Pictures are coming out soft - DPChallenge Forums

Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM

07/17/2006 12:26:00 PM · #1

Hello Everyone,

I cant seem to figure out why my pictures are coming out so soft with my DSLR. I feel like my point and shoot takes much sharper images. I have been trying to shoot in RAW (NEF) and adjust the sharpness using the trial version of Capture NX. I still feel like the shots are comnig out a bit soft. Here are some examples.

These were not shot with a tripod but I still feel they are a bit shot even after the RAW conversions.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advace!

kirbic

Canon EOS R5

Canon RF 24-70 f2.8 L IS

07/17/2006 12:57:22 PM · #2

A little hard to judge here, but my suspicion is... the lens. Especially at maximum zoom and nearly wide open, I'd expect that you might find this lens to be soft.
If you can, rent or borrow a highly-rated tele-zoom, and see if your results are better (or visit a camera shop and shoot a few frames with one). If you can't do that, then try stopping your current lens down to f/11 or so and shoot some frames of a subject with high-contrast detail that you can easily judge where the focus point was. You should see improvement at f/11 and yoiu'll want to look to see if the lens is focusing at the proper point, not in back or in front of it.

eschelar

Canon EOS-7D

07/17/2006 01:21:26 PM · #3

Just a small addendum to kirbic's very thorough and accurate response, when you do a lens test, make sure that you use a slightly more narrow aperture than f/11. :)

Yeah, I know, it's obvious, but I had to say it...

Do a forum search for lens tests. There's a good number of links.

IMHO, it doesn't need to be nearly as complicated as a lot of those sites make out though...

A ruler at 45 degrees should give you a good idea... Don't forget to take a handful of shots, not just one. Give it a workout in the lens testing stage.

The Nikon 50mm f/1.8 is probably a good choice to check for camera sharpness. Not a bad lens to have kicking around either IMHO.

If you get good results from a different lens, it's probably not the camera settings... :)

07/17/2006 01:31:00 PM · #4

Ooops nevermind.

Message edited by author 2006-07-17 13:31:29.

07/17/2006 01:32:39 PM · #5

Thanks for the responses everyone. I have updated the image details on the images themselves.

07/17/2006 01:35:30 PM · #6

Did you use a tripod? And what focusing mode did you have it set on?

Message edited by author 2006-07-17 13:36:27.

wavelength

Nikon D300

07/17/2006 01:36:02 PM · #7

It's the lens.

edit-
Plus, keep your shutter speed at least equal to your focal length. So, if you're at 300mm on a 1.5x crop, then you're actually at 450mm equivalent.

Keeping your shutter speed at 1/450th or above will keep your hands shaking from introducing minor blur. 1/125th will freeze most, but not take care of all.

Or use a tipod.

Message edited by author 2006-07-17 13:38:34.

Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM

07/17/2006 01:39:52 PM · #8

Is it possible that I can blame my focusing problems on my Canon EF 75-300mm f/4.0-5.6 III, as well?

I've had these same issues and just thought it was me.

NstiG8tr

Canon EOS-5D Mark IV

07/17/2006 01:48:13 PM · #9

Originally posted by greatandsmall:

Is it possible that I can blame my focusing problems on my Canon EF 75-300mm f/4.0-5.6 III, as well?

I've had these same issues and just thought it was me.

Yes you can. I have that lens and it's just way soft on anything about 200mm or more. Using a tripod is a must almost for this lens as well as stopping it down to at least F/8.

wavelength

Nikon D300

07/17/2006 01:49:17 PM · #10

Originally posted by greatandsmall:

Is it possible that I can blame my focusing problems on my Canon EF 75-300mm f/4.0-5.6 III, as well?

I've had these same issues and just thought it was me.

All of these "consumer" grade lenses get a bit soft at the end (300mm). (unless you're talking about front/back focusing, do the ruler test for that)

Usually they're a bit sharper between f/8 and f/16, but theres still a little chroma abberation, making the images a little muddy.

I used a Nikon 80-400vr, and there is jus a HUGE difference in the optical quality.

I imagine that the Promaster lens used here is not even going to be as good as the Canon/Nikon/Sigma/Tamron equivalents.

All of the "pro" grade lenses from the above are just going to be a level of sharpness above what you can get for the $200-300 range, the Canons and Nikons will usually focus faster and be a smidgeon sharper at the edges than Sigma or Tamron, not a rule, just a generalization. Some of the Sigma's and Tamrons compete in every way, IMO.

07/17/2006 02:06:27 PM · #11

Thanks! I feel a lot better about it knowing these things.

