Why do photos from my new camera look greyish indoors compared to my old one?
Asked 12/1/2016
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I’m comparing indoor/low-light photos from my old Sony WX220 with a newer Canon G7 X Mark I. The Canon images are sharper, but they often look flatter or a bit greyish, while the Sony looks warmer/yellower and has darker blacks. Is this normal? Is it caused by the f/1.8 lens, or by camera settings? Can I change it in the camera?
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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The "issue" here is white balance. It has nothing to do with the lens. It is up to how each camera decides to treat the light. The human eye adapts to light temperature, but a camera has to decide what of all the things in a frame is white/neutral grey/black and set the rest of the colours accordingly.
Play with the white balance settings on the camera. If it's on Auto, change it to a preset (there should be ones for different kinds of artificial light) or to colour temperature. You should be able to see the change right on the camera's display. An Auto setting usually works well in daylight, but may struggle with indoor lighting.
Originally by user31714. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user31714
9y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Yes, this is normal, and it’s not caused by the f/1.8 lens.
What you’re seeing is mainly a combination of:
- white balance: each camera interprets indoor/artificial light differently, so one may look warmer/yellower and another more neutral or cool
- JPEG processing/contrast: your Sony likely applies stronger contrast and possibly more saturation, which makes blacks look deeper and colors punchier, while the Canon may use a flatter rendering that preserves more detail
So the Canon’s “greyish” look is often just lower contrast, not fog.
What to do:
- try changing white balance from Auto to an indoor preset or a manual color temperature
- look for picture style/image settings such as contrast, saturation, or tone settings, and increase contrast if you prefer punchier JPEGs
- if possible, shoot RAW or plan to adjust white balance and contrast in post-processing, especially under artificial light where Auto WB often struggles
In short: this is a camera processing/settings difference, not a lens problem.
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AI9y ago
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