DSC-HX20V images imported to pc look very underexposed

[nrsnrs]

DSC-HX20V images imported to pc look very underexposed and dull.  Image on camera screen looks good.

Is this normal for this camera

[ritasp]

Hi again

Thank you so much for your answer.

Today sun's been shining and I've made some new shots using the "intelligent autoadjustment"

http://www.flickr.com/photos/93987777@N07/

My question: are these pics, nr 001 - 003, as good as to be expected from this kind of camera, the HX20V?

Or have I had the misfortune to get a bad copy?

I'm quite happy with the middle of the pics but sides are blurry - are these pics as good as to be expected from this kind of camera?

(I've been using an old Canon EOS 20D the last few years - maybe that's why I got a bit disappointed with the Sony HX20V? I expected the pics to be "almost as good"...

Cheers

Rita

[blaireau_photo]

Hello Rita

Mick may or may not agree with me on this, but I think the slight blurring at the sides of the images is down to the fact that the camera is focusing on the subjects in the middle of the photos, meaning that others areas degrade slightly. In images 001-003, your furry friends are the centre of attention (and deservedly so :smileyhappy:) which means that while they appear in sharp focus, the other areas blur slightly to compensate. In this case, it is perfectly normal behaviour from the camera.

Thanks,

Simon

[Mick2011]

Yeah that sounds about right

Lenses are often developed to deliberately blur the background and this is most effective when the aperture is wide open. However image quality is not at its best at this setting; a smaller aperture will give better overall sharpness and less blurring, especially at the edges of the frame.

If you check your settings (on Flickr, they're listed under 'additional info' next to your photo) you'll see all of the shots are taken at f3.2 – this is the lens at its widest aperture setting. This is happening because you're using Intellligent Auto, which basically chooses the setting for you based on scene recognition software, and in this case it has – maybe correctly! – chosen a fast shutter speed and wide aperture for the shots of your dog.

You can probably get the camera to automatically close the lens down, assuming there's enough light, by using Program Auto instead. Better still, experiment with the Manual exposure settings; there's a good page on that in the online User Guide: http://esupport.sony.com/docs/dvimag/DSCHX20V_HX30_HX30V_guide/en/contents/02/03/05/05.html

The 20V will reward you with very respectable results if you practice shooting in different modes and learn how to get the best out of it. It's been designed with more than just the point-and-shoot photographer in mind and while it might not quite match a DSLR for image quality, you should be able to get pretty close.

Cheers

Mick