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04/29/2007 08:52:23 PM · #26 |
Originally posted by nsoroma79:
Originally posted by BHuseman:
Looking at the full size of the wedding picture you posted I don't see a lot of fuzziness. In fact I think it has some sharp qualities to it.
So if every picture you take with your camera is fuzzy to you but not others, have you cinsidered another problem...your computer monitor??? |
No, I am saying that it's worse with natural light. As long as I have a flash, it's not too bad. |
You may have or don't have a problem with the camera or lens, I for one, do not see any fuzziness in this photo; in fact I am not sure how you get a fuzzy photo even if you wanted to.
You have shoot a photo against the main light source, and needed more aperture to get enough light to expose the faces enough, and this explains some of the dullness and lack of the color in your main subjects.
The varying complexion tones of the people are not helping either and are giving a general cold feel to a supposedly warm gathering; adding a negative feel to an overall not so powerful shot. However, I think this photo is pretty much salvageable and could yield very good results when printed.
Warm it a bit to give a good skin tone to the lady or the young guy on the left, darken it a bit, increase color saturation, create a new layer of it in Photoshop, blur the lower layer to say 85, lessen the opacity of the top layer to about 78, flatten the image, and then do auto contrast and try the print.
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04/29/2007 09:01:11 PM · #27 |
Here is one in the sun. this was a test shot, while I was waiting for the sun to go behind the clouds. Even in Full sun, it's still not sharp.
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04/29/2007 09:10:47 PM · #28 |
I downloaded the picture (too large...) and agree that it is not sharp. I'm not offering suggestions as to why, but rather questioning why you took this gig knowing that your camera is suspect - you said so yourself.
If you are going to accept assignments/freelance work, you HAVE to be sure of your gear (and have a backup).
Sorry to sound like a dink, but you basically admitted you caused this angst yourself by using gear that was questionable.
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04/29/2007 09:18:01 PM · #29 |
| I'm a newbie to SLR but thought I'd chime in. The first one is a little blurry: I think you need to move in closer and also use a tripod (did you use one?). The wedding photo and 2nd outdoor photo look fine as far as sharpness. JMHO :) |
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04/29/2007 09:20:30 PM · #30 |
I know, but I have been able to fix this problem in the past. This is the worst it has been. I didn't think anything of it, since I have heard from several D70 users that this is a common problem.
I don't know why it was so bad today... that is what I am trying to figure out so that I can fix it in time for the 5 other shoots I have this week.
I would use my other D70, but it seems to be having the same exact problem. I took it out and did test shots with both cameras... and it did the same thing.
I'm wondering if it could be the lens itself? Then again, my quantaray does the same thing?!?!?
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04/29/2007 09:25:36 PM · #31 |
This is probably going to sound like a dumb question, but do you have a lens hood on when shooting outside? I think  pcody might be on to something. Could be some flare is casting a haze over the image... |
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04/29/2007 09:40:56 PM · #32 |
Well I only saw the one photo of everyone by the tree. It looks okay. The resolution setting might be too low. The sky is overexposed but everyone is bright, did you use a flash? A little bit closer next time if your resolution is low. The guy on the left is leaning in to everyone like he thinks he won't make it into the picture. My mom always does that. lol. Don't worry about it though. Yes we all have to throw a fit but thats why everyone else is here to say hey calm down, and then some of us get more frustrated, but we all come back to reality and realize if we are so concerned with every little thing the next opportunity may not come so easily, blah blah blah, okay if that makes any sense.
Also I have taken overexposed images when some of the sky is over a lot of area in the photo it looks like there is a kind of fog. It is probably just some glare like they were saying previously. Try a polarizing filter.
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04/29/2007 09:44:58 PM · #33 |
Someone else mentioned the back light bleeding around your subjects creating flare/softness... I think that's your problem. Shoot away from the sun, and stop your lens down...
All that said, the original image doesn't look horrible...
