Pin sharp images

rljutter

rljutter

Suspended / Banned
Messages
146
Name
Rich
Edit My Images
Yes
Hi very new and still getting use to my dslr, a canon 550d bought myself a couple of lens one of them being a Canon 70-200 f4.

In every image i take ( large jpg rather than Raw ) i dont seam to get pin sharp images, there good and clear to my eye but when i look on my desktop screen and view at actual size the images are never spot on.

A shot that i taken today was at f4 1/200th and iso160 using auto focus manual center focus point with partial metering mode. Focal length 163mm

Any ideas welcome or am i just being picky
6825663851_e1025864d2_b.jpg
 
It sounds like you are "pixel peeping" and expecting too much. Bare in mind that when you say you're zooming in to "actual size" you're looking at the rough equivalent of an A4 sized section cut out of a wall size print!

If you go for slightly faster shutter speeds (you've got a lot of leeway with the ISO sensitivity) to eliminate any possibility of camera shake/motion blur, sharpen your images a bit and don't pixel peep to much, you'll be fine. I always check my images at 100%, but as long as they are sharp at the size I will use them at they're fine to me, even if they could be a tad sharper at 100%.

And BTW, that shot looks crisp and clear on my screen at 1024px ;)
 
You're probably marginal on shutter speed there.

The general rule seems to be match your shutter speed to focal length but you'd need to allow for crop factor so you'd be looking for 1/250 or so as guideline but this is just based on Mr Average. Some will handhold at slower speeds, some will need much faster speeds. Given that you had bags of headroom on the ISO for this shot, I'd be tempted to work around 1/500 and see if that helps.
 
Thanks for the input, apart from maybe increasing the shutter speed because of the focal length and 1.6 crop, are my other setting ok ? .... i.e. autofocus, Af point selection Center, Metering mode Partial or would i be better with spot metering ?

Thanks
 
rljutter said:
Thanks for the input, apart from maybe increasing the shutter speed because of the focal length and 1.6 crop, are my other setting ok ? .... i.e. autofocus, Af point selection Center, Metering mode Partial or would i be better with spot metering ?

Thanks
Click to expand...

Try them and see for yourself Rich, nobody can give you a precise answer on that question as they cannot replicate the exact conditions that you would be taking the shot under. The 70-200 is a great lens and also works well with a 1.4 TC, dont look at things through a microscope just post your pics up once you are happy with them, and if something is not looking right then the Eagle Eyed members on here will soon let you know :D
 
I've tried them all and i cant tell the difference between any of them, and as i've proved i'm picky lol
 
rljutter said:
I've tried them all and i cant tell the difference between any of them, and as i've proved i'm picky lol
Click to expand...

They're all just different ways of achieving the same result. Nothing wrong with the settings you mentioned.
 
Well the exposure looks spot on and judging by the grass you nailed the focus too.

If you wanted you could probably a little bit of sharpening but it all looks fine to me.

Or as good as you will get with your camera's resolution.

And if the lens was the "L" glass lens you certainly won't really improve on that.

.
 
rljutter said:
I've tried them all and i cant tell the difference between any of them, and as i've proved i'm picky lol
Click to expand...

Within reason you probably wont notice a lot of difference with a shot like this one Rich no matter which metering method or focus point you use. If for example you were taking a picture of a bird or a small object against a strong backlit sky, or the subject was in amongst dark cover only then will these settings really come into play as you will need to understand what you are metering off of more. Take a look in the bird section Rich and you will see that there are probably more over and underexposed shots posted than in most other sections on TP.
 
Thanks all for the great advice, tips and tricks :)
 
O another note if i upgraded to a full frame sensor camera rather than a crop are my images gonna do what i think they will do ? ...... POP ?
 
Last edited:
rljutter said:
O another note if i upgraded to a full frame sensor camera rather than a crop are my images gonna do what i think they will do ? ...... POP ?
Click to expand...

