jennifer_henry

Hi, Thank you for the reply. I know you can edit .jpg files so what I was really asking was more along the lines of your second question. Or, at least whether it's possible to do a little more with them in Photoshop, which I haven't used in years. I got some nice photos at sunset but they are slightly soft & a few are darker/lighter than the "live" view was. I haven't kept up with Photoshop the last few years so wanted to know what sort of advances had been made. I do know it's far better to shoot Raw from the get-go! :)

Thank you again, everyone. I will see what I can do in Photoshop and Camera Raw!

Thank you for all the replies. I'm still learning the newer version of DPP but it doesn't seem to allow much control. I am being careful to make copies and I'm keeping the originals on the card so I can retrieve if needed. Il I find a few have highlight/shadow issues and I always think the .jpgs are a little soft. I always shoot Raw + .jpg, or at least Raw only. I must have changed it to save card space the last time I used the camera. I was really hoping to be able to play with the shot settings on a few of the photos. :( I will try with Photoshop & now that my computer is newer, I could explore Lightroom, too. Thanks again for the help! It's appreciated!

Hi, While on vacation recently, I accidentally shot in .jpeg instead of .jpeg + Raw like I normally do. The majority of photos are okay, but since most were sunset/sunrise photos and I didn't have a lot of time to play with settings while I was taking the photos, I am missing the ability to experiment more with highlights, shadows, etc., as you can with a Raw file. I don't do a lot of editing, and am still getting used to my year-old Rebel T6s and the newer version of DPP. I have used Photoshop in the distant past, but until a couple of months ago I had an ancient computer that wasn't compatible with the latest versions, and I haven't kept up with the latest advances. I was wondering if Photoshop had any capabilities to recover some details that DPP doesn't have? Or am I out of luck completely? Thanks in advance for any advice you can provide!

Thanks for the advice, Wouter! Very sound advice and I will do that! Merry Christmas and thank you for your help!

Thanks, Andrew, for your help! While I normally use a single auto focus point, I can't remember what was used for the first two shots. It was probably one of the auto settings but I will check with the software later on tonight or tomorrow. I do know that the group shot had all auto focus points available, but what concerned me most was that the three that are indicated as in focus when I review the shots in DPP were all on people, and I agree with you that the chairs on the right are most in focus. This is why I thought part of the problem could be attributed to an autofocus issue. IS and autofocus were definitely on and I haven't turned them off at all yet so that was another concern. Again, I'm in the shot and didn't take it so I am relying on what DPP shows me. In another shot that I did not post, again a small group in front of that shark tank window, the autofocus is on one person in the group but the person immediately to her right looked out of focus...I thought maybe that was due to the aperture setting but the 18-135 doesn't have a lot of choice at certain lengths, as with most zooms. I need to do more testing but it is concerning that my 18-55, 2008 kit lens seems to do a better job than the $399-$499 newer version of the 18-135mm. (With bundle it was about $200 and I was looking for an all-purpose lens for travel so I bought it instead of the body alone.) I loved my XSI and still have it. I was hoping to gain better performance in low light and a better LCD that allowed me to see mistakes more easily. I also dropped the XSI in May and got a bit of damage (it's useable but needs some repair) so I figured now was a good time to replace it. So far I am not sure that the low light performance is worth it...while I get the shot that maybe I wouldn't have before, it's not great except as a snap. The LCD is good but it is still hard to tell if a photo is soft or blurry on it; these looked good on thenLCD. I just wasn't expecting so many issues off the bat but I'm hoping to test it outside this week after Christmas and see how it performs. I should say I have a few very nice pictures from a Christmas outing taken on a date between the two groups of shots I posted here; however most have been disappointing. I'm hoping practice is all I need! Thank you again!

Thank you so much for looking at them. I forgot to mention slow shutter as a culprit; usually on some of the slower speeds I get at least one "keeper" with my old camera, but I do realize at the aquarium in particular the speeds were very slower. I was concerned but am relieved to think it is just me. Regarding the group shot, you are correct, the waiter who took it was quite a distance away; I suppose that would cause it to look so soft all over? I will continue to play around and definitely realize I need to test it under better conditions. However, although the aquarium shots were definitely challenging lighting, the Christmas tree shots had me even more concerned as they seem to be much less sharp than ones I would take under similar conditions with the old camera, though that camera didn't have ISO beyond 1600. Thank you again for your help!!! I appreciate it very much!

<p>PS - I don't think I linked correctly but all photos can be reached by clicking on my name and then going to the gallery. Sorry!</p>

<p>Hello,<br /> I'm not a total beginner, but you would never know that by the photos coming out of my new camera. I've shot with a Rebel XSI for several years. I have not shot as much in recent years so I do make plenty of errors when I try to remember how to get certain types of shots, however, I do know the basics of how to shoot in AV, P, TV, modes, etc. I recently upgraded to the 6s with an 18-135 lens, and the pictures seem very soft.<br /> <br /> I've been mostly playing with high ISO, which I know will produce noise, but I thought this camera would be better than my old one in low light. So far it's disappointing because all the photos are so soft. To add to the problem my old DPP software does not read the new Raw files, and my old computer will not run the new software, so I'm struggling with the new software, which I have to learn as the sharpening isn't just one slider, and my less-than-stellar work laptop if I shoot in raw.<br> <br /> Here's a few examples. Is it my settings - aperture too small to cause a blur? Is it just that the ISO is too high and this is the best it an do?(I know high ISO doesn't perform miracles)? Could my lens or autofocus not be performing correctly?<br> <br /> I will attempt to link to the five photos I have in my gallery.<br /> <br /> The first 2 photos were the first two shots taken (the two unlit Christmas trees). They are very soft. The third one seems better when sharpened all the way. <br /> http://www.photo.net/photo/18145672 http://www.photo.net/photo/18145674 http://www.photo.net/photo/18145675 http://www.photo.net/photo/18145676 http://www.photo.net/photo/18145677 <br /> The next two group photos are from a work Christmas party. Lighting was very tricky: darker room, against an a glass wall enclosing a shark tank at an aquarium. I'm in the larger group shot so didn't take it - a waiter did. I don't know why he didn't zoom in; I thought he knew how. However, despite several AF points being shown on the group I don't really see anything in focus - the whole shot is very soft.<br /> <br /> Any help would be appreciated. I'm continuing to play with it and hope to really work on it over Christmas, and test it under normal daylight conditions. If I want to return it I need to do so by Jan. 15 so I have limited time to decide. I also need to review the shots I took with my old 18-55 kit lens which performed very well for me on the XSI but won't be able to do that for a few days; I just took those shots last night. However, it seems to me that a 2015 camera should take better shots indoors than one from 2008 and that doesn't seem to be the case so far.</p> <p>Thank you!</p> <p> </p>

Thanks...good point; should probably get a new one. However if it happens to be a cheap fix, I could upgrade to something else in the future instead of buying another inexpensive lens. Plus my copy was really very good. Bummer. But the real question is the camera....haven't seen too many postings on it yet.