Struggling with "Tack Sharp" Photos

[tjones0214]

Guys, I'm hoping you can give me some pointers or point me to something online that would help. I've just moved to a D300 and just acquired an 80-200 2.8 D lens. I'm really struggling to get that tack sharp focus on my photos. I've moved to using the release for only metering and to trigger the photo and using the AF-On button for focusing. I've tried 9, 21 and 51 points for my focus as well as dynamic and spot for my focus selection. I was shooting in daylight @ 5.6 at around 135-200mm at Mercer (Houston park) this weekend. Most of the photos have a noticeable enough blur at 100%+ in Lightroom (pre-sharpening). Do I just need to shoot with a tripod? Am I just expecting too much sharpness at the resolution and focal length. Am I just missing some basic photography element here. If you can't tell, I'm a little frustrated and would really love some input.

Thanks!!

[Hanky]

I have the 70-200 lens and on the internet I read that f9-f10 is a good zone for sharpness.
What was your ISO? Lately I have been trading low iso for faster shutter speed.
LOL, we also have some real sharp shooting Gals on this forum.

[Gordon]

are you focusing then moving the camera, or focusing then letting the subject move ?

Are you shooting slower than 1/200s (really should be around 1/400s if you want sharp at 200mm)

What's your technique like ? How do you support the camera and lens ?
How do you press the shutter ? How do you support your upper body on your legs (i.e., how do you stand ?)

In general, assuming that's a good lens and you are shooting several stops from wide open (you said f5.6, on a f2.8 lens so I assume it is a good lens and you aren't wide open) you should be able to get very sharp images, with a suitable shutter speed and good technique.

If you try it on a tripod and get sharp images, then it is something you are doing in how you shoot (and can be improved pretty easily)

[venchka]

Lighting can have as much to do with the appearance of sharp as a tack photos. The subject matter has much to do with it as well.

[tjones0214]

Thanks for the input. I'm thinking it may be a combination of all of the above. I was shooting at ISO 200, mostly at f2.8-5.6, but my shutter speed was consitently below 1/250 at better than 140mm. In terms of technique, I'm mostly hand-holding. I brace when/where I can, but that's not always available. Any advice on stance, etc that would help? From what I'm gathering, I should shoot at least 2x my focal length for shutter speed and close down the apeture to at least 5.6 or more. When working with available outdoor light, I am assuming my only alternative then is to bump my ISO higher in order to work with the best f-stop/shutter speed combination. BTW, I shoot manual and mostly spot meter inside the camera. I'm getting fairly good with that technique, but obviously, it's not working well for me :-)

Advice?

[Gordon]

in terms of stance, legs slightly apart to create a more stable base (you don't have to go crazy with this)

Left hand supporting the lens, left elbow braced in against your body.

Right hand holding camera up to your eye and pressed against your face again for support. Breath evenly and don't stab the shutter button - go for a smooth press.

Brace against something if you can.

Sharp is also a relative term - relative to the size of the print for example - acceptably sharp for a 4x6 print is quite different to acceptably sharp for a 30x40 print. So things like shutter speed ratios and how high your tolerance is for some softness factors in.

It is particularly tough if you are looking at images at 100% magnification on a screen for example - what is too soft there may well look great as a 5x7 print, but good technique doesn't ever hurt.

2x your focal length isn't a hard and fast rule. Plenty of people will have acceptably sharp images at half the ratio of the focal length - or more probably, with better technique - these are all just rules of thumb.

The reason I mention 2x is that you want to factor in the additional magnification due to the crop factor of your camera (assuming the D300 has a crop factor - 1.5x maybe ?)

The best argument I've seen for why even this rule of thumb is only relative is if you take a laser pointer and try to point at something, hand holding it as well as you can.
Then mount that same laser pointer on a tripod. It'll always be more stable on the tripod than in your hand.


For most digital cameras, you will also always need some capture sharpening, to remove the effects of the anti-aliasing filter. So don't be too hard on your pre-sharpened results. As mentioned though, comparing the results you get on and off a tripod will show you what you should be able to achieve vs what you achieve handholding. It can be an interesting comparision.

[tjones0214]

Awesome. Thanks for the feedback again, Gordon. The thing I hadn't considered was my final output size/destination. I'm looking at a 12.3 MP image on a 24 inch monitor. I'm sure I'm going to see softness that won't necessarily be there on a 5x7 or 8x10. I guess I've been going after this holy grail of sharpness at full resolution. Thanks again.

[kenw]

As has been mentioned, many things affect perceived sharpness, including contrast. You AF can be fooled by bright lights, low lights, mis-location and all sorts of stuff. Depending on what it chooses to focus upon, you may seem some varying amounts of focus blur.

But on the hand-shake blur, the usual absolute minimum rule is 1/mm: shooting at 200mm you should shoot faster than 1/200s shutter. As was mentioned, 2x that would make it better, but 1x is often the basic rule to remember. And the crop sensor x-factor plays into this one. A 50mm with a 1.6 crop-factor body gives you 80, so don’t handhold under 1/80s on a 50mm on a crop sensor Canon. Or just go to 2x and forget it…..

My general rule is to follow the 1/mm rule AND not go below 1/90s for handheld regardless of the lens. Year after year of heavy caffeiene consumption may be to blame. I’m not always successful in adhering to that.

And when sharpening in the computer, always do this as a last step, especially AFTER any resizing. And just to make it more complex, all those settings on “Unsharp Mask” can vary based on the pic.

or if the blur is unavoidable and unrepairable (I have more than a few of these), just dress it up and call it "art"....

[ngoduyviet]

Tact sharp is a combo of things ranging from sweet-spot for a certain lens's aperture to iso, light, shutter speed, colors contrast etc...it's frustrating, but the more you shoot, the more you'll learn to get it correctly & "tact" sharp, there's no one fit-all solution to get it correctly.

In your case, try to get faster shutter since you shoot with a tele, and depending on how much light you have, close-down or open up your lens. A tripod definitely helps, but not much if the subject is in fast motion.

[ttusa]

Originally Posted by Hanky

LOL, we also have some real sharp shooting Gals on this forum.

Yeah, what he said

[venchka]

Hand held, I'm sure that shutter speed helps/hurts depending on which speed, holding technique, etc.

On the other hand, when exposures get into minutes, only the best tripod+head combinations work. I've also heard that most digital sensors get too hot for really long exposures.

[Hanky]

Originally Posted by ttusa

Yeah, what he said

[mdparthum]

Maybe try a monopod to help steady the camera when shooting action. It helps me out quite a bit.

[LSDude]

I've had back focus problems with my D300 when shooting the 80-200mm at F/2.8 in low light or stadium light situations.