My Nikon D3200 photos look bland compared with Canon shots. Should I switch systems?
Asked 10/13/2016
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2 answers
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I recently bought a Nikon D3200 and feel disappointed with the colors and overall look of the JPEGs compared with photos from friends' Canon cameras. Using the same basic exposure settings doesn't seem to give me the same pleasing results.
Is this likely to be a Nikon-vs-Canon issue, or do I need to adjust in-camera image settings or my workflow? Should I consider switching to a Canon 1200D, or can I get better results from the D3200 with the right setup?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
9y ago
2 Answers
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Not for this reason, you shouldn't.
You say "The pictures come out so bland. But when I use the same settings on my friend's cameras, the pictures are so much better." Some settings, like Aperture, Shutter, and ISO, are camera fundamentals and won't be any different. But things like Color/Saturation/Contrast are in-camera post-processing options which won't mean the same thing between brands and which will have different defaults.
Try cranking up some of these settings to see if you prefer the results. Or, take photos from both in RAW format (CR2 or NEF, respectively) into a program like Lightroom (or Rawtherapee or Darktable, for free), and play around with different settings. Or, perhaps, take a few minutes to compare your results to the actual scene and think about your goals in photography — it may be that you actually come to prefer a more subdued look. None of this is "better" or "worse" — it's a matter of taste and opinion.
Originally by user1943. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user1943
9y ago
0
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Probably not for this reason alone. Aperture, shutter speed, and ISO are the same fundamentals on both cameras, but JPEG color, contrast, and saturation are heavily influenced by each brand’s default processing and picture-style settings.
On your D3200, try different Picture Control options and adjust contrast, saturation, and related settings. Re-reading that part of the manual is worthwhile. If you’re comparing cameras using their default JPEGs, you’re really comparing each camera’s built-in processing as much as the sensor.
A better test is to shoot RAW on both cameras and edit the files in software like Lightroom, RawTherapee, or Darktable. That lets you control the final look yourself and will show that your Nikon can produce excellent results.
So yes, you can likely get results you like with your current camera, but you may need to learn its image settings or do some post-processing instead of expecting the default JPEGs to match Canon’s look.
If you already know you strongly prefer a specific Canon body’s output and want that workflow, switching early is easier before buying more lenses. But “bland” photos alone usually point to settings and processing, not a fundamentally inferior camera.
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