# Super Clear Pictures



## missiet (Aug 6, 2010)

I have been doing photography for quite a while, but I still feel like I don't have the clarity I have seen from other photographers. What type of lens do I need? It is from the lighting?


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## Sep (Aug 6, 2010)

The clarity and crispness you're talking about comes from top notch glass + high end body. 

The glass makes the most difference. A good glass on a low end body will still make night and day difference, but it's only going to get you so far.


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## Josh66 (Aug 6, 2010)

What kind of PP are you doing?

Most of the pictures you see here have at least a little PP done to them - some more than a little...


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## table1349 (Aug 6, 2010)

"Doing Photography" doesn't mean just taking pictures.  It means understanding your equipment and how to use it to it's fullest.  It means understanding the physics of photography, aperture, shutter speed, ISO..  It also means understanding post processing and how to post process to get the look you want.  It also means understanding what can't be done in post processing.  That is why the term "getting it right in the camera" has relevance in the digital age.  

Photography is a process from idea to printing with an understanding of all of the elements in between.


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## Fremen (Aug 8, 2010)

What camera & lens do you use?


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## Polyphony (Aug 9, 2010)

You should post some of your pics so we can see what you mean.


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## j-dogg (Aug 10, 2010)

here's a good suggestion.....if you want to get better at digital photography, get an old 35mm film camera. not something with autofocus I mean something 30+ years old, like a Nikkormat FTN. Excellent learner camera, you learn all the basics plus the camera itself is nuclear bomb-proof. Anyone who has ever shot one can attest to the build quality (and the fact it weighs as much as a dump truck)

A full manual film camera will teach you the basics of real photography, no auto-focus or auto-aperture crap. I picked up two full manual Nikon 35mm cameras to learn the basics and actually embraced the format now I have 3 of them, my 3rd is an autofocus Minolta Maxxum 4. I plan on learning the basics of the darkroom soon as well (also no one locally processes FujiFilm ACROS b+w) I love the format so much I actually bought an adapter for my Digital Rebel so I can use some of my manual 35mm lenses. Vivitar 55mm-135mm f3.5 and Nikon Series E 50mm f1.8 ftmfw.

My image quality and overall satisfaction with my work post-35mm compared to pre-35mm is leaps and bounds ahead of what I used to shoot.

to fully understand and appreciate modern digital photography you must learn vintage techniques and formats. I guarantee the second you pick up a full manual 35mm your hobby / career / addiction / whatever will be changed forever.


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## JIP (Aug 10, 2010)

What do you have now for gear??


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## Village Idiot (Aug 10, 2010)

j-dogg said:


> here's a good suggestion.....if you want to get better at digital photography, get an old 35mm film camera. not something with autofocus I mean something 30+ years old, like a Nikkormat FTN. Excellent learner camera, you learn all the basics plus the camera itself is nuclear bomb-proof. Anyone who has ever shot one can attest to the build quality (and the fact it weighs as much as a dump truck)
> 
> A full manual film camera will teach you the basics of real photography, no auto-focus or auto-aperture crap. I picked up two full manual Nikon 35mm cameras to learn the basics and actually embraced the format now I have 3 of them, my 3rd is an autofocus Minolta Maxxum 4. I plan on learning the basics of the darkroom soon as well (also no one locally processes FujiFilm ACROS b+w) I love the format so much I actually bought an adapter for my Digital Rebel so I can use some of my manual 35mm lenses. Vivitar 55mm-135mm f3.5 and Nikon Series E 50mm f1.8 ftmfw.
> 
> ...


 
You do realize, that instead of spending the money on a film camera and film, that the OP could put their camera on manual mode and turn AF off on the lenses.

Plus, the ability to have exif data in the images vs. having to write down your settings for each photo in a journal of some sort and keeping track of it with your images is invaluable.

Oh...and then there's the old no matter how a person's images turn out on film, if they go back to an entry level body with a kit lens, they're going to go back to the same image qaulity they started with point of view...


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## Petraio Prime (Aug 10, 2010)

missiet said:


> I have been doing photography for quite a while, but I still feel like I don't have the clarity I have seen from other photographers. What type of lens do I need? It is from the lighting?



This is impossible to answer without knowing what your own photographs look like, and what you are comparing them to.


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## Gaerek (Aug 10, 2010)

Village Idiot said:


> j-dogg said:
> 
> 
> > here's a good suggestion.....if you want to get better at digital photography, get an old 35mm film camera. not something with autofocus I mean something 30+ years old, like a Nikkormat FTN. Excellent learner camera, you learn all the basics plus the camera itself is nuclear bomb-proof. Anyone who has ever shot one can attest to the build quality (and the fact it weighs as much as a dump truck)
> ...


