Loss of quality when image is imported to computer

[ronwet]

Why does the pictures loose so much in quality (details) when I import it to a computer.

I can see details clearly when zooming to maximum x8.0 in the picture stored in the camera, but the same picture stored in the computer is smeared when zooming to same detail.

The attaced file has visible details and the edge between the pupil and iris is well defined when looking in the camera display.

Does anyone have a sollution?

The camera is DSC-HX200V

Message was edited by: ronwet

Message was edited by: ronwet

[Mick2011]

Hi ronwet, welcome to the Sony Forums

Can you try to upload your image again? It doesn't seem to have worked.

Cheers

Mick

[ronwet]

Hi Mick

Picture now added, thanks.

[Mick2011]

Thanks, got it now

What you're seeing are the normal effects of noise reduction and jepeg compression in a photo with relatively low levels of light, or slightly under-exposed. You can't see this sort of artifacting on your camera screen because it's too small. There's no way I can think of that your computer would degrade an image simply by uploading it from the camera.

Could you possibly upload the whole of this image so I can perhaps check & see if there are other reasons it looks the way it does?

Cheers

Mick

[ronwet]

Hi Mick

I have attached the full picture to my first message.

[Mick2011]

Ok thanks

There's quite a bit of degradation to the image there, due to two of the factors I suspected (underexposure and rather dull lighting) but another couple of issues are apparent.

It also looks as if you may have used the digital zoom. While this is an extremely powerful feature for video footage, it will reduce the resolution of your still images and degrade overall image sharpness. Optical zoom (upto 30x on the HX200V) will use all of the sensor area to produce a full-resolution image; digital zoom on the other hand uses progressively fewer pixel sites on the sensor. It has the effect of increasing focal length (zoom factor) but because it uses less of the sensor it yields progressively less detail, all the way up to 60x magnification.

This effectively turns your 18MP camera into a sub-10MP one. As you can get the exact same zoom factor by shooting maximum (30x) optical zoom and enlarging the image on your computer monitor, it's really not worth using digital zoom for stills. However it's great for video, which uses far fewer pixels even at HD resolution.

The other issue here is camera shake, making the image slightly blurred. If you do shoot at very high zoom factors, you need some kind of support for the camera in order to stop blurring caused by tiny amounts of movement during the exposure. You can see this in the sort of 'wobbly' video typical of footage made at very high zoom factors. Blurring is exacerbated by low light, as the camera will try to use a longer exposure.

I hope that explains why things don't look tip-top in your photo. With some luck, bright sunlight and a little practice, the HX200V can and does produce very clear, sharp images of this kind of subject.

If you need any more advice, please feel free to ask.

Cheers

[ronwet]

Hi Mick

Thank you for very prompt replies.

The picture is taken in the morning sun with slight overcast which should be more than enough light for a normal picture.

It is not taken with digital zoom which I always have turned of the reasons you explain.

But I agree that maximum zoom will cause the camera to shake and therefore need a high shutter speed (and much light) or as you say some sort of camera support.

So the degradation in this case can only come from the shaking and of course the JPG compression which also is to blame for the smearing effect on many pictures. In other words the jpg file in my computer is identical to the one in my camera. 

The picture is taken in the "Intelligent auto adjust mode" which I thought would take the best possible picture, should I use another setting with more manual adjustments when in the future using maximum zoom?

[@7467472402026822]

Hi there. I also have a similar problem with JPG compression and was wondering if there is any way to save as a RAW file to get over the compression problem?

Many thanks,

ed

[Mick2011 · Accepted solution]

I would strongly recommend experimenting with the manual settings, yes. Intelligent auto is able to detect a number of typical shooting situations but it will always pay to detect those situations yourself.

In this case, I would choose Shutter priority – 'S' on the Mode dial – and keep the shutter speed at at least 250. In very good light it will pay you to dial in a smaller aperture.. f3.5 (lens wide open) will not be as sharp as f8, for example.. but you do need bright, frontal sunlight to get f8 at 250. It's also worth shooting at ISO400, for the minor trade-off in image quality (due to noise reduction) if it means a steadier shot due to higher shutter speeds. All of this can be selected using any of the P,A,S and M modes.

To answer Ed's question, the HX200V doesn't shoot raw; to overcome noise and compression artifacts, choose the maiximum quality settings and – again – try to shoot in good light. It's point that's too-often overlooked, but good images are much more dependant on good lighting than smart cameras.

Cheers

Mick