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Question

Crisp, clean pictures - Canon Rebel T3i or Nikon D5100

Jun 25, 2011 2:38PM PDT

Hi everyone,

Would anyone be able to help me with this question? I have tried the Canon Rebel T3i and I like it fine. It takes clear, crisp and clean pictures and I like pretty much the way it handles. I am now trying the Nikon D5100 before making up my mind on an SLR. I do like the Nikon. It stamps the date on the pictures which I like and it has many scene options that the Rebel does not have. The only glitch so far that I see, and I may be very wrong here, is that I find that the pictures are not as clean, crisp and clear as the Rebel. I find them rather soft. What in your expert opinions is more important when purchasing an SLR for the first time, a camera that takes clean, crisp and clear pictures but doesn't stamp the date on the pictures and has less scene options to play with or a camera that does stamp the date on the pictures, has many scene options to play with but whose pictures are not as clean, as crisp or as clear? I would really appreciate an expert opinion on this.

I am anxiously awaiting your replies.

Thanks again,

JPLD

Discussion is locked

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Answer
Nikon D5100
Jun 25, 2011 2:57PM PDT

I do not own one, but from what I have heard from others and read in reviews is that Nikon's default settings for JPEG's are indeed soft. That can easily be adjusted through in-camera sharpening or with Photoshop. The bonus is the sensor of the D5100 is a bit better than the one in the T3i, so it can be used at high ISO more successfully...you can shoot in dimmer light with better image quality.

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Answer
How about the lens you are using
Jun 25, 2011 11:17PM PDT

You forgot to mention which lens you are using on each camera.
The lens has more to do with sharp and crisp than anything else.

Lenses range from budget to professional.

Regarding "date stamp":

Unless you are in the Real Estate business, law enforcement, or some other business that needs to have a Date stamp, you should not use the Date Stamp feature.

One day in the future you are going to want to remove that date from a picture.
You will find that you can not remove the date without altering the picture.
The date is part of the image.
Reprint the picture and you still get the date.

All digital cameras put the date and time inside the photo image.
There is EXIF data embedded in the photo file and it contains a lot of information about your image.
Most camera makers (Including Canon and Nikon) include software that lets you print a picture with date and/or time. The print program reads the date/time in the EXIF file and prints it on the face of the picture, if you want to do that. The good part is, you can reprint the picture without the date/time if you wish.

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Kit Lens
Jun 25, 2011 11:39PM PDT

@ snapshot2: I'd guess the OP is testing each camera with the kit lens, both 18-55mm stabilized, and evenly matched.