D3200 Screen Too Bright?

Hello,
I just bought a D3200 and very happy with it.
One thing I want to ask, I find that the screen is too bright, and does not reflect the true brightness of the subject I am shooting, even when i tune down the brightness of the screen in the settings. is this just me or is there a problem with the one that I have? The images on the computer is fine but when viewing them on the screen they are too bright.
I compared it to the D3000 and I am aware that the D3200 screen has better resolution but the brightness was alot more natural on the D3000.
So is it just me and the high brightness on the D3200 screen is normal?
Thanks in advance.
Mouthanna

Is the screen brighter than what you see through the viewfinder or brighter than what you see when the image is imported into a computer? If it's brighter than the viewfinder then what you're seeing is likely an overexposed image (it always looks like you want it to look through the viewfinder). Depending on how you have the metering set (spot, matrix, etc.) you may be inadvertantly overexposing. Switch to matrix mode, and if it's still "bright" then try setting your exposure compensation to a '-' value (start with -0.3 then -0.7, etc. until you get what you want). This setting may be subject dependent, or you may find that you want to leave it at a specific value for the lens you're using.

I believe they mentioned that they have turned down the brightness of the screen, but it then lacks the natural look of their old camera.

Hello,
Thanks for your replies, I am using the auto settings so can't change much when it comes to ISO or brightness of the images, shouldn't the camera be ready to shoot out of the box with the auto settings? I still get the pictures brighter than reality, any advice?
Thanks
Mouthanna

All's well if the images are ok on your monitor...Have a go at shooting in some of the other modes like Aperture & Shutter Priority..

Read the manual. The camera is ready to shoot out of the box, but it's not magic. You need to understand the various metering methods and choose the appropriate one. From there, if you're bent on shooting in full auto then at least read up on exposure compensation as it will allow you to darken the image in notches if you find it to be consistently too bright.

I have read the manual front to back twice and nothing I have tried can correct the auto setting, the modes can not be set in auto and everything is slightly brighter than natural.
I don't want to go in the manual photography yet, I rather concentrate on framing for now and more to manual later.
so what I find it strange is the fact that the camera is targeted for beginners and as advertised ready to shoot, but yet it requires so much work to fix the over-exposed auto setting, could it be that the camera is faulty?

I would need to see what you mean by "overexposed" to render any judgement, but I'd be willing to wager fairly enthusiastically that it's not a problem with the camera.

I today took pictures on auto mode in the park and uploaded the images to my computer, the green of the grass and the brown of the trees looks very nice on the computer but not on the camera's LCD screen, they looked brighter and not as colorful as on the computer
I obviously I need the screen to reflect what I am shooting and not think that the images are good or bad and then later discover otherwise when I put them in the computer, I am aware that I can shoot in raw and change everything later on the computer, but that is not something I want/have the time for it yet, and it is surprising that the camera is advertised as entry level camera and ready to shoot out of the box in auto mode.
So my question is, are all these D3200 cameras behave in this way or is it just mine? shouldn't the on-camera screen reflect real look of the pictures so the photographer can see what he/she is getting and not be surprised later infront of the computer?

Hi - I have read that this is normal with this model, mine is the same. The monitor picture is very saturated and bright out of the box and can be turned down as you say- I can only assume it is to make it easier to see in brighter conditions.

Many thanks for your reply Stusid,
So it's just something we have to live with? or have you found a way to make it look more natural?
How have you setup your screen brightness? 0 as default or -1?
Many thanks for your quick response.

(light bulb appears over my head)

Do you have the clear plastic protector on there? Technically that is designed for use when transporting the camera and is not meant to view your shots through. That was something I didn't learn for 9 months while looking through them on my D7000. I'm definitely the overcautious type and didn't like the idea of leaving the screen unprotected, so I purchased a clear glass protector for it made by Vello. This way if anything gets scratched to the point that it effects my ability to see what I shot I can simply replace that protector with a new one and not hang my head because my camera is ruined.

Before you invest in one, pop the plastic protector off and see if this improves things. And don't neglect checking the brightness level of your screen as well.

There is no way to adjust the screen apart form dimming it. I have done this by 1 stop and adjusted my computer monitor to match it as close as I can. It is over bright but then pc monitors can be set up incorrectly too ( as can printers) so it can be hit and miss getting good reproduction between all three unless you have calibration software etc.

Remember, you're dealing with a 3" monitor. I don't know that it's possible to precisely replicate there what you would see on a 16-21" monitor. You're shooting with low-to-mid end consumer model DSLR, so be happy that more money was put into the image capture than display for the $600 you probably paid for it. The idea is to give you a feel of what you captured. Learn to read the histograms if you want to know if your color levels are what you expected and if the image is under or overexposed. If you shoot RAW you'll be able to make corrections in the cases where it's not. The fact that the photos are looking good on your computer monitor is the important thing, because ultimately that's what you'll use to share those images with the world.

Many thanks for the many replies and advice,
Of course the 3' screen is for reference only and the what matters the most is that the pictures looks good on the computer, which they do.
My only concern with the camera screen is for when I am traveling and taking pictures, I might take pictures in places where I will never be able to return to, so it's important to know what I am shooting and what to expect when getting back home.
So is the end result that the screen will never give me accurate colors and brightness of the images? and I just have to keep taking pictures and praying for the best? I know that shooting in raw is the solution but as you all have guessed by now, I am a beginner and don't want to get into raw yet, I simple want to concentrate on framing and point-and-shoot photography for now.

If you're shooting RAW then the screen will give you it's view of the reference JPG generated from the RAW file - which is just a basic view of what you've capture. The histograms will give you the most accurate information regarding color and light, and the 24MP's you've got in that RAW file will allow you to bring them out in their full glory.

If you're shooting JPG then I would expect the monitor to be a little closer to WYSIWYG.

I know the frustration involved in shooting once-in-a-lifetime photos and not being totally sure. My foray into DSLR's corresponded with a trip to Yosemite. Know this, that a year later when I revisited those original RAW files (initially processed to great satisfaction in Photoshop Elements 9) using Lightroom 4, Nik Software and a year's additional processing experience I was amazed at how much more I could get out of those photos. The more you shoot the more you'll learn to be confident in what you're getting despite what you might see. I use my monitor to check composition and focus via the image, and the histograms to make sure that I've captured as much of the available light as possible. If I know I've got good focus, good (or fixable) composition and good light, I know that I'll be able to produce something I'm happy with.