The second one you posted with the sun above/behind you, it looks like you have too much light... as in overexposed. If you tweak the exposure down a bit the softness goes away...
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04/29/2007 09:46:05 PM · #34 |
Can't say as I can help with the technicals any more than what has
already been said, but I can help with that "after" part of it:
 -- to --> 
(The full resolution is in the mail)
Edit to add:
Stopping down and using the flash outdoors does wonders.
Experiment with the flash EV values too. I've used a fill flash
outdoors often and found it works well for getting a natural look.
Message edited by author 2007-04-29 21:58:42. |
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04/29/2007 09:52:59 PM · #35 |
Ditto the polarizer, and lens shade. I have a "Q" lens that I would probably never use. I also have a couple of Sigmas, both seem to work well. The Sigma 400mm f 5.6 tele however seems to give the exact same bluish cast to images that I use it for. I set a custom white balance with it on the camera before using it, and that solves the problem. If you can, try to borrow a Nikon ED lens and see how much the color and contrast will change.
When shooting outside and moving around, try using a good monopod. It will not only help with camera stability, but it will take the weight of the camera off your shoulders and hands between shots, making for more relaxed and easier shooting.
If the D70 has a custom white balance, try setting it with the lens that you are planning to use, in the light conditions that you will be shooting in.
I loaded the last pic posted to my PP program, and it cleaned right up and looked great. I warmed it a little, adjusted levels a little, and sharpened a little.
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04/29/2007 09:54:53 PM · #36 |
Originally posted by nsoroma79:
I know, but I have been able to fix this problem in the past. This is the worst it has been. I didn't think anything of it, since I have heard from several D70 users that this is a common problem.
I don't know why it was so bad today... that is what I am trying to figure out so that I can fix it in time for the 5 other shoots I have this week.
I would use my other D70, but it seems to be having the same exact problem. I took it out and did test shots with both cameras... and it did the same thing.
I'm wondering if it could be the lens itself? Then again, my quantaray does the same thing?!?!? |
Lets look at something, you have 2 cameras doing the same thing, your technique for shooting into the sun doesnt help things a bit, I'm guessing its underexposing because of metering which doesnt help, and honestly I wouldnt put too much faith in that Quantery lens as being a good determining factor on sharp photos. You need to fix the problems your creating with your technique then find out if the problems with your equipment are real or not.
MattO |
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04/29/2007 10:00:36 PM · #37 |
Originally posted by MattO:
Lets look at something, you have 2 cameras doing the same thing, your technique for shooting into the sun doesnt help things a bit, I'm guessing its underexposing because of metering which doesnt help, and honestly I wouldnt put too much faith in that Quantery lens as being a good determining factor on sharp photos. You need to fix the problems your creating with your technique then find out if the problems with your equipment are real or not.
MattO |
I guess what I'm not understanding is, how it is so off in natural light? Even full sun. If there is flash, it's not too bad. Natural light is the problem. If it is something I am doing, then I need to figure out what it is... I just need to understand why it is this one way and not the other.
Oh, and there was a polarizing filter on the lens. :)
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04/29/2007 10:04:41 PM · #38 |
I think the primary issue is lighting. The shots with a flash are lit well, but this one is shot almost directly into the sun. When doing that, you have to make sure to aim far enough away from the sun (and use a lens hood, as others have mentioned), or your subject will be underexposed, undercontrasted and have fringing and the sky will be blown out. If you like those outdoors backlit shots, use a large reflector or a strobe/flash to light your subject. If you meter off the sky and then set the flash to TTL, you should get better exposures.
Edit to add that it looks like you shot the playground photo when the sun was at almost its highest point in the sky. Those 12:00 shadows are almost impossible to correct nicely. Try shooting when the sun is lower on the horizon.
Message edited by author 2007-04-29 22:09:45.
