XT body over the XTi, which would help offset the price of the L series lens.

From what I've read, the lens is everything, but some of the issues I saw didn't seem to be lens-specific...I don't know, I'm just a bit snakebitten from the XTi. A buddy has the XT and his pics are crisp and clear--and I've definitely got more shuttersmarts than he does, though we're both amateurs.
--Jim

Joined: 08 Jun 2007 Posts: 6

Just to close to a resolution...This morning I picked up the Nikon D40X--the 10mp competitor to the Xti, and got the standard cheap, slow lens that came with it. I shot indoors, outdoors, did the same test subjects. Brilliant, sharp pictures, similar, even better crispness than the old SD500, but with the slightly higher detail due to the 10mp over the 7.1. I'm good to go.

Ironically, my purchase of that Elph SD-500 2 years ago was preceded by a short-lived purchase of the Nikon coolpix 7600, the 7mp competitor to the SD-500 at the time. That nikon exhibited the exact problems that the canon xti exibited--bland pics, iffy autofocus and exposure. I returned that nikon for the SD-500 and left with less an opinion of nikon and a glowing feeling and trust for Canon. Now the reverse has happened, and the lesson to me is that neither brand necessarily holds the rank as the clear best in any particular category, and any brand can have their lemons and/or qc issues.
--Jim

Joined: 16 May 2006 Posts: 12

I think cameras are like cars: some brands have problems while others of the same brand do not. Considering that all the new cameras are controlled by electronics, the human touch is involved.

Nikon is a great camera. I considered that brand while I was going thru my "problems" with the XTi.

In the future, if I feel the camera is not performing as it should, I won't hesitate to send it back to be examined by Canon. Dealing with the folks at Canon has always been a positive experience. tTey seem sincere in wanting to make things right. Good Luck.

Now you have to get a great lens to use and that will probably more difficult to decide on than the camera.

Joined: 13 Jun 2005 Posts: 564

Just curious....Is this your first DSLR ?...The reason I ask is because I see a LOT of these type threads posted by folks who are graduating from P&S cameras...While the lens you use will play an important part regarding image quality, getting to know the functions of a DSLR is even more so.....When I purchased my first DSLR, I, somehow, expected myself to be a better photographer...Sadly, that wasn't the case...Many first timers, myself included, say to themselves.."Oh great, I got a dud."....Some have their cameras 'checked out' to make sure it's functioning properly, only to find out that, in fact, it is....Sure, there is always a chance that you might get a lemon, but I'd guess 9 times out of 10, it is due to not being satisfied with kit lenses and unfamiliar territory that prompts this red flag....Now, this might not be the case with you, but I stumbled on a post just like the one I'm typing now and it forced me to look deeper into the manual to get better acquainted with my DSLR.....Just planting a seed here...If it helps someone, you're welcome. :)

Joined: 08 Jun 2007 Posts: 6

Zipster,
Yes, this is my first Digital SLR, but I'd used film SLR's for years, and I've used friends' DSLR's. Two people I know have the XT--the 8Mp predecessor to the XTi--and I've seen their snapshots. Just regular pictures of regular people in full auto mode, and they were very sharp and crisp. So were the pics from my powershot sd500, so I expected these to be at least as good, if not better, but certainly not a step down.

I don't believe the XTi is a bad camera, I think that mine simply may have had some settings that weren't correct from the factory, like those 'picture style' settings, which directly affect sharpness, contrast, etc. Or maybe the lens itself had some qc issues--the way that zoom barrel wobbled really bothered me--and I think if the glass is mis-aligned with the sensor then that alone could cause a whole gamut of sharpness and quality issues.

But all the settings I tried, including using the 'faithful' picture style, etc, and others--on a tripod with a well lit still subject, I couldn't get a reliably crisp, sharp picture. So the Nikon it was...and that was great right out of the box.

I think it's like pilotboat said--like cars. Maybe my XTi was made on a Monday (with short staff due to hangover weekend) or a Friday (with short staff due to early start of hangover weekend), or some other qc issue, because I know that Canon equipment is capable of producing stunning, no-brainer snapshots, as well as top-notch professional work.
--Jim