Sharp Photos???

Docdpp · September 7, 2008

Hi,

I'm becoming obsessed with taking a SHARP photo. It seems no matter what I try my photos seem to be a little fuzzy. In some instances I can sharpen them to satisfaction in Photoshop, but they still don't look as clear as most I see posted on dgrin!

I shoot with a canon 40D and I have the following lenses:

Quantaray 18-200 3.5 -6.3
Canon 75-300 4 - 5.6 II
Sigma 170-500 5 - 6.3 APO

None of them have image stabalization.

Is it my lenses? Is it my technique? Do I have to use a tripod and shutter release to get great, sharp photos? Do I need a lens with image stabalization?

I'm thinking of buying a new lens perhaps a Canon 100-400 AS L.

Would that help?

I'm going crazy, I hope someone out there can give me some pointers. Any help will be greatly appreciated.

docdpp :scratch
www.pickensphotos.com

f-rider · September 7, 2008

I'm not a Canon shooter so I can't recommend lenses, but sharpness usually is a function of a given lens having a "sweet spot" at certain aperture. Also, prime lenses are considered to be, generally, sharper. This is not always true when you look at some of the really pricey zooms. For example, Nikon's 17-55, 2.8 zoom is considered one of the best, and sharpest, lenses in the Nikon line up, when the aperture is closed down. It retails for about $1200 which may be more than you paid for your camera.

Just my $.02

--Doug

Art Scott · September 7, 2008

Without seeing a sample or 2 with exif I do not think any one can gice a definative answer......
From my film days, Quantaray has never been know for great optics....cheap yes...but not really good.
If you are shooting strictly off hand and using poor technique, then this could be part or most of your problem

Take a subject of your interest and shoot it off a good solid tripod with your favorite lens using either a shutter release or self timer....see what the out come is........
My experience with I.S. is this......I have it built into my body so I do not have to purchase special lenses....aside from this....it is faster for me to tripod or monopod mount my cam and shoot off that solid base than it is for me to wait for the I.S. to take effect......so I do not rely on it any longer....I do not watch my indicator to tell me it is okay to shoot......
A good solid tripod is way cheaper than investing in several I.S. lenses.....I am not saying that they do not have their place and use....but since I grew up not knowing what it was I do not miss not using it or waiting for an indicator to tell me it is ok to shoot.....this has caused lost photos in the past for me......so now I find my right thumb sits atop the MF button a lot so I can instantly switch from auto to manual and get a shot I would otherwise miss waiting on AF and I.S. to acquire and stabilize and fire shutter........

I have been a Sigma user for many many years with Many different camera brands and all ofthose Sigma and my current line up of Sigma all produce excellent photos..........

You Canon lenses has had great write ups also....so I figure it is not the Canon or Sigma lenses giving you trouble.....

As I stated earlier Quantaray has never been known for really good lenses and most of the reviews in the past have all stated a bit of softness over all......but for a snap shooter they seem to work alright.....but obiviously you demand better that just ok and that is a good thing.

DISCLAIMER: ALL OF THE ABOVE IS STRICTLY MY OVRLY 'UMBLE OPINON AND TO BE TAKEN WITH LESS WEIGHT THAN A GRAIN OF SALT.....:D:D

Docdpp · September 8, 2008

Thanks for the comments.

I think I'll try the tripod/shutter release with all my lenses and compare to free hand shots. That should give me a pretty good idea of where the problem is. If I still have trouble I'll take some sample shots and include the exif file, once I figure out what that is and how to show it.

docdpp

LiquidAir · September 8, 2008

Docdpp wrote:

Thanks for the comments.

I think I'll try the tripod/shutter release with all my lenses and compare to free hand shots. That should give me a pretty good idea of where the problem is. If I still have trouble I'll take some sample shots and include the exif file, once I figure out what that is and how to show it.

docdpp

That sounds like a good idea.

One comment: I used to have the Canon 75-300 IS (not the same lens you have) and I was never happy with its sharpness. I upgraded to the Canon 70-300 IS and I am much happier.

Another thing you might do is pick up a 50/1.8 and compare its sharpness against your current stable under the comperable conditions. Stopped down a bit (say f/5.6), the 50/1.8 is extremely sharp and can serve as a reference point for judging both lenses and technique.

Cato · September 8, 2008

I'm not a Canon shooter, either, but a few thoughts, if I may...

1) Please post a couple of pics with exif.