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04/29/2007 10:06:17 PM · #39 |
Originally posted by nsoroma79:
Originally posted by MattO:
Lets look at something, you have 2 cameras doing the same thing, your technique for shooting into the sun doesnt help things a bit, I'm guessing its underexposing because of metering which doesnt help, and honestly I wouldnt put too much faith in that Quantery lens as being a good determining factor on sharp photos. You need to fix the problems your creating with your technique then find out if the problems with your equipment are real or not.
MattO |
I guess what I'm not understanding is, how it is so off in natural light? Even full sun. If there is flash, it's not too bad. Natural light is the problem. If it is something I am doing, then I need to figure out what it is... I just need to understand why it is this one way and not the other.
Oh, and there was a polarizing filter on the lens. :) |
Just having a polarizer on wont always be the fix, was there a hood on it? Is this a quality polarizer? Some cheaper filters actually hurt you more then help you. I've used a cheaper polarizer that really killed some photos and actually caused noise in the blue channel of my photos. What mode were you shooting in? If your photo in the studio with flash are good with the same lens, then it has to be something in your technique or other things added that are causing your problem. Do you shoot from a tripod in the studio and handheld outside? If so take some test shots with natural light using your tripod outside. Change things one at a time and find the cause then toss that out and enjoy it.
MattO |
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04/29/2007 10:12:29 PM · #40 |
If the PL filter is the problem, then that might explain why the shots are more often bad outdoors in natural light, because that's when you use the polariser. Is it a good PL filter, or a cheapie?
Also, might I suggest posting 100% crops of the problem areas. I downloaded the first image, but I won't download any more of the full images.
Here's a quick edit of part of the first image, shown at 100% crop, with USM, curve adjustment to deepen the shadows, colour balance to push the reds, some noise reduction, and a final sharping. I deliberately have not pushed the sharping too much, to minimise the noise, but also to keep it looking slightly natural, rather than the high sharpened pop for a final image.
Also, it might be worth checking whether you are confusing sharpness with contrast. Sometimes a low contrast image (from glare, bad filters, bright light) can look less sharp, but they are two different things. Sharpness can only be seen at 100% crop, whereas contrast is an overall image issue, that can make the image less distinct looking, but can still be seen on a reduced size image. After everyone's comments, and edits, do you still think sharpness is the problem, or is it contrast and colour?
Message edited by author 2007-04-29 22:26:47. |
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04/29/2007 10:38:40 PM · #41 |
The biggest issue is that you are using a sub-par lens outside of it's sweat spot and putting on a degrading piece of glass (the polorizer) in front of that. No wonder you get images that look soft. It also looks like you might have a focus point issue as well. Do you know which point your camera focused on when you took these pictures? In addition, throw in the fact you are also getting lens flare from how you are positioning everyone in the natural light and it makes everything worse.
The reason you don't have this problem when taking flash pictures is that your light is behind the lens and you are probably shooting at f8 (which is closer to the sweat spot in most lenses) and you probably don't have the polorizer on indoors. So by shooting indoors with flash you have already improved your conditions considerably as compared to shooting outdoors.
I've seen your work enough to know you can do some outstanding stuff... when you have control of all of the elements. I don't know a lot about the D70, but I do know that the Canon D30 (a 3mp camera) was more than capable of taking images that could go up to 20x30 if all of the elements were correct (lighting, exposure, focus) and I'm sure the D70 is just as capable.
Mike
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04/29/2007 10:40:20 PM · #42 |
Originally posted by TIHadi:
Originally posted by nsoroma79:
I don't clean my sensor itself. I can't even take a photo right! There is no way I would attempt that! It was just cleaned not too long ago, so it's not that.
This problem has been going on for over a year now... |
With your permission
I will delete it if you say so.
Here is the photo a bit retouched.
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wow, I'm impressed!
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04/29/2007 10:53:29 PM · #43 |
Originally posted by PhilipDyer:
Edit to add that it looks like you shot the playground photo when the sun was at almost its highest point in the sky. Those 12:00 shadows are almost impossible to correct nicely. Try shooting when the sun is lower on the horizon. |
It was actually 11:26am when I shot the photos. :)
Also, this is the first time I ever used a PL filter. I just got one, and tried it out today because of the sun. It was very bright for 11:30am, so I popped it on before I shot.
