Hello friends. Its been a long while since my last post. In the meantime, I was bed-ridden with Typhoid and those who are unfortunate enough to suffer this horrible disease know fully well how weak it leaves you. It has been almost a month and yet I feel that I am not fully fit. But the show must go on and hence this post. Honestly speaking, I was kind of getting lost thinking about the subject of my next blog. Then one think stuck my mind, why not write about something which affects the quality of the image a great deal. You must have noticed one aspect in almost every pro level photo. They are sharp. Super sharp to be precise. Open up any fashion magazine and you will be amazed with the amount of sharpness and detail in the images there. Thats one of the key elements that differentiate between images taken by us amateurs and the professionals. Now of course they do not shoot with the likes of Nikon D3300 or Canon 750D with the 18-55 kit lenses, but still, if we keep some important things in mind, we too can take sharp images from the modest gears we own (ok, not as sharp as the Pros, but lot better than what we generally get).
Before going into our main discussion, I would just like to share a couple of thoughts. What is sharpness in an Image? I believe, by sharpness, it means that what is in focus in a particular image should be properly exposed, properly focused, minimal noise and most importantly, there should not be any blur caused by camera shakes. Of course there are exceptions where you would like to have blurry, noisy pictures to have certain artistic "feel" to it, but thats for some particular photos. In general you would like to get your subject clean and crisp in the final image.
That part being over, let us go straight to the point. How to get crisp, sharp images? Read on.
1. Focusing and Depth of field- Focusing does matter. More so when you are shooting portraits in a very shallow depth of field. In wider apertures your point of focus is crucial as the shallow depth of field will ruin your shot. One tip I would like to share here: While shooting portraits, focus at the eye. The whole face will be nice and sharp and you will get a nice bokeh. Similarly, while shooting landscapes, you should ideally shoot with narrow apertures like f11 or more. Then your DOF will be quite large and everything should be nice and sharp.
2. VR/VC/IS - VR/VC/IS etc are the various names for the same technology by different companies. This refers to the Image Stabilization system built in the camera body (In case of some manufacturers) or in the lens itself. It reduces the vibration caused when we take handheld pictures, and believe me, this does make a difference, more so when you are shooting at longish shutter speeds like 1/20 or less. Take two sample shots from your kit lens, one with the VR on and another with the VR off. You will see the difference yourself. So, whenever you are taking handheld shots, always switch on the VR. Also while buying new lenses, buy the VR version, wherever possible (read wherever the budget permits ;)
3. Shutter Speed: This one is a bit no brainer. The faster the shutter speed, the lesser the blur and sharper the image. So, while shooting in manual mode, always try to have a fast shutter speed and compensate that by opening up the aperture or cranking up the ISO (Of course this depends upon the conditions prevailing and the subject you are shooting)
4. ISO- Higher the ISO, more the noise in the picture. So shooting at the lowest ISO possible is always the best option, if you want less noise in your image. (I know this contradicts with the third point. But then you have to maintain a balance between these two factors, without going into extremes)
5. Use Tripod (or Monopod)- Use them wherever possible. They reduce the camera blur to a great extend and thereby, increases the sharpness of your images.
5. Good lenses- I know this one will pinch us, but believe me, image quality does depend upon the lens used, quite a lot. And while the kit lens that comes with the camera is good, its has its own limitations. Due to its variable aperture, the low light performance is not so good. Also the images it produces are not very sharp. My advice would be to invest in a couple of prime lenses (35mm f1.8 and 50mm f1.8 are two primes, which are excellent, very good low light performance and also do not cost much). They will vastly improve your images and to some extend, your photographic skills as well.
These were some general observations that anyone with reasonable photography experience can derive. Now I am sharing some finer points which I came across somewhere (I really don't remember the source, maybe it was some professional blog). Do keep in mind that the result of the following may not be obvious as the difference is very minute, but as you know, the professionals will not take even the minutest of chances when it comes to their images...
1. Mirror Lock up- If your camera offers this facility, use it after framing your shot and before taking the final image. The flipping up of the mirror causes very minor shake and by locking up the mirror, you can reduce that shake.
2. Use wireless remote or cable release or self timer- Even when the camera is mounted on a tripod, the pressing of the shutter button causes shakes. using Wireless remote/ cable release/ self timer will help to reduce that shake.
3.While using tripod, turn off the VR/IS- This one is a bit unique. While using a tripod, switch off the VR/IS. Thats becuase when you use tripod, there is actually no vibration and in such scenarios, the VR/IS system itself will bring some vibration.
4. Zoom in and check the images immediately after you take the picture- In the tiny little screen on the back of the camera, everything will look sharp even if they are not. So, after taking a shot, zoom in the maximum and check for any blur. If there is any, just delete the shot and take another (after all, that is the best advantage of the Digital system, isn't it?)
