Night Shooting blurriness

[crockny]

Hi - I took this photo at late dusk really, not even totally dark. On my roof with some wind. It's not tack sharp. I used a travel angel tripod and the timer:



Camera Canon EOS 7D
Exposure 4
Aperture f/16.0
Focal Length 18 mm
ISO Speed 100

I am not happy with the sharpness. Do I need to use a Cable Release AND the Timer? Can a moderate wind move a relatively midweight tripod enough to blur this photo? I really don't want to have to buy another tripod (I'm saving for some L glass) ....

[dlambert]

Which lens was this? I've seen a pretty big difference in sharpness among lenses, and I've also seen moderate breezes move a tripod enough to affect long exposures. One more thing to try, though, is mirror lock-up. I've gotten my best results with a prime lens, mirror lock-up, and the self-timer (though a remote shutter would be just as good).

[crockny]

The lens is a Tamron 18-270. I have taken very sharp bird and butterfly pictures with this lens. Is it possible it wouldn't be as sharp at 18mm for landscape? I haven't tried mirror lock up yet. I think it was camera shake -- I had live view on and it didn't seem steady. I will try the cable release with timer and mirror lock up next time. I put my hand on a railing and felt some vibration also ... maybe its just difficult conditions for long shutter speed.

[dlambert]

I'd try a shot or two with your 50 for comparison's sake. I wouldn't be surprised to see a bit of improvement.

[OsmosisStudios]

From this size its very hard to tell, but I'd suspect that you have motion blur: as stable as a tripod may be, in the wind it might be an issue. It can still move a small amount.

[crockny]

Thanks for the ideas -- next time I will try cable release and mirror lock up and do some shots with the 50mm for comparison ...

[malgreen]

thanks for all the tips - I thought it was the shutter speed that made the problem -
I'm still a newbie to photography so your tips were a real help

[photographyxfactor]

You need to set you focus point to infinity (furthest point possible). Usually you would do this by putting your camera in manual focus and focusing as far away as possible.

This will make all the stars appear a lot sharper and clearer in your shots. But cool pics! keep it up

[OsmosisStudios]

Originally Posted by photographyxfactor

You need to set you focus point to infinity (furthest point possible). Usually you would do this by putting your camera in manual focus and focusing as far away as possible.

This will make all the stars appear a lot sharper and clearer in your shots. But cool pics! keep it up

Not necessarily. Read up on hyperfocal distance.

[davidemivo]

thanks for all the tips - very helpfull

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