Originally posted by surfdabbler:
After everyone's comments, and edits, do you still think sharpness is the problem, or is it contrast and colour? |
I'm confused. to me, it isn't sharp. There are no crisp lines, and it is very grainy for being at the settings I had it at. To me, the photo of the older couple is perfect. Maybe a tad off in color, but it is very crisp and clean. Not grainy at all. Unlike the one of the family.
Message edited by author 2007-04-29 22:54:20.
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04/29/2007 10:58:05 PM · #44 |
The polarizer may be a lot of the problem esp if you are using a linear polarizer. I had a cheap one (marked circular polarizer) that I put on a tele zoom, and I could see in the viewfinder that I could not get a sharp focus with it on. The images on screen showed it even more. Try shooting flash with tripod inside, using no filter, then polarizer, to see if that is causing the outdoor problem.
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04/29/2007 11:06:22 PM · #45 |
A circular polarizer will actually work well when the sun is high in the sky since it has the greatest effect when the subject is at a 90-degree angle to the light source. But to have an effect, the sun has to actually be shining on the subject, not behind it.
The more I look at these pictures, the more I'm convinced that the problem can be solved entirely by lighting the subjects well. I've seen great photos taken with much cheaper lenses when the lighting situations are favorable. Good lighting makes every lens shoot better.
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04/29/2007 11:19:07 PM · #46 |
Hmmm... I've taken a look at both images. I don't understand how anybody can say that the first one isn't fuzzy. It looks fuzzy to me. And I think the main cause is the wide aperture (which is naturally soft), but the lens itself may be extra soft when that far open. More expensive lenses try to minimize the softness at wide apertures, but even then, they can only go so far.
The second one looks acceptable to me (not super sharp, but usably sharp).
I think the main reason for the increased sharpness in the second image was the smaller aperture (f/6.3). But even then, it's not as sharp as it could be. Take a look at the two kids, front and center. They are the sharpest of the group. For a party that large, I would have shot at least f/8 to try to keep everyone (side to side and front to back) in focus, so I think stopping it down even further would have given you a sharper image.
The second image also shows a bit of CA (chromatic aberration) in it which is reducing some of the sharpness in the high contrast areas. A higher quality lens would help reduce that.
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04/29/2007 11:55:03 PM · #47 |
Originally posted by nsoroma79:
Originally posted by surfdabbler:
After everyone's comments, and edits, do you still think sharpness is the problem, or is it contrast and colour? |
I'm confused. to me, it isn't sharp. There are no crisp lines, and it is very grainy for being at the settings I had it at. To me, the photo of the older couple is perfect. Maybe a tad off in color, but it is very crisp and clean. Not grainy at all. Unlike the one of the family. |
Yes, it certainly went very grainy with the sharpening that I added. I just wanted to guage what you thought was sharp, and to see if the contrast changes helped your impression of sharpness at 100%.
It would be worthwhile posting a 100% crop from this lens that is sharp. Preferably at the same settings if you can find one. As a few have suggested, the first place to look for sharpness is the aperture. Can you find an open aperture shot that is sharp?
Message edited by author 2007-04-29 23:56:24. |
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04/30/2007 03:55:03 AM · #48 |
Originally posted by gi_joe05:
as a former d70 owner...I'm sorry. That is about the extent of the d70, it just doesn't do well in natural light. |
The D70 just doesn't do well in natural light????
That's BS.
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04/30/2007 03:58:00 AM · #49 |
Originally posted by Azrifel:
Was this converted with ACR? |
I ask this because auto conversion with Adobe Camera Raw or CSII sucks.
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04/30/2007 05:01:01 AM · #50 |
Buy proffessional quality lens and take it from there
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