Sharpness - What am I doing wrong?

[D A Gwynn]

Hi. I was wondering if anyone could help me out. I shoot a lot of outdoor portraits and I am having trouble getting the eyes of my model tack sharp. I'll get her lips sharp, or maybe her nose, but not her eyes. They become acceptably sharp after some sharpening in post, but they are nowhere near where they need to be.

I am shooting with a D200, and a Tokina ATX-535 Pro DX 50-135mm f/2.8 as my main portrait lens. I usually shoot at f/4 - f/5.6 and use a tripod if I'm under 1/150th of a second. I'm following the technique of focusing on the models eyes, keeping the shutter pressed half-down, and recomposing the shot before I take it.

At those apertures, and focal lengths (I'm usually at the north end of my focal range), the plane of focus should be deep enough to get the eyes in focus, especially if I'm getting the lips sharp. I've tried no UV filter, with a UV filter. Doesn't really make a difference. I have tried my 50mm f/1.8 and I get slightly better results, but still not what I would expect. Although, I haven't used the 50mm in the same situations as the Tokina, more for a walking-around / snapshot lens.

I'm thinking it's one of three things: 1- I need better glass, 2 - it's me, or 3 - it's the camera.

Anyone have any insights?

[OsmosisStudios]

Might need some AF Fine Tune. Either that, or the lens has some issues.

[i speak in math]

There is no substitute for a sharp lens and and good focus. Maybe you can post an example with the exif intact for us to diagnose. You might be doing something simple like leaving image stabilization on when on a tripod or hand holding at a low shutter speed.

@f/4


100% crop

[LeeR]

Another issue that has not been discussed so far is getting enough light into the models eyes. One of the reasons the eyes in the excellent image above are so sharp is because there is loads of light in those eyes. Many people have deepset eyes that can be a challenge to light. Think of getting a reflector or another light to help put the light where you want it.

[JAD40]

I'm not sure what type of metering you are using, but you should try spot metering for the eyes. That may work for you.

[Sempringham]

Have you tried focusing manually, at least as a comparison? I've run across many photographers who are convinced they do not get tack-sharp focus from autofocus, and have turned it off more or less permanently. They're satisfied with their manually focused photos from the same lens.

[i speak in math]

Originally Posted by JAD40

I'm not sure what type of metering you are using, but you should try spot metering for the eyes. That may work for you.

That doesn't really make sense. Eye's are very dark. Metering for them would blow out the skin, let alone the background. He/she needs to focus on the eyes but meter for the skin.

[D A Gwynn]

Thanks for everyone's responses. I have not tried manually focusing, yet. I am going to play around with it. Could my UV filter be causing this? I thought about renting the Nikon 85mm f/1.8 or f/1.4 and see if I can get the look I want. I am also going to try to get a hold of Tokina and see if maybe I can get the lense calibrated, or if they think it's an issue. I'm at work right now, so I can't post any examples. I will do that when I get home. Oh, and I do use reflectors, but I know what you mean about getting more light on the eyes. I may start using an off camera fill flash instead of the reflector. Will post some examples later. Thank all of your for your insights.