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Incorrect settings/faulty photographer or faulty lens?
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Nov 3, 2016 20:39:06   #
Annie B Loc: Maryland
 
Taking pictures with a Sony A6300 and a 16-70 f/4 and I'm trying to determine if this is a flawed lens, a "soft" characteristic of a zoom lens or the fault of the photographer. Seems I can't get a crisp shot from one end of his face to the other (right side of his face on the first pic is soft) I was aiming at his eye OR all over his face (left side in the second pic is not totally in focus) I was aiming just above his nose. What's the best aperture for a portrait if you want a super sharp picture or is this more pleasing? I've used the center focus and the "flexible spot" medium settings.

I know zooms are not known for producing ultra sharp pictures so to speak...Am I expecting too much?


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Nov 3, 2016 20:53:54   #
Rongnongno Loc: FL
 
POF and DOF, the lens is sharp.

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Nov 3, 2016 21:12:54   #
Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States
 
The depth of field in the second appears to be smaller than the first. Even the DOF in the first is not that large.

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Nov 3, 2016 21:16:21   #
Annie B Loc: Maryland
 
So if I change the aperture to say f/8 then his face should come into focus clearer but then I'll start to get little bits of the background in focus too? How do you balance the two?

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Nov 3, 2016 21:44:13   #
robertjerl Loc: Corona, California
 
Your aperture of f/5 is not enough for the DOF you need. Shutter speed is already low and ISO high so the best solution here is more light so you can get down to f/8 or even f/11. As close as you get for a head shot like this even f/11 might not get enough depth for the entire head. More light, flash or whatever, back off a bit (DOF will get deeper) lower ISO and faster shutter and crop to the head. Move his rest/perch out a bit more from the back ground and it should stay soft.

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Nov 3, 2016 22:47:22   #
ken_stern Loc: Yorba Linda, Ca
 
robertjerl wrote:
Your aperture of f/5 is not enough for the DOF you need. Shutter speed is already low and ISO high so the best solution here is more light so you can get down to f/8 or even f/11. As close as you get for a head shot like this even f/11 might not get enough depth for the entire head. More light, flash or whatever, back off a bit (DOF will get deeper) lower ISO and faster shutter and crop to the head. Move his rest/perch out a bit more from the back ground and it should stay soft.


I agree with most of this --- Are you using a tripod? I'll assume not --- If I'm reading the EXIF correctly your focal length is 105mm & I can't remember your exact shutter speed but memory tells me it was quite a bit below that & if so then camera shake comes into play ---- move the focal length down to 50/35 or a bit lower then use the same settings & I'll bet you end up with a much sharper photo --- Cheaper then buying a new lens

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Nov 3, 2016 23:40:47   #
RichardTaylor Loc: Sydney, Australia
 
error

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Nov 4, 2016 00:38:05   #
robertjerl Loc: Corona, California
 
ken_stern wrote:
I agree with most of this --- Are you using a tripod? I'll assume not --- If I'm reading the EXIF correctly your focal length is 105mm & I can't remember your exact shutter speed but memory tells me it was quite a bit below that & if so then camera shake comes into play ---- move the focal length down to 50/35 or a bit lower then use the same settings & I'll bet you end up with a much sharper photo --- Cheaper then buying a new lens


?????? Exif showing when I download = Sony 6300, 16-70 zoom @ 70, 1/30 @ f/5, ISO 3200 Where do you get 105 mm??

That is picture one, picture two shows no exif on my download.

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Nov 4, 2016 01:38:10   #
ken_stern Loc: Yorba Linda, Ca
 
robertjerl wrote:
?????? Exif showing when I download = Sony 6300, 16-70 zoom @ 70, 1/30 @ f/5, ISO 3200 Where do you get 105 mm??

That is picture one, picture two shows no exif on my download.


Ya your right --- 2nd photo ---- What I locked on was "Focal length in 35mm film" "105" --- However corrected I stand - BUT what I said the 1st time still holds true -- Hand holding a 70mm lens with a shutter speed of 1/30 will generally end up a tad fuzzy --- So either increase the shutter speed up to at least 1/70th or decrease the zoom down to say 30mm -- Or better yet put the whole damn thing on tripod

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Nov 4, 2016 02:03:32   #
rehess Loc: South Bend, Indiana, USA
 
Annie B wrote:
So if I change the aperture to say f/8 then his face should come into focus clearer but then I'll start to get little bits of the background in focus too? How do you balance the two?
In ye olde days, a decent lens would have DOF info included on the barrel; today, they make life harder for us ... but we didn't have the Internet back then, either. There are various DOF calculators on-line that you can use to try values. Here is one, for example
http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/dof-calculator.htm

Using the feline who has been coming between me and my screen as I try to respond to your query as a guide, I'm guessing that a 70mm lens would have put you within a couple of feet of the cat, which would give you only a couple of inches of DOF at best. while her (*) head is around 4" wide. The trick is to find an f-stop that will give you DOF greater than what of her (*) you're trying to photograph, and then move her (*) farther than that from the background.{although, I know from experience http://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-418957-2.html#7044096 that getting a cat where you want her (*) to be is sometimes easier said than done}

added comment: the black cat who made portrait-taking such a challenge in the link immediately above is also the one who made typing this response a challenge

incidentally, to my eyes, part of your cat is sharp, which would rule out motion blur as your problem

(*) my cats are female.