I doubt it very much, you need to do yourself a favour Rich, get out there with your camera and learn as much as you can about it and take an interest with editing as well. It might be me, but lately there seems to be more and more people joining TP and wanting to run before they can walk. If you are serious about Photography then you could not do much better than posting pics on here for C&C, and listen to what a lot of experienced people on here have to say. If it means re-editing that same picture a dozen times untill you are told you got it right then stick with it :thumbs: Again there are those that put a picture up and as soon as it gets criticised they seem to walk away from the thread making no attempt to improve their work :shrug: totaly pointless imo Rich.
 
u8myufo said:
Try them and see for yourself Rich, nobody can give you a precise answer on that question as they cannot replicate the exact conditions that you would be taking the shot under. The 70-200 is a great lens and also works well with a 1.4 TC, dont look at things through a microscope just post your pics up once you are happy with them, and if something is not looking right then the Eagle Eyed members on here will soon let you know :D
Click to expand...

Eagled eyed but very helpfull
 
Shutter speed too low, suggest default ISO400 in this weather and don't be afraid to go higher.

Also the light is flat, as it always is on overcast days. A bit of sun brings out the contrast and enhances sharpness.
 
How much sharpening are you adding? Every digital photo, near enough, will benefit from sharpening. Shooting RAW or using jpeg compression will soften images, as can monitors or printers. And of course your lens may be out, but this is actually pretty rare. You can add `capture` sharpening, using the camera settings, or `output` sharpening, using processing software. Capture sharpening will apply the same amount to each file, which may or may not be a good idea, sharpening in pp means you sharpen each image on its merits.
 
I have a 550D and nearly all my shots are hand held, I shoot with my 55-250 even as low as 1/30 shutter hand held but I only get sharp images once I removed the uv filter. With the filter was a bit hit and miss. The faster the shutter speed the easier it is to capture sharp images, I tend to use 1/320 on a day like that when I photograph my kids running around the park, try using the pop-up flash as a fill in light as it helps give some contrast to the shot.
 
lucky_13 said:
I have a 550D and nearly all my shots are hand held, I shoot with my 55-250 even as low as 1/30 shutter hand held but I only get sharp images once I removed the uv filter. With the filter was a bit hit and miss. The faster the shutter speed the easier it is to capture sharp images, I tend to use 1/320 on a day like that when I photograph my kids running around the park, try using the pop-up flash as a fill in light as it helps give some contrast to the shot.
Click to expand...

Any cheap filter - polo or grad as well as uv - can affect the result, as can a cheap lens.
 
Last edited:
jon ryan said:
How much sharpening are you adding? Every digital photo, near enough, will benefit from sharpening. Shooting RAW or using jpeg compression will soften images, as can monitors or printers. And of course your lens may be out, but this is actually pretty rare. You can add `capture` sharpening, using the camera settings, or `output` sharpening, using processing software. Capture sharpening will apply the same amount to each file, which may or may not be a good idea, sharpening in pp means you sharpen each image on its merits.
Click to expand...

No sharpening or tweeking at all on that image just the Jpeg compression which is now, i believe, the cause of my loss of some sharpness + probably me pixel peeking. I Don't have any filters on the lens as yet as its new to me and havnt been shopping since, its a learning curve and a big one i'll be taking one step at a time :D
 
jon ryan said:
Any cheap filter - polo or grad as well as uv - can affect the result, as can a cheap lens.
Click to expand...

True about the filters. But not so true when it comes to the 55-250. Ok it's not gonna be as good as an L series lens but I'm happy with the IQ it gives and it's sharpness..
 