2) Pixel-peeping (that is, looking at a photo at 100% magnification on your computer screen) leads many people to believe their photos aren't sharp. At 100%, many photos look blurry, splotchy and pixelated because... well, just because. It's the physics of the photosensor, basically.

3) Do you keep your shutter speed fairly high? There's a rule of thumb to keep your shutter speed at 1/(focal length) second. For example, say you are shooting with your Sigma at 500mm. Your shutter speed should be 1/500s or faster.

4) I took a peek at your gallery, and see there are quite a few non-sharp photos. It just does not seem like a lens issue to me - you should be able to get fairly sharp photos with any name-brand lens, especially in the middle zoom range and aperture.

5) Know the minimum focal distance of your lenses. If you have a lens that has a minimum focal distance of, say, 24 ", and you try to take a shot of something 22" away, the lens may still focus, but the image will be very soft.

Docdpp · September 8, 2008

Thanks Cato,

I excellent suggestions. Now if someone will tell me how to post the exif files.

docdpp

Cato · September 8, 2008

Docdpp wrote:

Thanks Cato,

I excellent suggestions. Now if someone will tell me how to post the exif files.

docdpp

I've noticed that when I upload .jpg's to DGrin from my PC, the exif info gets included with the file. You can upload the images via the "Manage Attachments" button. However, when I embed an image from my SmugMug gallery into a message here, there's no exif image available. There's probably a way to do it, I just haven't figured it out yet.

Of course, you could just post a photo and type out the exif. Something like:

f/8.0
ISO 200
1/300s
Focal length 200mm

Another thought has come to mind: I've been a DSLR user for less than a year - prior to that, I had a couple of point-n-shoots, and also a Fuji S6000 superzoom. Because the sensors in those cameras are so small, sometimes there is not all that much difference between the "in-focus" area and the out of focus area. As an example, suppose you are shooting a bird sitting on a tree branch, and the branch extends out towards you. With a non-DSLR, if you focus on the branch rather than the bird, there is a good chance the bird will still be in pretty good focus. With a DSLR, however, there is much better subject/background isolation, so if I were to do the same thing - focus on the branch rather than the bird - the bird would be a lot more dramatically out of focus, especially when using a larger aperture. I don't know if you migrated to a DSLR from a point-n-shoot like I did, but learnign to control and utilize DOF (depth of field) is still something I'm working on.

Here's a link on how to import images into DGrin: http://dgrin.smugmug.com/gallery/1083138

Docdpp · September 8, 2008

Thanks Cato,

I will take a couple of test shots and post them with the exif files so that perhaps you or others can help me to improve my fuzziness.

I'll work on it and get back with something soon. I'm at work without me camera gear right now.

docdpp

chuckinsocal · September 8, 2008

Here's the link to post your EXIF data:

{http://www.smugmug.com/photos/newexif.mg?ImageID=104246074&ImageKey=2sxSN}

Of Course, substitute your own photo ID info.

I had an sharpness issue with a lens I had bought recently so I took one of those file storage boxes you can get from Office Depot or similar. The box was white with black printing that was very sharp with sharp edges. I guess anything with known sharp edges could work.

I set the box about 30' from where I had my tripod set up and used my remote trigger to take shots of the box at various apertures and camera settings.

Since the printing on the box was known to be sharp, it was clear that the lens wasn't focusing properly or was defective in some way.

Just thought I'd pass the method on FWIW.

zacker · September 8, 2008

hows the shots exposure wise? if its dead on they will look better.. also, have you tried using a tripod? might help.... remember, under exposed shots look OOF and fuzzy.. I had the 75-300 IS also and sold it as it wasnt very sharp.. have you tried using a better lens like a macro? that will tell you if its you or the equipment... i suggest going down to your local cam store and seeing if they will let you strap a macro lens on and fire off a few test shots.

Docdpp · September 8, 2008

Thanks Chuck,

Another excellent idea. I'll try it as soon as I can get time. That's a great way to be very methodical about it.

docdpp

Docdpp · September 9, 2008

Another good idea, thanks Zach. I'll work on some test shots this weekend and post the results for crtique.

docdpp

zacker wrote:

hows the shots exposure wise? if its dead on they will look better.. also, have you tried using a tripod? might help.... remember, under exposed shots look OOF and fuzzy.. I had the 75-300 IS also and sold it as it wasnt very sharp.. have you tried using a better lens like a macro? that will tell you if its you or the equipment... i suggest going down to your local cam store and seeing if they will let you strap a macro lens on and fire off a few test shots.

Sharp Photos???

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