not sharp pics
Jul 7, 2012 20:24:49 #
when i do group shots of people they just dont seem sharp and clear. any ideas? i use a d7000 and the kit lens was used in the example i am posting.
Jul 7, 2012 20:25:30 #
i know i am supposed to focus on eyes but how do i do that with so many??
Jul 7, 2012 20:40:44 #
dblackard wrote:
when i do group shots of people they just dont seem sharp and clear. any ideas? i use a d7000 and the kit lens was used in the example i am posting.
Up your aperture to f8 to f10 focus on the 2 kissing, all should be in focus at 50mm
Jul 7, 2012 23:18:03 #
dblackard wrote:
when i do group shots of people they just dont seem sharp and clear. any ideas? i use a d7000 and the kit lens was used in the example i am posting.
You need to pay attention to your DOF (depth of field) which means in this case that you need to set your lens at a smaller aperture.
Use aperture priorty "A" instead of the "P" setting and fix the aperture at f/8 or f/11 which will give you 2' to 3' DOF at 12' with your kit lens set at 80mm (the subjects sharp/in focus and the background blurred/out of focus)
If your shutter speed is too low (below 1/100 or 1/125 sec) boost your ISO but be careful as higher ISO's soften images. The minimum shutter speed for hand held is 1/lens focal length. Use a tripod if possible.
Focus on the eyes or nose of the mid-group of the three layer pose. For real....focus 1/3 of the way into the group which in this pose is a nose in the mid-layer.
For DOF of different settings see:
http://www.dofmaster.com/doftable.html
Of course you could shoot in "M" manual mode but then if you were adept at that mode you would not be asking this question.
Hope that helps....happy shooting :thumbup:
Jul 7, 2012 23:42:22 #
Looks like you have plenty of DOF. With the D7000 and this scetup, I would use F11 and spot focus on the cheek of the female kissing, matrix metering would read the entire scene. That would make all the subjects in sharp focus but still leave the background somewhat out of focus. The 18-105mm lens has a 9 blade shutter and should leave a nice, soft bokeh that would center the viewers eyes on the familt group nicely.
Jul 7, 2012 23:57:18 #
Jul 8, 2012 00:06:21 #
Besides DOF, mid range aperture(s) are the sharpest.
Everyone in the picture is smooth skinned and somewhat monotone, sometimes people just don't look sharp. Didn't look like very contrasty lighting.
Often people like it better that way, soft.
Just FYI. When posting picture for any analysis/critique check the box 'save original . . '
Everyone in the picture is smooth skinned and somewhat monotone, sometimes people just don't look sharp. Didn't look like very contrasty lighting.
Often people like it better that way, soft.
Just FYI. When posting picture for any analysis/critique check the box 'save original . . '
Jul 8, 2012 05:51:21 #
Stopping the aperture down to get a greater depth of field is obviously good advice, but then you may need to watch out for camera shake, or movement in the subject. I know this to my cost.
I think that's a lovely photograph, by the way. :thumbup:
I think that's a lovely photograph, by the way. :thumbup:
Jul 8, 2012 07:23:13 #
All replies are good advice. A trick I use is to zoom in on the subject, focus at maximum zoom then zoom back to the required setting to take the photo.
Jul 8, 2012 09:48:39 #
It's a bit complicated but I just spent the weekend fine-tuning my lenses to my camera bodies. In my Nikon camera setup menu under AF fine-tune you can adjust each of your lenses for front-focus or back-focus variations with that particular camera body. I have six Nikkor lenses and three Nikon bodies. Calibrating each lens with each body took me two days but I'm retired and obsessed with tack-sharp.
Jul 8, 2012 14:31:22 #
dblackard wrote:
when i do group shots of people they just dont seem sharp and clear. any ideas? i use a d7000 and the kit lens was used in the example i am posting.
This photo is excellent as presented. On portraits a slightly softer focus is more pleasing. If its to sharp it can be harsh and not very flattering.
Jul 8, 2012 14:39:37 #
Also, the sweet spot for sharpness is usually 2-3 stops down from wide open. You limit sharpness, usually, by shooting in high f/stops, like 11, 16, and 22.
Jul 8, 2012 18:32:17 #
Jul 8, 2012 18:52:19 #
I'd like to know how anybody can give advise when the person asking the question didn't provide any image data to check out.
Jul 8, 2012 21:42:52 #
jeep_daddy wrote:
I'd like to know how anybody can give advise when the person asking the question didn't provide any image data to check out.
We take the OP at his word....the picture is soft or out of focus. We give standard advice on how to obtain a sharp picture in camera.
Revisiting my previous post I'd like to add the following:
Even if you follow the standard formula for getting your photo sharp in camera you may not be completely satisfied BUT..... you can add sharpness or the appearance of sharpness in post process.
I use PS CR and CS5 to post process all my photos. After adjusting color, contrast, exposure, clarity, vibrance, etc. and as a final step in my work flow I selectively sharpen each using unsharp mask and/or the high pass filter methods.
95+% of my photos (RAW format) are shot hand held at ISO 1600 or greater with no in-camera sharpening or noise reduction. The results can be seen on my Smug Mug site.
I agree with you that the OP should post the original so that advice specific to that image could be more easily given.
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