what happened to my pics?

bradsperry · Jan 7, 2009

how's everybody doing?
i'm trying to figure out what happened to my pics. i've gone through my entire album collection and looked at pictures from 3 years back to present. the pictures from 1 yrs to 3 yrs back look fine, but the pics that i'm taking this year look different. almost pixelated or like they were taken with a camera phone.
i've bought new cards (sandisk extreme), had my sensor checked, reset my camera (in case i had it was way out of wack), double checked my formats .... i can't figure out what the deal is.
here are some pics of what i'm talkin about. they haven't been edited, they're just pics for examples. but, the lines just aren't crisp anymore and it's driving me nuts becuase some days the pics are fine .... other days the pictures look like poop.

1.

2.

any help with this would be great (unless somebody says "buy a new camera" ... lol).

Samanax · Jan 7, 2009

What camera are you using?

What image format are you using?

Are the images straight-out-of-camera or edited?

What image viewer are you using?

bradsperry · Jan 7, 2009

cannon eos rebel
L fine raw
photoshop elements

inTempus · Jan 7, 2009

If the two pictures are a comparison between what you think is a good one and a bad one, I don't see much of a quality difference other than perhaps lighting differences. I don't see any real noticeable differences in image quality.

bradsperry · Jan 7, 2009

the pics are unedited

bradsperry · Jan 7, 2009

tharmsen said:
If the two pictures are a comparison between what you think is a good one and a bad one, I don't see much of a quality difference other than perhaps lighting differences. I don't see any real noticeable differences in image quality.

these pics are from this year (not comparisons from earlier years). i'm not looking for c/c, these pics are unedited and nothing more than mementos for my family. i'm only trying to show how the pictures are not "crisp" anymore. they look like they were taken with a camera phone or something.

Samanax · Jan 7, 2009

You're using the original 6.3mp Canon EOS Digital Rebel? And what lens are you using? Were all the pictures taken with the same lens?

So it's not a problem with the old images degrading but that the newer pictures don't look as good as the original?

The two sample pictures are recent?

Post an older image from a year or two ago so we can compare the difference. Make sure the shooting specs are similar. Same lens too.

inTempus · Jan 7, 2009

I wasn't offering C&C, was asking a question about the quality of the images and if it was a comparison between two or if these are examples of ones you think are bad.

If this isn't a comparison, can you post one that's "sharp" to compare these against?

Images from a DSLR need to have sharpening done to them. If you're switching between JPG and RAW, the JPG's will likely have processing (sharpening) while RAW will not. Your lens has coatings which dull images a bit so if you aren't sharpening automatically in the camera, you'll have to do it manually after you move the RAW images to your PC.

pixeldawg · Jan 7, 2009

I have to agree that technically, these images look fine to me. "Crispness" is a very subjective term and can mean many things to many different people. Give us a more exact analysis of what you're seeing and we may be able to help you more. I'd also suggest that you make an image of a section of the photo at FULL RESOLUTION so that we can see exactly what you're seeing on your monitor. In PSE, bring the image up to full resolution, select a small area and "Copy", then open a new image file, paste and save as a JPEG and post it here.

I suspect that if pixelation is an issue, you may look at the RAW converter that you're using and ensure that you don't have the images preset for a lower resolution level. I know in full Photoshop, you can preset the resolution at the bottom of the RAW converter screen and unless you reset it, it will do all of your images with that same resolution level and size. Pixelation is ALWAYS a resolution issue, so if this doesn't work, ensure that your camera isn't set for low resolution RAW files.

Dubious Drewski · Jan 7, 2009

I'm also not seeing any problems with pixelation here. We need 100% crops of the images in question to really judge. Or better yet, two 100% crops; one from a "crisp" shot and one from one of these.

RebelTasha · Jan 7, 2009

If you notice a difference in the quality like you say and your settings are L fine.. (the pics don't look bad to me, but if you've seen much better indoor same lighting then so be it).. Perhaps your camera is coming to the end of it's life, the digital camera's don't necessarily last forever, I have had one that was great and then it just started deteriorating until I eventually replaced it, it was a p&s though not a DSLR...

bradsperry · Jan 7, 2009

Samanax said:
You're using the original 6.3mp Canon EOS Digital Rebel? And what lens are you using? Were all the pictures taken with the same lens?

So it's not a problem with the old images degrading but that the newer pictures don't look as good as the original?

The two sample pictures are recent?

Post an older image from a year or two ago so we can compare the difference. Make sure the shooting specs are similar. Same lens too.

rebel xt
sigma 10-20mm dcHSM
canon 580EX flash (fired up)
manual mode, iso100

no, i use different lenses at different times. but, now it seems that it doesn't matter which lens i choose. the pics look grainy.

well, the older pics are what i'm basing my opinions off of. the older pics still look fine (from a couple years back) ...... the newer pics (that i'm taking this year) just don't look as crisp or sharp as when i first started using my camera.

yes, these pics were taken in december

i wish i could post the older pics. they are on my home computer and i'm on my laptop (currently away from home).

bradsperry · Jan 7, 2009

Dubious Drewski said:
I'm also not seeing any problems with pixelation here. We need 100% crops of the images in question to really judge. Or better yet, two 100% crops; one from a "crisp" shot and one from one of these.

i might not be using the correct terminology. maybe 'grainy', would be a better term, i don't know. all i can tell you is the camera took decent pics at first and now the pics look different.... a difference like ... the difference of a pic from a dslr and a camera phone.
anywhooo, i'm away from the house right now (on a laptop). i'm not sure what you mean by 100% crop. as in you need 100% of the original pic or crop the original by 100%. the pics posted are unedited and uncroped. if i try and sharpen any pics in elements they look horrible. i'll post some pics when i get back home.

bradsperry · Jan 7, 2009

pixeldawg said:
I have to agree that technically, these images look fine to me. "Crispness" is a very subjective term and can mean many things to many different people. Give us a more exact analysis of what you're seeing and we may be able to help you more. I'd also suggest that you make an image of a section of the photo at FULL RESOLUTION so that we can see exactly what you're seeing on your monitor. .

i guess my definition of "crisp" is the fact that i'm not seeing definate seperation in colors anymore (in the eyes.. ie, from blue to white) it almost looks fuzzy. the hair looks wierd (i can tell it's hair, but there are no longer crisp definning lines in the hair anymore). even the edges on the face don't look crisp or defining..... lol ....... does this help or have i made things harder ... lol.

Samanax · Jan 7, 2009

As RebelTasha said, digital cameras won't last forever. I suspect that the CMOS sensor will eventually 'wear out'/degrade from use. Maybe this is what you're seeing.