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Nov 4, 2016 08:13:16   #
rdubreuil Loc: Dummer, NH USA
 
I agree with Annie B, I'm ruling out motion blur as parts of the image are sharp on one side. The DOF or POF issues mentioned are less apt to be your issue. Note that a DOF and POF is are planes parallel to the camera sensor of given depth based on several factors, for example aperture and distance to the subject. The point being that the plane of focus and depth of field should be symmetrical across the image. In other words what's sharp on one side of the cat's face at the point of focus and depth of field should also be sharp on the opposite side of it's face. Look at both images and you can see that the images are only sharp on one side. To me this would suggest a decentered lens. To verify if that is the issue, setup on a tripod and shoot a flat target that is parallel to your camera, this will put the POF and DOF completely across the target. If one side is less sharp than the other, you've got a decentered lens and you'll have to send it out for repair and recalibration.

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Nov 4, 2016 08:46:56   #
rdubreuil Loc: Dummer, NH USA
 
rdubreuil wrote:
I agree with Annie B, I'm ruling out motion blur as parts of the image are sharp on one side. The DOF or POF issues mentioned are less apt to be your issue. Note that a DOF and POF is are planes parallel to the camera sensor of given depth based on several factors, for example aperture and distance to the subject. The point being that the plane of focus and depth of field should be symmetrical across the image. In other words what's sharp on one side of the cat's face at the point of focus and depth of field should also be sharp on the opposite side of it's face. Look at both images and you can see that the images are only sharp on one side. To me this would suggest a decentered lens. To verify if that is the issue, setup on a tripod and shoot a flat target that is parallel to your camera, this will put the POF and DOF completely across the target. If one side is less sharp than the other, you've got a decentered lens and you'll have to send it out for repair and recalibration.
I agree with Annie B, I'm ruling out motion blur a... (show quote)


Here's an example of what I'm talking about. This little green bug on some berries, note how the plane of focus/depth of field run parallel to the angle the insect was at to the sensor of the camera. You can clearly see the depth of field and that it runs clearly from on side of the bug through the upper berry to the other end of the bug. If one side of the image was out of focus along that plane moving across the image it would be due to a decentered lens, not the DOF/POF or motion blur.


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Nov 4, 2016 09:22:40   #
ole sarg Loc: south florida
 
To understand what is going on go to camerasim.com and work the simulations.

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Nov 4, 2016 09:23:07   #
TB4 Loc: TX
 
robertjerl wrote:
?????? Exif showing when I download = Sony 6300, 16-70 zoom @ 70, 1/30 @ f/5, ISO 3200 Where do you get 105 mm??

That is picture one, picture two shows no exif on my download.


Since the camera is a crop sensor the 70mm is equivalent to 1.5 times that on a full frame equaling 105.

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Nov 4, 2016 09:47:35   #
Armadillo Loc: Ventura, CA
 
Annie B wrote:
Taking pictures with a Sony A6300 and a 16-70 f/4 and I'm trying to determine if this is a flawed lens, a "soft" characteristic of a zoom lens or the fault of the photographer. Seems I can't get a crisp shot from one end of his face to the other (right side of his face on the first pic is soft) I was aiming at his eye OR all over his face (left side in the second pic is not totally in focus) I was aiming just above his nose. What's the best aperture for a portrait if you want a super sharp picture or is this more pleasing? I've used the center focus and the "flexible spot" medium settings.

I know zooms are not known for producing ultra sharp pictures so to speak...Am I expecting too much?
Taking pictures with a Sony A6300 and a 16-70 f/4 ... (show quote)


Annie B,

The Depth of Focus (DOF) is way too short to capture all the head in sharp focus, and your point of focus was not the best to select.

Try setting the Aperture to Aperture Priority (Manually set Aperture) to f/8.
For the focus set the camera to center spot focus, then when composing the next shot place the center square in the viewfinder over the cat's eye, depress the shutter halfway down, recompose the scene for the photo, and press the shutter all the way down to capture the photo.

Things to remember:
The longer the focal length of the lens the shorter the DOF.
The closer the camera is to the subject the shorter the DOF.
The only way to compensate for this is to increase the Aperture, manually, to f/8.

Even with a high Aperture value, f/11 - f/22, you may not have enough DOF to capture the entire face in sharp focus.
This is where you must select the important element of the scene to be in pin sharp focus.
With the camera set to "Center Spot" focusing, when you depress the shutter half way down it will lock the focus adjustment on the center spot of the viewfinder. Placing the center square over the Cat's eye will lock that element in sharp focus, moving the camera to recompose the frame will keep the focus locked until you depress the shutter all the way down.

Michael G

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