 Tammy L. Odell |
Problems with Unsharp Images I recently purchased the Canon Digital Rebel. I am somewhat disappointed in this camera. I have read all about the problems everyone has had with underexposure, but I am also having problems with images that lack the crispness that I have always had with film. I was hoping to replace my Elan 7e with the Dig Rebel, but almost wish I hadn't bought it!! I am using a tripod and a cable release, but still notice lack of crispness around the eyes in my portraits, I have noticed that it does better close-ups than anything else. I use a Canon 28-105 lens and the one that came in the kit, and have similar results. Am I just expecting too much from digital, or is something else my problem? Please shed some light on this for me!!
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Jon Close |
I don't have a digital SLR, but from what I've read, most incorporate a low-pass filter in front of the sensor to reduce moire and other digital artifacts. This filter also tends to make images appear "soft" but that correction comes in editing. See: http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/digitalphotography/learnmore/sharpening.mspx. I could be wrong, but I believe you can also do some adjustment "in-camera" by adjusting the Processing Parameters (p. 55-56 of the user manual), especially Contrast and Sharpness.
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Tammy L. Odell |
Thanks so much, Jon! That does seem to be the problem I am having. If I can figure out how to do this in PS 7, that would be wonderful. Thanks so much!!
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Lewis Kemper |
As Jon mentioned, you can sharpen the image by adjusting the parameters if you are shooting JPEG. If you shoot RAW, the sharpening can take place either in the Adobe Camera Raw converter or in Photoshop itself. If you are interested in learning the best ways to sharpen in Photoshop, then I spend a whole lesson on sharpening in Photographer's Toolbox for Photoshop - Toolbox 2. I give you some actions that will sharpen the detail around the eyes without sharpening the smooth skin on a face. If you are interested in learning about sharpening in Camera Raw I teach that in Toolbox #3!
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anonymous A. |
I never met a Canon that couldn't produce crist images, film or digital: look at the results produced by BetterPhoto members! If your results are consistently poor, I think you should have a word with the dealer who sold it to you. It may be in need of adjustment or a software update.
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Andrew Laverghetta |
You probably will HAVE TO sharpen the images with software. There's nothing wrong with the camera. I would suggest using Adobe Photoshop's unsharp mask. If you shoot in JPEG, you can probably get a headstart by going into the menu, adjusting the parameters and setting the sharpness as high as it can go. As long as you have the chance to touch up in photoshop, you're photos should be crisp as long as they were in focus when you took them.
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MaryMcGrathPhotography.com - Mary B. McGrath Contact Mary B. McGrath Mary B. McGrath's Gallery |
Could someone walk me through setting the parameters so that my images are sharper and more heavily saturated?I don't want to mess around with a bunch of settings, just want to shoot and not have the images appear soft or dull. I'm mainly in the program mode. I'm hoping by adjusting the parameters that I can spend less time adjusting my images in photoshop. All this Parameter 1, parameter 2, set 1, set 2 is making this more complicated. I also miss my film camera in this way, just don't miss storing the images or scanning them!
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Phillip Corcoran |
I don't use a canon but I can tell you it's better to keep in-camera sharpening to it's minimum or middle setting and do the sharpening in Photoshop where you've much more control and can see what it's doing. If you overdo it in PS you simply 'undo' and have another go. If you turn sharpness up in your camera, and it's too much, you can't 'undo' it when the shots been taken, and neither can you judge what is too much on 2-inch LCD screen.
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Tony Peckman |
I agree with Phillip about the "camera sharpening". But, you can do whatever you want. If it's easier, and less brain strain, set the parameter to what you want your JPEG's to shoot as. Mary, the parameter settings is extremely simple per your camera manual. No need to be afraid of it. What camera do you own? Most cameras have a default setting to start with.
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Craig m. Zacarelli |
what are some of the settings your using? what shutterspeed what aperture setting.. allot of lenses do better at about f/8 try your lens at different Apertures you might be pleasently surprised... also, the "Kit" lens wont be the sharpest tool in your box.. you might want to do a search on your lens and see what others are doing with it. Its not really the camera that dictates sharpness, its allot to do with the lens... bring the camera down to a camera store, tell them your interested in the 24-70 'L" and ask to try it out, shoot around the staor and go home and down load and youll see a world of difference..and dont forget, YOU NEED TO SHARPEN EVERY IMAGE no matter what! That is part of the process of owning a DSLR. believe me, you are not the first one I have heard say this... I said it myself when I switched from the pro1 to the XT.. now I wouldnt ever consider going back to a point and shoot full time. I just bought an elan 7 so im glad to hear its a sharp shooter! craig-
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Robyn Mackenzie |
Earlier today I happened to be reading a Canon article about sharpness of images taken with 350D/XT. The article recommended use of the unsharp mask at settings of 300%/0.3 radius/0 levels as a starting point. What settings do other Canon XT users typically use?
