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How do you get it sharp
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Dec 8, 2016 04:38:07   #
stevenh0027 Loc: Melbourne Australia
 
Hi all,
I tried to take some photos of some buildings at night. I used a Canon 60d on a tripod. I set the mirror up and set the shutter release on a 2 min delay. I had the iso at 100 (to minimize noise). The lens is EF-S 18-135mm. Stabilisation was on.
Looking at the results there still seems to be camera movement (see attached).
To get it looking really sharp do you have to manipulate the image on the computer?

By the way the white wiry lines around the spires are birds hunting insects attracted by the light.


(Download)



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Dec 8, 2016 04:39:19   #
stevenh0027 Loc: Melbourne Australia
 
oops, shutter was 2 sec delay - not 2 min.

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Dec 8, 2016 04:47:21   #
Haydon
 
Focus with LiveView or learn hyperfocal focusing and turn image stabilization off if you are mounted on a tripod. Only a few lenses in Canon's lineup are tripod aware and will blur the image if left on. Your tripod is your image stabilizer in this case. You will have foliage blurring if there a slight wind with long exposures especially if you include them in the foreground. I'd also suggest you expose for the highlights when your performing night photography or you will have unrecoverable clipping.

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Dec 8, 2016 04:48:48   #
tradio Loc: Oxford, Ohio
 
You may want to turn the stabilization off while on a tripod.
Tripod needs to be capable of keeping camera stable.
Windy conditions can cause problems.
You may need to apply sharpening in PP.

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Dec 8, 2016 04:51:27   #
stevenh0027 Loc: Melbourne Australia
 
Thanks Hayon but please explain:
Why will turning off stabilisation help? I thought it's purpose was to minimise movement but if there is non why would it come into play.
I looked up hyperfocal focusing. on wikipedia. It explains it as focus on the nearest object at infinity so that all object further will also be in focus. Why will this help?

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Dec 8, 2016 04:52:22   #
stevenh0027 Loc: Melbourne Australia
 
Thanks Tradio.
There was only a very gentle breeze last night.

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Dec 8, 2016 05:01:09   #
Haydon
 
stevenh0027 wrote:
Thanks Hayon but please explain:
Why will turning off stabilisation help? I thought it's purpose was to minimise movement but if there is non why would it come into play.
I looked up hyperfocal focusing. on wikipedia. It explains it as focus on the nearest object at infinity so that all object further will also be in focus. Why will this help?


The IS is trying to compensate for a handheld shot and will induce blurring when their isn't any shake as a result.

http://digital-photography-school.com/image-stabilization-on-tripods/

Hyperfocal focusing allows you to include a very deep DOF in an image using lower FStops out to nearly to infinity. Landscape photographers use this technique frequently. It's also important because without an understanding of your current mm, you near and far in focus changes in distance.

Read up on and and if you own a smart phone, download DOF calculator. Many of them are free and will help you get that sharper shot if you understand the basic principle. Another quick way is to use a lowest focus point below center to achieve your focus and then take the image. It's not a perfect system but it does work.

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Dec 8, 2016 05:05:27   #
Pablo8 Loc: Nottingham UK.
 
stevenh0027 wrote:
Thanks Hayon but please explain:
Why will turning off stabilisation help? I thought it's purpose was to minimise movement but if there is non why would it come into play.
I looked up hyperfocal focusing. on wikipedia. It explains it as focus on the nearest object at infinity so that all object further will also be in focus. Why will this help?

***********************************************************************************
From my understanding of my lenses with IS/ OS ....There are lens elements in the make-up of the lens, which are designed to move/vibrate, to counteract any perceived movement of a hand held camera. If the camera is firmly stable on a tripod, and IS/ OS is switched ON, the lens elements still move /vibrate, but there is nothing to counteract. That will give you unsharp pictures. I have done tests, and the blurr does show.

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Dec 8, 2016 05:07:17   #
stevenh0027 Loc: Melbourne Australia
 
Thanks Haydon,
Can't wait to try this out but tonight it is blowing a gale and not very pleasant at all.

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Dec 8, 2016 05:09:48   #
stevenh0027 Loc: Melbourne Australia
 
Wow Pablo8 - great explanation.
This site/members are the best.

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Dec 8, 2016 05:10:08   #
Haydon
 
stevenh0027 wrote:
Thanks Haydon,
Can't wait to try this out but tonight it is blowing a gale and not very pleasant at all.


You're welcome Steven. Happy shooting sir!

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Dec 8, 2016 05:57:37   #
jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY
 
stevenh0027 wrote:
Hi all,
I tried to take some photos of some buildings at night. I used a Canon 60d on a tripod. I set the mirror up and set the shutter release on a 2 min delay. I had the iso at 100 (to minimize noise). The lens is EF-S 18-135mm. Stabilisation was on.
Looking at the results there still seems to be camera movement (see attached).
To get it looking really sharp do you have to manipulate the image on the computer?

By the way the white wiry lines around the spires are birds hunting insects attracted by the light.
Hi all, br I tried to take some photos of some bui... (show quote)


If you hadn't explained the birds, that might have turned into a lengthy discussion.

Did you just take a guess on that 2-second delay? I've seen articles comparing sharpness with different delays and exposure times.