So, thats it. Do give these a try and see the difference. I hope this will help you in your photography. Happy Shooting. :)
Before going into our main discussion, I would just like to share a couple of thoughts. What is sharpness in an Image? I believe, by sharpness, it means that what is in focus in a particular image should be properly exposed, properly focused, minimal noise and most importantly, there should not be any blur caused by camera shakes. Of course there are exceptions where you would like to have blurry, noisy pictures to have certain artistic "feel" to it, but thats for some particular photos. In general you would like to get your subject clean and crisp in the final image.
That part being over, let us go straight to the point. How to get crisp, sharp images? Read on.
1. Focusing and Depth of field- Focusing does matter. More so when you are shooting portraits in a very shallow depth of field. In wider apertures your point of focus is crucial as the shallow depth of field will ruin your shot. One tip I would like to share here: While shooting portraits, focus at the eye. The whole face will be nice and sharp and you will get a nice bokeh. Similarly, while shooting landscapes, you should ideally shoot with narrow apertures like f11 or more. Then your DOF will be quite large and everything should be nice and sharp.
2. VR/VC/IS - VR/VC/IS etc are the various names for the same technology by different companies. This refers to the Image Stabilization system built in the camera body (In case of some manufacturers) or in the lens itself. It reduces the vibration caused when we take handheld pictures, and believe me, this does make a difference, more so when you are shooting at longish shutter speeds like 1/20 or less. Take two sample shots from your kit lens, one with the VR on and another with the VR off. You will see the difference yourself. So, whenever you are taking handheld shots, always switch on the VR. Also while buying new lenses, buy the VR version, wherever possible (read wherever the budget permits ;)
3. Shutter Speed: This one is a bit no brainer. The faster the shutter speed, the lesser the blur and sharper the image. So, while shooting in manual mode, always try to have a fast shutter speed and compensate that by opening up the aperture or cranking up the ISO (Of course this depends upon the conditions prevailing and the subject you are shooting)
4. ISO- Higher the ISO, more the noise in the picture. So shooting at the lowest ISO possible is always the best option, if you want less noise in your image. (I know this contradicts with the third point. But then you have to maintain a balance between these two factors, without going into extremes)
5. Use Tripod (or Monopod)- Use them wherever possible. They reduce the camera blur to a great extend and thereby, increases the sharpness of your images.
5. Good lenses- I know this one will pinch us, but believe me, image quality does depend upon the lens used, quite a lot. And while the kit lens that comes with the camera is good, its has its own limitations. Due to its variable aperture, the low light performance is not so good. Also the images it produces are not very sharp. My advice would be to invest in a couple of prime lenses (35mm f1.8 and 50mm f1.8 are two primes, which are excellent, very good low light performance and also do not cost much). They will vastly improve your images and to some extend, your photographic skills as well.
These were some general observations that anyone with reasonable photography experience can derive. Now I am sharing some finer points which I came across somewhere (I really don't remember the source, maybe it was some professional blog). Do keep in mind that the result of the following may not be obvious as the difference is very minute, but as you know, the professionals will not take even the minutest of chances when it comes to their images...
1. Mirror Lock up- If your camera offers this facility, use it after framing your shot and before taking the final image. The flipping up of the mirror causes very minor shake and by locking up the mirror, you can reduce that shake.
2. Use wireless remote or cable release or self timer- Even when the camera is mounted on a tripod, the pressing of the shutter button causes shakes. using Wireless remote/ cable release/ self timer will help to reduce that shake.
3.While using tripod, turn off the VR/IS- This one is a bit unique. While using a tripod, switch off the VR/IS. Thats becuase when you use tripod, there is actually no vibration and in such scenarios, the VR/IS system itself will bring some vibration.
4. Zoom in and check the images immediately after you take the picture- In the tiny little screen on the back of the camera, everything will look sharp even if they are not. So, after taking a shot, zoom in the maximum and check for any blur. If there is any, just delete the shot and take another (after all, that is the best advantage of the Digital system, isn't it?)
So, thats it. Do give these a try and see the difference. I hope this will help you in your photography. Happy Shooting. :)
I missed your posts. I know the aftermath of typhoid. Pray for a speedy recovery. Liked this post as usual. I guess sharpness depends a great extent to the lens. The kit lens 18-55mm is only of 9MP. So extreme care needs to be taken to obtain sharpness from that lens. I have the 50mm prime. It is my constant companion now. The kit lens now remains packed all the. Please check my flickr account which clearly explains the difference in sharpness of the images when it comes to the quality of the lenses! And once again recover quickly.
ReplyDeleteI missed your posts. I know the aftermath of typhoid. Pray for a speedy recovery. Liked this post as usual. I guess sharpness depends a great extent to the lens. The kit lens 18-55mm is only of 9MP. So extreme care needs to be taken to obtain sharpness from that lens. I have the 50mm prime. It is my constant companion now. The kit lens now remains packed all the. Please check my flickr account which clearly explains the difference in sharpness of the images when it comes to the quality of the lenses! And once again recover quickly.
ReplyDelete