No, really sharpen last. Noise artifacts will become more prominently edged and difficult to remove if you sharpen them. Unless noise is part of the effect you're after, I'd suggest getting rid of them as the first step of pp.
 
jon ryan said:
How much sharpening are you adding? Every digital photo, near enough, will benefit from sharpening. Shooting RAW or using jpeg compression will soften images, as can monitors or printers. And of course your lens may be out, but this is actually pretty rare. You can add `capture` sharpening, using the camera settings, or `output` sharpening, using processing software. Capture sharpening will apply the same amount to each file, which may or may not be a good idea, sharpening in pp means you sharpen each image on its merits.
Click to expand...

rljutter said:
No sharpening or tweeking at all on that image just the Jpeg compression which is now, i believe, the cause of my loss of some sharpness + probably me pixel peeking. I Don't have any filters on the lens as yet as its new to me and havnt been shopping since, its a learning curve and a big one i'll be taking one step at a time :D
Click to expand...

As an experiment, pick half-a-dozen or so of your favorite shots and run then through some sharpening to see what happens. And it will pay you to have a look at the various methods of sharpening.

People who say they `do it all in the camera`usually produce images that could look much better if only they could be bothered to learn how. I take the best shot I can. Then I process the image to get the best possible end result. Processing is a vital part of photography.
 
Last edited:
My 70-200 f4 L gave me about the sharpest photos I've ever taken. Just make sure you have the lens hood on and any UV filter off and within a few weeks you'll be nailing the shot most of the time. The shot you posted doesn't look too soft to me though, so I wouldn't be unduly worried.
 
lucky_13 said:
but I only get sharp images once I removed the uv filter. With the filter was a bit hit and miss. The faster the shutter speed the easier it is to capture sharp images
Click to expand...

Interesting... I was using a uv filter as a permanent lens protector and it does seem that my images havent been as sharp - maybe since I put that on. Will remove and check out the next batch. Thanks for that.
 
rljutter said:
No sharpening or tweeking at all on that image just the Jpeg compression which is now, i believe, the cause of my loss of some sharpness + probably me pixel peeking. I Don't have any filters on the lens as yet as its new to me and havnt been shopping since, its a learning curve and a big one i'll be taking one step at a time :D
Click to expand...

JPEGging doesn't lose any sharpness, in fact it's the JPEG that adds it.

The compression is mathematical. No pixels are lost, no detail whatsoever.
 
u8myufo said:
I doubt it very much, you need to do yourself a favour Rich, get out there with your camera and learn as much as you can about it and take an interest with editing as well. It might be me, but lately there seems to be more and more people joining TP and wanting to run before they can walk. If you are serious about Photography then you could not do much better than posting pics on here for C&C, and listen to what a lot of experienced people on here have to say. If it means re-editing that same picture a dozen times untill you are told you got it right then stick with it :thumbs: Again there are those that put a picture up and as soon as it gets criticised they seem to walk away from the thread making no attempt to improve their work :shrug: totaly pointless imo Rich.
Click to expand...

Absolutely spot on! :plusone:
 
u8myufo said:
I doubt it very much, you need to do yourself a favour Rich, get out there with your camera and learn as much as you can about it and take an interest with editing as well. It might be me, but lately there seems to be more and more people joining TP and wanting to run before they can walk. If you are serious about Photography then you could not do much better than posting pics on here for C&C, and listen to what a lot of experienced people on here have to say. If it means re-editing that same picture a dozen times untill you are told you got it right then stick with it :thumbs: Again there are those that put a picture up and as soon as it gets criticised they seem to walk away from the thread making no attempt to improve their work :shrug: totaly pointless imo Rich.
Click to expand...

Very good post Rich.............:thumbs:
 
That's a pretty sharp image IMHO and a great starting point for some mild post processing. I'ld be happy with that.
 
The image looks sharp to me too. I haven't pixel-peeped at all but why would I, it's a picture on the internet, at the size it's displayed at it looks absolutely fine, I feel no need to get down to pixel level ;)

The only think I would add is to try and stick to native ISOs i.e. 100, 200, 400, 800 etc.

ISO160 is the camera effectively guessing the sensitivity and this has been known to increase noise in certain circumstances which could be perceived as a reduction in sharpness.
 
Yeah on the ISO160 i though it a bit different from the norm, i had the camera on TV let the camera sort the rest
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top