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Dec 8, 2016 06:06:45   #
Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)
 
stevenh0027 wrote:
Hi all,
I tried to take some photos of some buildings at night. I used a Canon 60d on a tripod. I set the mirror up and set the shutter release on a 2 min delay. I had the iso at 100 (to minimize noise). The lens is EF-S 18-135mm. Stabilisation was on.
Looking at the results there still seems to be camera movement (see attached).
To get it looking really sharp do you have to manipulate the image on the computer?

By the way the white wiry lines around the spires are birds hunting insects attracted by the light.
Hi all, br I tried to take some photos of some bui... (show quote)


First a question - what tripod and head are you using?

This is what I see.

The only things that are showing evidence of movement are the highlights - basically your lights and brightly lit areas.

At F8 you have a hyperfocal distance of 65.5 ft, which means that you will be in "acceptable" focus from 33 ft to infinity. Your focus point was dead center in the image, which may have been somewhere near 65 ft away. It is shown by the red box in the attached image. I suggest you use the hyperfocal recommendations with a grain of salt. They make assumptions about what is acceptable sharpness is. Regardless, I don't think you have a depth of field issue. I can read the license plate on the white www.ridleyagriproducts.com.au car on the left, and the stars in the sky are points, and do not show movement. Looks like good DoF to my eyes, though I might have used F11 in this setting and focused on the stop sign, just to give me a little more DoF.

The bright areas are bright enough to begin to register on the sensor almost immediately, the other areas may take a few seconds. You used a 32 second exposure. I will take a guess that your movement started at the beginning of the exposure, and the darker areas (most of the image) were not sufficiently exposed in the first few seconds to show any movement, but once the camera settled down everything else recorded without movement.

I am going out on a limb, but I am pretty sure you're vibration is the result of either using an inadequate tripod or leaving the stabilization on.

Just because a tripod is sturdy enough to support, it doesn't necessarily mean that it will be rigid enough to stabilize. This is why tripod load ratings are worthless. If this scenario is at play, you are likely seeing the effects of shutter shock, which cannot be mechanically stabilized, and is a "feature" of all cameras with a moving shutter curtain. When you dissect what happens when you press the shutter, the very last thing that moves is the first curtain of the shutter, and it takes a very rigid tripod to adequately dampen this kind of movement, which happens pretty quickly with good gear. A two second delay, mirror lock up, remote shutter release,etc will not make up for a less than rigid tripod and head.

It is also possible that by leaving stabilization on you may have also introduced vibration. It senses camera movement and moves some "floating" lens elements to counteract this movement. It is responsive to coarse, low frequency/high amplitude movements, like when you are hand-holding. It is ineffectual at shutter speeds shorter than 1/500 (it can't sample movement and respond in that time interval) and will work fine to the longest shutter you can hand hold - I've held an 18mm lens stable to 1 sec, and a 600mm to 1/25 - but the keeper rate is pretty low. When you are on a tripod, there is no camera movement of the type it is designed to respond to, so it gets "confused" and tries to move on it's own. Also, stabilization needs to be stabilized. Sounds counter-intuitive, but stabilization is not instantaneous. When hand-holding you will get much more consistent results if you allow the stabilization system to settle down for a half-second or more by half-pressing the shutter before actually taking the shot.

What lens stabilization will not do is stabilize shutter shock - which is a low amplitude/high frequency vibration, which is why you need to turn it off when using a tripod. It is simply not sensitive enough to sense the movement or respond quickly enough to be of any value.

You can test both theories easily enough - try turning off stabilization first and take a shot with the 2 sec delay on. Then turn off the delay, place your left hand on the camera, and take a few shots, pressing the shutter button ever so gently. The left hand may be enough to dampen the shutter shock if it is indeed a contributing factor.

Then borrow a very sturdy tripod from someone. I mean really sturdy - like something you might use with a 600mm lens to keep it stable. Try the same drill above and review your results.

I am pretty sure it is the tripod, but it could be the stabilization being on. Anyway, post your results.


(Download)

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Dec 8, 2016 06:11:52   #
LFingar Loc: Claverack, NY
 
Try this:
Turn off stabilization.
Turn on Live View.
Continue to use 100 ISO.
Use the M setting. (Manual)
Set aperture to f/8 - f/11
Watching Live View run your shutter speed up or down till you see the exposure you want on the screen.
I generally use auto focus but you can enlarge your screen view to focus manually. Try it both ways.
Take the shot using your timer. A cable release along with the timer is handy. In Live View the mirror is already up so no need to worry about that.
Here are some shots I took using that method:
http://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-334650-1.html
Have fun and post some more shots!

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Dec 8, 2016 06:22:46   #
tusketwedge Loc: Nova Scotia Canada
 
stevenh0027 wrote:
Hi all,
I tried to take some photos of some buildings at night. I used a Canon 60d on a tripod. I set the mirror up and set the shutter release on a 2 min delay. I had the iso at 100 (to minimize noise). The lens is EF-S 18-135mm. Stabilisation was on.
Looking at the results there still seems to be camera movement (see attached).
To get it looking really sharp do you have to manipulate the image on the computer?

By the way the white wiry lines around the spires are birds hunting insects attracted by the light.
Hi all, br I tried to take some photos of some bui... (show quote)


After setting and composing of shot go to live view =manual mode =blow up the screen to the max and focus manually . It takes a little longer but the image will be sharp

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