Little Advice pls

[deckb5]

I'm using a D60 with its 18-55mm VR kit lens. I'm wondering what's wrong - I take pictures at 50mm, with autofocus on the subject but it comes out not as sharp as it should be. It's not camera shake coz i used very high shutterspeed. It's not that it's That blur, but just not sharp? Is this because of the kit lens being of limited abilities?

Next, people use f1.8 or 2.8.. it allows more light and thus faster shutters. But, doesn't it blur out abit too much of an image? Mmm what do you guys think

 

[Dream Merchant]

Post up the pictures, and the EXIF data.

If not, no one will have any idea of what you're referring to, or what could possibly be the problem, and assist.

 

[deckb5]

Some Unedited Samples:

I focused the building on the left foreground. You see the general effect is pretty.. unrefined? I don't know if its the lens being the way it is or is there any technical faults on my side.

Same as the above =\
Something wrong with my settings?

 

[GavinTing]

You are using F3.5 and F5.6.. Consider using higher, like F8ish for landscapes.. You also have alot of flare...

As for the second pic, where did you focus on? The guy on the bike seems focused enough?

F1.8 is abit.. too low for a landscape..

 

[Dream Merchant]

Hi deckb5,

The answer you seek lies in your own sentence .....

Some Unedited Samples:

Unless you really bump up the contrast and sharpness settings in the camera (for jpeg files), almost any photograph, from a DSLR, unedited, will look a little drab, dreary and soft without post processing of some sort.

If you look carefully, the sharpness is there - in the window grills, tiles, leaves etc. You just have to 'bring it out' in post work.

 

[catchlights]

Pix #1, shoot at f3.5, 18mm, even at wide angle you will have better DOF, but it will not give you sharpness on whole image.
Pix #2, thou is at f5.6, but your point of focus is much nearer than the man on bicycle, just look at the ground, which part is in focus?


btw, using a high shutter speeddoes not mean you will prevent hand shake totally, bad camera holding method, and how the way you release the shutter will also affect the sharpness of images.

 

[Mrkcw]

Pix #1, shoot at f3.5, 18mm, even at wide angle you will have better DOF, but it will not give you sharpness on whole image.
Pix #2, thou is at f5.6, but your point of focus is much nearer than the man on bicycle, just look at the ground, which part is in focus?


btw, using a high shutter speeddoes not mean you will prevent hand shake totally, bad camera holding method, and how the way you release the shutter will also affect the sharpness of images.

hi..im new to and using D60 kit lens also....i also feel tht my picture is not so sharp...abte...whts the correct way to hold a camera and press the shutter???thx

 

[NeTHaCk]

compose your pic, find the main focus, get the right settings then press shutter

kit lens is good enough, i survived many important events with my kit lens, but sharp ? why not go to menu, optimize imgage, and set it to sharper ? try that yet ?

 

[icebox]

Due to the way the image sensor in digital cameras (all, DSLR or compact) work, the raw image is soft. Compact point-and-shoot cameras apply a lot of sharpening and other tweaks before saving to jpg. DSLRs tend to apply less in-camera processing. You can try boosting the sharpness setting in the camera until you get a sharpness you find good.

Otherwise, you can do it during post-processing in Photoshop or any other programs.

 

[deckb5]

Wow thank you guys for the suggestions and help! Hmmm, actually I always felt negative about depending on editing to get a good picture =\ Is that a common issue among most people who just started out? Also, what do you guys think about bumping the in-cam "sharpness" level while snappin in jpeg?

 

[Simon_84]

Wow thank you guys for the suggestions and help! Hmmm, actually I always felt negative about depending on editing to get a good picture =\ Is that a common issue among most people who just started out? Also, what do you guys think about bumping the in-cam "sharpness" level while snappin in jpeg?

i do most adjustments in the cam 1st cos i dont pp much.
try using the P mode.
maybe can up your cam iso setting to 200 or 400 for bighter pics.
for warmer pics use auto wb, select between -1 to -3.