Why do photos from a newer DSLR look sharper than from an older one using the same lenses?
Asked 4/22/2013
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I’ve compared photos from my Canon 30D with photos from a friend’s Canon 600D, using the same lenses, and the 600D files consistently look sharper even when viewed at the same display size. The difference is especially obvious with a softer lens like a Tamron 70-300mm f/4-5.6, while it’s much smaller with a sharper lens like the Canon 70-200mm f/4L. With an older 50mm macro, the result is somewhere in between.
What camera-related factors could explain this? Is it mainly the newer sensor’s higher resolution, different in-camera sharpening, autofocus performance, or something like a weaker anti-aliasing filter?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
13y ago
2 Answers
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The higher-resolution is certainly going to make things sharper for one camera :) Even when scaled down, this still shows since the downscaled image of one camera is generated with much more data.
Differences between anti-alias filters are minuscule, so you can ignore them unless all else was equal, meaning you had a K-5 IIs and K-5 II or D800E and D800 side-by-side.
What is left, if this is not an issue of focus is internal processing. Most cameras can be set to a certain level of sharpness which makes a huge difference. Between models, defaults change and scales are meaningless (two cameras set to +2 does not mean the same sharpening is applied).
Originally by user1620. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user1620
13y ago
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Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Yes—newer DSLRs can produce images that appear sharper, but usually not because of a dramatically weaker AA filter. The most likely reasons are:
- Higher sensor resolution: A 600D captures more detail than a 30D, and even when the image is resized to the same viewing size, the extra sampled detail can make it look sharper.
- In-camera processing: JPEG sharpening defaults can vary a lot between camera models. If you’re comparing JPEGs, different sharpening settings may be a major factor.
- Autofocus differences: Better AF accuracy or lens/body communication can improve real-world sharpness, especially with some lenses.
- Lens quality still matters most: Your results support this—there’s less difference with the sharp 70-200mm f/4L, and more with the softer Tamron zoom.
So the sharper look is probably a combination of higher resolution, processing, and AF performance, with the lens remaining the biggest contributor. AA filter differences are usually minor unless you’re comparing nearly identical camera models designed specifically around that difference.
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