Coming from Canon - What's up with the Colors on the Nikons?
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Random Photographer
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Nikon top (dsc_xxxx), Canon (img_xxxx)bottom
The canon has a slighter reddish/brownish color to it when compared to the Nikon. That was close to how I saw it. This is with an M1 adjustment. Yet the Nikon seems to have a greenish hue/tint/cast to it. It is evident on my monitor (macbook, calibrated), LCDs on both cameras (shared memory card), and prints (though, i like the Nikon's prints better). It is even more evident without the M1 adjustment (will upload when I get more time)
And contrast isn't an issue. This is a discussion about the color. The canon was more contrasty, this can easily be done in the Nikon by adjusting the contrast in pic control. The color is something that I haven't been able to replicate.
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Random Photographer
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Here is the most informative and technical response I received, it confirms what I see in the 5200, last (3rd) chart.
Mako2011 wrote:Random Photographer wrote:
.... But one thing that I'm not able to get over is the color.
If you have seen any of the Matrix movies, you know what I'm talking about. Everything has a greenish cast to it. It's not that bad, but when I pull out the diminutive EOS M, the color reproduction is so much more accurate to what I see when compared to the Nikon.
The D3200 (your camera?) mean saturation is 105.6% or only 5.6% oversaturated. The average for consumer SLRs is closer to 10%. The EOS M has a mean saturation of 109.4% (9.4% oversaturated. In that regard the D3200 is a bit more accurate.
Average "delta-C", for the EOS M, color error after correction for saturation at base ISO is only 3.75, which is very good. Average "delta-C", for the D3200, color error of 4.81, overall hue accuracy is also better than average. The two cameras are pretty darn close, color accuracy wise.
View: original size
View: original size
From Imaging-Resource.
"In the diagrams above, the squares show the original color, and the circles show the color that the camera captured. More saturated colors are located toward the periphery of the graph. Hue changes as you travel around the center. Thus, hue-accurate, highly saturated colors appear as lines radiating from the center"
I sort of mediated it with the picture controls and white balance customizations, but haven't found a sweet spot.
Any of you guys have any special settings that work for you? Appreciate it.
If you use a color checker...you may find you're used to Canon's over saturation and may have biased your perception a bit.
-- show signature --
Mako, the OP is correct if talking about the D5200's default JPG rendering: it does push greens more than the Canons do, and more than the D3200 you presented does, enough for imaging-resource to make a specific comment about it:
View: gallery page
"Saturation. The Nikon D5200 pushes dark greens and blues by a moderate amount, but slightly undersaturates bright yellow, light green, and some cyans. Reds are also pushed a bit, but not as much as by most cameras. Overall saturation levels are good and remain fairly stable, climbing slightly as ISO increases. Mean saturation is 107.9% at base ISO, or 7.9% oversaturated. The average for consumer DSLRs is about 10% oversaturated, but 7.9% is closer to accurate, and it's easy to customize saturation to match your personal preference. Most consumer digital cameras produce color that's more highly saturated (more intense) than found in the original subjects. This is simply because most people like their color a bit brighter than life."
Nikon D5200 Review - Exposure
Using the color checker is the most straightforward way of adjusting JPG rendering to your taste. But the dark green-blue push seems to be typical of Nikon's JPGs.
Mako2011 wrote:Random Photographer wrote:
.... But one thing that I'm not able to get over is the color.
If you have seen any of the Matrix movies, you know what I'm talking about. Everything has a greenish cast to it. It's not that bad, but when I pull out the diminutive EOS M, the color reproduction is so much more accurate to what I see when compared to the Nikon.
The D3200 (your camera?) mean saturation is 105.6% or only 5.6% oversaturated. The average for consumer SLRs is closer to 10%. The EOS M has a mean saturation of 109.4% (9.4% oversaturated. In that regard the D3200 is a bit more accurate.
Average "delta-C", for the EOS M, color error after correction for saturation at base ISO is only 3.75, which is very good. Average "delta-C", for the D3200, color error of 4.81, overall hue accuracy is also better than average. The two cameras are pretty darn close, color accuracy wise.
From Imaging-Resource.
"In the diagrams above, the squares show the original color, and the circles show the color that the camera captured. More saturated colors are located toward the periphery of the graph. Hue changes as you travel around the center. Thus, hue-accurate, highly saturated colors appear as lines radiating from the center"
I sort of mediated it with the picture controls and white balance customizations, but haven't found a sweet spot.
Any of you guys have any special settings that work for you? Appreciate it.
If you use a color checker...you may find you're used to Canon's over saturation and may have biased your perception a bit.