 
Save your money for equipment that will help your current state. Not on 35 year old camera equipment that you'll likely not use much. They haven't removed manual capability from digital SLRs...


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## Millie.T.Cook (Aug 10, 2010)

I found most of the difference to be in post processing, as my pictures were rather good, but had no professional feel.

Once you start working with post processing you'll quickly see your photos differently and perhaps even take different photos.

I recently had a really dark cloudy night shot that I took for reasons of mood/contrast turn out completely different when I hit the post processing with it. Suddenly there's all these eyes glowing in the darkness (after a lighting fix) and that became the focus of the photo, which turned out great!

Don't be afraid to dabble! (Or upload some pics and we can dabble so you can see?)

Oh and remember to have fun, don't worry if other pics look different if you're having fun!


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## Markw (Aug 10, 2010)

:addpics:...to know what youre already producking.

Mark


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## swoop_ds (Aug 10, 2010)

Definitely need some pictures posted.  Your problem could be glass, body, lighting, etc.  

-Dave


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## insanaq (Aug 11, 2010)

Not to hijack this thread, but I actually have the same issue. My guess is that my post production process isn't fully refined, and I don't practice sharpening. I mainly use Lightroom 2 for PP, I have PS CS4 but I rarely use it for PP.












I understand that in my first photo, I shot at a very low aperture, and that's why the rest of the child's face is out of focus. But I see some photos that absolutely blow me away, and I wonder, are they sharpening the crap out of a great-quality photo? Are they sharpening the crap out of ALL of their great-quality originals? See below.


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## Derrel (Aug 11, 2010)

"How does one get to Carnegie Hall?"

"Practice,practice,practice."


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## bigboi3 (Aug 11, 2010)

insanaq - your focus on the childs face should be on the eyes.. it looks like the focus was on the top part of the lips.


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## agerone (Aug 13, 2010)

the focussing is not good, also on the portrait it seems like you used a big opened aperture, close it to 2.8 at least to be sure that the face is all sharp.
And for the birds you should have tried centered focus.
also if you shoot RAW, in photoshop you can rise the clarity so you picture seems a bit sharper to the viewer.
For the last photo, (I like it aswell  ) aperture is low as you already know, but if you just focus on the object you want to be sharp, then it will work. When I want to do that I mainly use the Autofocus, in the preferences I take the "centered focussing" option, then I focus, with the help of the red circle/rectangle in the center of the viewfinder, the part of the object I want to be sharp, press slightly on the shutter to keep the focussing and then I can pan around a bit to see what looks best and that's it.

AND: To be really sure to have a sharp image, just blur the background/foreground, not the object you want to be sharp. Shoot with aperture 8 then and your on the safe side


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## Taylor510ce (Aug 13, 2010)

Yeah, the guy who posted pics, as stated, your focus is off. Work on using your AF points properly.

To the OP, are you zooming in on your pictures and not happy with the sharpness, or are you just speaking at normal view, they aren't sharp? In most cases, people see post processed pics and think that this was because of a super expensive lens. While better lenses are not going to have the inherent problems of cheaper ones (distortion, CA, low contrast etc. ) you probably won't REALLY notice the difference unless magnifying and comparing. I would bet that you are really lacking the processing. Properly adjusting color, contrast, and sharpening will make a huge difference to your pics even with the lenses you are currently using. Unless you simply are not focusing properly. Hard to tell without you posting examples.


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## djacobox372 (Aug 17, 2010)

Village Idiot said:


> You do realize, that instead of spending the money on a film camera and film, that the OP could put their camera on manual mode and turn AF off on the lenses.
> 
> Plus, the ability to have exif data in the images vs. having to write down your settings for each photo in a journal of some sort and keeping track of it with your images is invaluable.
> 
> Oh...and then there's the old no matter how a person's images turn out on film, if they go back to an entry level body with a kit lens, they're going to go back to the same image qaulity they started with point of view...



^^
Totally agree!  It's far easier to learn the basics with digital, with digital you can experiment and see instant results--with film, unless you take careful notes you'll never remember how you achieved success.  

I recommend people learn on digital, get down the basics of aperture, shutter speed, dof, and iso. Once they have that down, try film because it forces you to slow down instead of shooting 100's of photos and "hoping" for one good one.


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## Vautrin (Aug 20, 2010)

Buy a tripod + remote cable release.

When you hold a camera small movements can make details slightly fuzzy. 

Otherwise you'll need to take pictures with a fast shuter speed to really prevent movement


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