I have discovered that I can get OK shots if there is enough light and I use a tripod; but it's not what I was hoping for when I got the lens. Guess that's what I get for being cheap eh?

07/17/2006 02:10:55 PM · #12

Originally posted by greatandsmall:

I have discovered that I can get OK shots if there is enough light and I use a tripod; but it's not what I was hoping for when I got the lens. Guess that's what I get for being cheap eh?

I hear you on that, same situation with me :-)

Is there anyway to salvage pictures with these lower end lenes? At this point Im about to go back to my Olympus 765 since the pictures I got from it were much better quality.

07/17/2006 02:13:53 PM · #13

Noise reduction software and Photoshop techniques can help some. But you can't recreate what isn't there:(

07/17/2006 02:17:28 PM · #14

I took my self portraits with my 75-300. Most came out really bad, but I was able to get a couple that were sharp enough for my amateur status. Lots of PS.

07/17/2006 02:53:00 PM · #15

I took this picutre with my Nikon 18-55mm lens and it too seems a bit soft. I wonder if I am suffering from a combination of problems.

07/17/2006 02:59:06 PM · #16

What were your settings and focusing mode on that one? Did you use a tripod?

07/17/2006 03:11:58 PM · #17

Settings in the picture above were taken without tripod.

F/10, 1/50sec, 45mm focal length.

No RAW conversion, shot straight to JPEG.

MikeO

Fujifilm x100

07/17/2006 03:14:31 PM · #18

Fact is after being used to a p&s which tend to apply sharpening in camera, DSLR's need a bit of work on them, especially if you, like me, are using low to medium quality glass. I had the same issues when moving from my fuji 602s nearly 3 years ago. First efforts were poor but with help from people here I managed to being to get some decent shots. Firstly does the D50 have different paramaters where you can alter the sharpness, contrast, colour etc? This was the first step I used and it worked fine. However if you are shooting RAW I understand that these settings do not get applied. Its a bit of a learning curve but you will get there in the end, just shoot a lot of photos, practice, practice, practice is the name of the game here.

kirbic

Canon EOS R5

Canon RF 24-70 f2.8 L IS

07/17/2006 03:22:01 PM · #19

Originally posted by qbicle:

F/10, 1/50sec, 45mm focal length...

Again, your shutter speed is pushing (I'd say outside of) the hand-held limits. For the D50 and 45mm, you should be at 1/50, better 1/80 or faster shutter speed unless you're abnormally steady-handed.
The f/10 aperture should give very large DoF so focus error is not the first thing I'd look for here, camera shake is. The 18-55 should be quite sharp at f/10.

Samsung Galaxy S21, S21+, S21 Ultra

07/17/2006 03:26:41 PM · #20

Originally posted by MikeOwens:

I agree. It's taken me a looong time to get the hang of it. I try to shoot in RAW and use manual settings all the time. Just because the image looks focused in the lens and the meter says it's OK, doesn't mean much. Hands shake, the wind blows and subjects move. The focusing mode can cause you problems, too if you aren't set for the right type of subject.

Processing RAW has been another challenge. Still not sure if I'm doing it right. It's a lot of trial and error.

You're probably right in thinking that it's a combination of things. Each day I learn something new that helps improve my work.

Here's one that I just took with my 18-55. Handheld. Much better than what I was getting in the beginning.

Message edited by author 2006-07-17 15:32:20.

Bear_Music

Sony 24-70mm F4 Vario-Tessar T* FE OSS

07/17/2006 03:38:14 PM · #21

For what it's worth, "Focus Magic" makes a noticeable improvement in these soft images; it's a very useful rescue tool.

Robt.

jpeters

Nikon D200

07/17/2006 03:41:59 PM · #22

I'm probably beating a dead horse here, but no one in the world can handhold a camera and shoot at 300mm with only 1/100 shutterspeed. You can get decent "party shots" like that, but if you want sharpness and clarity, you've got to at the very least shoot at 1/(shutterspeed). And it's true, tripods make a world of difference, although they aren't always practical.

Canon EF 28-135mm F/3.5-5.6 IS USM

07/17/2006 03:54:27 PM · #23

Originally posted by Bear_Music:

For what it's worth, "Focus Magic" makes a noticeable improvement in these soft images; it's a very useful rescue tool.

Robt.

Wow, that program seems to make a pretty big difference. Thanks Bear!

ragamuffingirl

Sony Alpha NEX-5N

07/17/2006 05:41:55 PM · #24

Focus Magic wouldn't be a free program like Neat Image, would it?

wavelength

Nikon D300