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Craig m. Zacarelli |
Hey Robyn, I dont really like to use USM.. I prefer to use "Sharpen More, then I use "Sharpen till I over sharpen the image then I go up to edit and use the "Fade sharpen" command and I adjust till I like what im seeing, I just think I get better control and with all the options I think its a little better. I had just figured this out so we'll see how it goes. Craig-
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MaryMcGrathPhotography.com - Mary B. McGrath Contact Mary B. McGrath Mary B. McGrath's Gallery |
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Chris M. Rembold |
My kit lens takes horribly soft shots at max aperture. (3.5-5.6) I wont even pull it out if I dont think I can get to F/8! Some kit lenses are better than others. Stop down for max sharpness!
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MaryMcGrathPhotography.com - Mary B. McGrath Contact Mary B. McGrath Mary B. McGrath's Gallery |
Ok, it's three years later, and I definitely notice that the images I take with my Panasonic Lumix (12 MP) with the Leica lens are much sharper and the color balance is better. The guy at Samy's says that these images look better on the small digital cameras since there are more pixels on the sensor(?) I'm hesitant to try an upgrade to the Digital Ti if this is still going to be a problem. My shots in Costa Rica were really ho-hum due to this, except those taken with my small digital Lumix. What gives? I've upped the parameters, and tried again with my Rebel, and so far, they seem better, but film (especially Velvia) is far superior to any shots I've taken with my digital SLR.
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Randy A. Myers |
Mary, I have a Lumix and it produces fine results as you have said. It's not from having more pixels as the salesman said. Point and shoot cameras are set up to maximize the quality of the capture. The sharpness, contrast and saturation are set much higher than with a DSLR. DSLR's can be set up the same way, you just have to adjust your settings. The optimum way to a good image is to capture the image in RAW format and process the image with software of your choosing in a computer. This gives you the most versatility. If you prefer to not to process images, then you will need to maximize your in camera settings. These should equal or surpass any point and shoot images unless you are only looking at small images. Larger image sizes and the ability to use higher ISO's without obtrusive noise is where DSLR's stand out.
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MaryMcGrathPhotography.com - Mary B. McGrath Contact Mary B. McGrath Mary B. McGrath's Gallery |
Thanks, I had them up the parameters to the maximum and will see if this results in much sharper/saturated images, which is what I prefer. I'd like to shoot RAW, but the file sizes are so large, and they take up so much room on my HD. I usually shoot large/fine...
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Clayton T. Williams |
If I shoot RAW and process on the computer, is there any reason to change the settings on the camera? If I am reading this thread correctly, changing the settings in the camera has no impact on shooting RAW, correct? Also, is there a great lens that helps with all of this including color saturation? I shoot with a Sony Alpha A100 but hope to be purchasing the A900 soon.
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Randy A. Myers |
Hi Clayton. The only reason to changing the cameras settings if you shoot RAW is if you use a software convertor that recognizes the settings and under optimum conditions you would just process the file without any additional adjustments. I keep my settings very bland on camera so I can see exactly what kind of image information I have. An example would be, if you have the contrast set too high in camera, the image may show blown highlights or shadows with no detail when that is not the case. each person needs to work out their own process that they like. I adjust and hand process every image I make while others don't want to do any processing. Each lens has a different color cast and contrast difference. I tested many lenses and was amazed at the difference. I don't know which lens in the Sony line would do what you ask, but I'm sure somebody on here knows. There are other sites you can go to for answers. E-mail me if you want to know a suggested site. Randy
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MaryMcGrathPhotography.com - Mary B. McGrath Contact Mary B. McGrath Mary B. McGrath's Gallery |
So, has anyone purchased the Digital Rebel Ti? Does this problem with unsharp, dull images still persist? I'm thinking of upgrading, but really don't want to spend another several hundred dollars to get photos that are below par from those I used to take with my film camera. Why can't these cameras provide images like I got when I used Velvia slide film? Boo hoo...
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