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How to take sharper shots
Techniques
24 October 2007 09:29
Even the most expensive, multi-megapixel DSLR can’t guarantee pin-sharp images. Sharpness is as much down to the techniques and settings you use as the gear itself.
The first and most common problem many people encounter when trying to get sharp results is camera shake. This occurs when the camera accidentally moves during an exposure. The best way to avoid it is to use a sturdy tripod and remote release.
Invest in the most substantial tripod you can afford and the heaviest one you’re willing to carry: remember that even the best tripod is no use if you leave it at home. You can also help stabilise the tripod by extending it only to the minimum height necessary, weighting its legs with ballast, trying to use the thicker leg sections and/or avoiding raising the centre column.
With your camera fixed to a solid tripod you don’t want to spoil the stability by having to press the shutter directly to take your shot. The best way to do this is to use a remote release that means you can fire the camera without the danger of moving it. If your subject is static you can always use the self-timer to achieve this.
Even with the camera fixed to a sturdy tripod, using a faster shutter speed can help minimise camera shake, along with eliminating any problems with subject movement.
It also pays to keep your lens and filters spotless: even the smallest smear or spec can spoil apparent image sharpness.
Your choice of camera doesn’t affect sharpness as much as your lens will. A good lens is definitely worth paying a premium; the standard zoom supplied with many DSLRs is built to keep the price down, rather than provide the highest quality images. If you aren’t happy with the sharpness of your pictures using a standard-kit lens you may want to upgrade it.
Aperture choice is also key. The normal advice for landscape shots is to use the smallest aperture possible for maximum depth-of-field. But when it comes to sharpness this isn’t always the best technique. Using wide-angle lenses of 28mm or less you’ll get massive depth-of-field even from apertures such as f/8 or f/11, allowing you to get sharp results from a few feet to infinity. It helps if you set the focus around a third of the way into your image.
Lenses produce varying levels of sharpness depending on the aperture used. Most are sharpest in the middle of the aperture range. The wide apertures, such as f/4, give more limited depth-of-field, making them less useful for many landscapes. The smallest apertures, such as f/22, may seem the obvious choice but actually they don’t give as sharp results as f/16 due to the technical effects of light passing through such a narrow aperture.