How to get super crisp photo's

[courtney23cy]

I'm pretty new to the SLR world, as I hope my question doesn't make painfully obvious... But here it goes anyway... I like to check out pro photographers websites for a few reasons, but mainly to try to learn by looking at what I like and don't like from others artwork. One thing I am always noticing is how much I love a super crisp and clean photo... I have yet to get this look in my own photo's. It's not that I don't get things in focus, I just don't have that glassy look to my pictures that I want SO badly. Is there something pretty basic that I'm totally missing here? Or is it the equipment? I use a Nikon D90 and mostly use my 50mm 1.4 ... Do I need to invest in some different lenses? Please help Thanks

[inkista]

Most people immediately assume it's their lenses. And in part, that might be true, but a lot of it is probably technique. Your 50/1.4 is plenty sharp.

The problem is you're probably shooting with it at f/1.4 a lot. It's not at its sharpest wide-open. Most lenses perform better when stopped down one or two stops. The 50/1.4 is probably a lot sharper at f/2.8 or f/4 than it is at f/1.4.

Are you shooting at very high isos? ISO noise can make an image seem fuzzier.

Do you know how to hold your camera? A lot of folks seem to miss this vital basic.

Have you mastered your autofocus system? Are you sure the camera focused on your subject properly? With portraits, you want your subject's eyes to be in focus. Autofocus systems can be dumb and may have latched onto something other than what you wanted to be in focus. Selecting AF points and aiming at high-contrast targets (where black meets white) can help.

Is your shutter speed fast enough for handholding? (or, is your tripod stable enough?) Camera shake and subject motion blur can show up in images if your shutter speed is too slow. The rule of thumb is that your shutter speed should be at least 1/focal_length when you're shooting handheld without stabilization. With a 50mm lens, that would mean 1/50s or faster.

Do you understand depth of field? Having a very thin one (i.e., shooting at f/1.4) can make focusing issues much more critical. Stopping down can help with this.

And do you know how to post-process your images? Most folks add a bit of sharpening to their photos.

How to Take Sharp Digital Images

[Mike367]

The default settings Nikon uses do not provide much in-camera sharpening. You should be able to change these, or increase sharpening in post processing. ViewNX allows you to increase sharpening before converting the .NEF file to .jpg or .tiff.

The links that inkista posted here are great: PP Sharpening (RAW)

[courtney23cy]

I usually have my ISO set at 200 should I take it down a bit further when possible?

I do get frustrated sometimes with my AF. I often have to focus and recompose. Would it be better to manually focus? Or is there a setting that gives me more options for focusing that I don't know about?

I do what I can to post process, but I admit I don't know a whole lot on the subject... I have attempted to sharpen in Photoshop CS4, but I must not be doing it right because it doesn't seem to do anything, or if it does is seems to add noise to my photo's - which is not the look I'm usually going for.

Thanks so much for your help

[LMAshton]

Have you read the manual? I know, it's thick and boring, but it really does help. I have the same camera body (different lens) and I still haven't finished going through the manual yet even though I've had the camera around 10 months. Lazy butthead, me. But there's a LOT of useful information in there that will help you learn what your camera is capable of. And yes, there are other autofocus options. I'm still figuring those out myself, playing around with the various settings as I figure out what works best for me under which circumstances.

As for manual focus, depends on how good your eyes are. I'm at the point - getting old, you know? - where that's less and less of an option even with the viewfinder diopter thingie set for my eye. When I was younger, with my film SLR, I always shot with manual focus. Well, had no choice - the camera didn't have autofocus.

[ravncat]

If I imagine correctly what you are picturing - the "glassy look" is not just pure sharpness - it's also got a lot to do with contrast, clarity and the presence of black in the image. Increasing microcontrast (using clarity adjustment in lightroom in raw) , making sure blackpoint is set right, and having a stronger contrast can lead to it.

It will also help to make sure you don't have color casts in the image - reducing "haze" a little further. Just be careful, because too much contrast or saturation can go along way in destroying the look.

[Peapod Photo]

Originally Posted by courtney23cy

I usually have my ISO set at 200 should I take it down a bit further when possible?

I do get frustrated sometimes with my AF. I often have to focus and recompose. Would it be better to manually focus? Or is there a setting that gives me more options for focusing that I don't know about?

I do what I can to post process, but I admit I don't know a whole lot on the subject... I have attempted to sharpen in Photoshop CS4, but I must not be doing it right because it doesn't seem to do anything, or if it does is seems to add noise to my photo's - which is not the look I'm usually going for.

Thanks so much for your help

In terms of ISO, it really depends on the lighting in the situation you're in. If you want sharp photos, you need to get used to adjusting the ISO setting that's suitable for the lighting you're in at the time.

I find that AF and MF both have a place. It kind of depends on what you're comfortable using. I often use MF when I get frustrated and my camera won't focus on exactly what I want it to. Otherwise AF can be pretty handy.

In terms of post-processing, Lightroom is your friend.

[oldwolf]

Originally Posted by courtney23cy

I do get frustrated sometimes with my AF. I often have to focus and recompose. Would it be better to manually focus? Or is there a setting that gives me more options for focusing that I don't know about?

Select the closest focus point to the spot you want in focus then focus and recompose that way. Don't use the center one, focusing then recomposing. The curvature of the lens will throw off your focus if you shoot this way, especially if you have a low f/stop.

[courtney23cy]

Originally Posted by ravncat

If I imagine correctly what you are picturing - the "glassy look" is not just pure sharpness - it's also got a lot to do with contrast, clarity and the presence of black in the image. Increasing microcontrast (using clarity adjustment in lightroom in raw) , making sure blackpoint is set right, and having a stronger contrast can lead to it.

It will also help to make sure you don't have color casts in the image - reducing "haze" a little further. Just be careful, because too much contrast or saturation can go along way in destroying the look.

Yes! you know what I'm talking about... and definitely there is a fine line between beautiful and too much contrast. As for the reducing haze, what do you mean "color casts"?

[courtney23cy]

Originally Posted by Mike367

The default settings Nikon uses do not provide much in-camera sharpening. You should be able to change these, or increase sharpening in post processing. ViewNX allows you to increase sharpening before converting the .NEF file to .jpg or .tiff.

The links that inkista posted here are great: PP Sharpening (RAW)

Awesome! Thanks