-- show signature --
Mako, the OP is correct if talking about the D5200's default JPG rendering: it does push greens more than the Canons do, and more than the D3200 you presented does, enough for imaging-resource to make a specific comment about it:
"Saturation. The Nikon D5200 pushes dark greens and blues by a moderate amount, but slightly undersaturates bright yellow, light green, and some cyans. Reds are also pushed a bit, but not as much as by most cameras. Overall saturation levels are good and remain fairly stable, climbing slightly as ISO increases. Mean saturation is 107.9% at base ISO, or 7.9% oversaturated. The average for consumer DSLRs is about 10% oversaturated, but 7.9% is closer to accurate, and it's easy to customize saturation to match your personal preference. Most consumer digital cameras produce color that's more highly saturated (more intense) than found in the original subjects. This is simply because most people like their color a bit brighter than life."
Nikon D5200 Review - Exposure
Using the color checker is the most straightforward way of adjusting JPG rendering to your taste. But the dark green-blue push seems to be typical of Nikon's JPGs.
Fred Kingston_RIP
Senior Member
You're comparing JPG translations of RAW data between two different camera makers...
Have you taken pictures of a grey card with each camera???? and adjusted both to the grey cards?
Have you taken pictures of a grey card with each camera???? and adjusted both to the grey cards?
Random Photographer
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That's the point. I'm looking for settings that more/less make the Jpegs the same. I'm sure lightroom adjustments can do that, but I prefer in body processing for now. I'm not comparing to prove that one is better than the other. And no, don't have any, just standardized settings for both, with Nikon's semi adjusted, and shot in succession.
But a grey card is probably what I need!
What is this M1 adjustment? That isn't in the camera anywhere.
Check active D-lighting and the color space being used. Active D-Lighting can make things a bit weird.
They will never be the same. Each camera process' the images just that different enough that you need lightroom or an equivalent to make them look the same.
Random Photographer
New member
It's a white balance customization. Under auto, you can fine-tune it for color bia. There you can move it towards Amber Green Blue and Magenta. M1 is an adjustment down from default and is labelled 'M1' once you select it.
Look at the way the balance works. Yellow is across from Green and you said you like the yellowish look from canon better, add A2(Or some number there of) to balance out the green.
Fred Kingston_RIP
Senior Member
Get a grey card... You can setup a test bed using the grey card, and set the Nikon to the grey card... I'm guessing, I don't know about the Canons, but you should be able to set the Canon to the same grey card... and compare the JPGs you get from both... as was mentioned in the previous posts... the colors should be accurate, but each maker may adjust the saturation differently, and therefore the colors may "appear" different, although they really aren't...
If, after the grey card test, you still like the Canon saturation, you can adjust the color in the Nikon...
You can also adjust the colors by changing the "Set Picture Control" options on the "Shooting Menu"...
Random Photographer
New member
I'm afraid I'm out of my depth! Lol Sorry I can't be of any help. I'll leave it to you smart members to figure out! Lol
Haha, it's all good, I'm just a bit picky with everything. I should rename my self to OCD photographer! But I'll probably just leave everything at default. A lot of people don't have problems with theirs, I'll probably adjust in time
Random Photographer
New member
I'm pretty sure I mentioned that I adjusted it to A2 somewhere before. Nonetheless, its not the yellows, it's the lack of reds, setting it to M1 gets it close but it's a little too much. There are no finer adjustment possible, so I'll have to go into a computer to get what I'm looking for. But back to my curiosity, what settings do you guys use?
Fred Kingston_RIP
Senior Member
I shoot all RAW, and use LR for all post processing... I don't worry about settings in the camera... all I worry about is focus, and exposure...
Random Photographer
New member
I might end up doing the same. Is the 35 good for a walk around?
I use the Sigma more than I do the 35. The 35 is a nice little lens, but I prefer the flexibility of a zoom.
cybernick01
New member
To respond the OP, although it is completely subjective, I notice a canon photos seem more saturated than nikon ones, especially on landscapes. I guess you could replicate it... but it might not just be a uniform saturation in all channels.
AC016
Senior Member
As I am sure you have been told already, trying to duplicate what your Canon sensor spat out with your Nikon is a bit of a futile exercise. Why did you come over to Nikon? I am left scratching my head at why you would come over to Nikon expecting to get the same results as your Canon. Don't get me wrong, both companies make great cameras, but they will obviously produce different results. This could have easily been known by reading a few reviews. So I am curious as to why you want your "Canon" colors back? Perhaps go back to Canon? Anyhow, I would not be able to help you out since I don't own any Nikon gear anymore. All I can say is play around with your white balance settings, but don't expect do have your Nikon replicate your "Canon" colors.
It took me a while to get used to the colors that the Fuji X-Trans APS-C sensor produces, but I never tried to replicate what my Nikon gave me. I actually sat down and stared at one of my first pictures with the X-E1 for a good half hour. I just could not figure out what was bothering me. Then it hit me: it was the colors. They are certainly not bad, far from being so. Fuji produces awesome colors. Point is, I should not have expected Nikon colors from my Fuji.
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