Both photos were taken with my D5100. Both were set on AUTO. The only difference is the top photo was taken with a Nikon L 1A filter.
I agree that the top photo "looks" better. There was no post-processing. I read that the L 1A can be left on the camera for general shooting. I thought it was kind of interesting.
If they were shot in auto, you may have 2 different exposures. Might be interesting to repeat with identical settings to make sure the comparison is on a level field.