Please help me figure out why my photos aren't crisp...

If you would like to post, you'll need to register. Note that if you have a BCG store account, you'll need a new, separate account here (we keep the two sites separate for security purposes).

MikeJ

MikeJ

Well-known member
Member's gallery
At the suggestion of @Ralph Bruno, I'm asking the good folks on this site to help me figure out what I'm doing wrong, or why I can't get razor sharp photos like so many I see on this site. An example...this whitetail fawn was shot with my D500 and 600mm f4G. I'm not sure what distance, but it wasn't far. The first photo is SOOC, no cropping or processing at all, so I was pretty close. I'll admit, it's not a great photo, sometimes the subject is too close! Just want to use this as an example.

Second shot is a 100% crop of just the eye. And...it's just not sharp! Specs: D500, 600mm f4G, tripod (A-S B1 ballhead with Wimberley Sidekick), f4, 1/250s, ISO 1600, VR on Tripod mode. I know the shutter speed is pretty low, but I don't think that's the issue as I see this same "muddy" look on a lot of my photos. And the reflection in her eye is basically crisp enough to see the trees, but the fur around her eye is just...bleh...

D51_4610.JPG
You can only see EXIF info for this image if you are logged in.


D51_4610_01.JPG
You can only see EXIF info for this image if you are logged in.
 
Member's gallery
Another example, first one SOOC, second cropped on just the eye.

D500, 500mm PF, f5.6, 1/320s, ISO 3200, I think this was handheld. Yes, there's a lot of noise, I haven't run this through DeNoise yet.

D51_4424a.jpg
You can only see EXIF info for this image if you are logged in.


D51_4424b.jpg
You can only see EXIF info for this image if you are logged in.
 
Member's gallery
I suppose that's possible, but when the reflection in the eye is sharp enough that you can see trees, branches, snow...and yet the fur around the eye just looks like it's low resolution. Almost like a painting? I'm just getting frustrated because it seems like most of my photos are turning out like this.

Maybe I just need to bump up my shutter speed and see what happens?
 
Just to eliminate it, have you checked your focus using a target, maybe dot tune method or similar? Just to confirm that you get a sharp shot under ideal conditions on a tripod, mirror up, shutter delay, etc
 
Member's gallery
MikeJ said:
At the suggestion of @Ralph Bruno, I'm asking the good folks on this site to help me figure out what I'm doing wrong, or why I can't get razor sharp photos like so many I see on this site.
Click to expand...
A few thoughts come to mind:
- Are you using a very tight focus mode like Single Point AF (in AF-C mode to track any small head movements) with the focus point right on the eye as opposed to something like Group or AF Auto area that might grab onto some other area on the animals bodies?

- Are you using good long lens technique including: tripod head unlocked, left hand laid over the lens with gentle down pressure to dampen vibrations and gently rolling your finger on the shutter release instead of jabbing straight down with a finger tip? All of those things go a long way towards sharper images with long lenses. @Steve has a good video on these techniques which take most folks a bit of practice to master:

If you've got both of those dialed and your images are still coming out soft then I'd second Bill's recommendation above to test for focus fine tuning using the Dot-Method or similar to make sure your camera's AF system is properly aligned for your 600mm lens.

Of course if these were taken from a warm house or car out through an open window to cooler outdoor temps or these were shot through anything like a glass window then softening would be pretty typical but I suspect you would have mentioned things like that.
 
Last edited:
Member's gallery
Do you have any example images shot at under ISO 800? I shoot a D500 and high ISO is not its strong point. I see the deer at 1600 and the squirrel was at 3200. Looking at both the OOC and the cropped shots I see noise which can cause loss of fine detail. The shutter speeds were slow. With your tripod and good technique you can get away with slower shutter speeds at static subjects but those speeds are not enough to freeze motion. Wildlife rarely sits perfectly still and there is always the possibility of breeze moving the fur. However, I suspect both of the above may be as much noise softening as anything. In the deer, I can see individual eyelashes and the squirrel I can see individual hairs around the ears and off the top of the head. The compression necessary to come in under 1mb file size for the forum really makes it hard to look at the fine detail of an image since it is compressed so much.

If you do have some shot at lower ISO (preferably under ISO400 but for sure under ISO 800) can you share a couple examples? It may help diagnose if there is a problem.

Thanks and hope you get it sorted out.
 
Member's gallery
Thank you @Whiskeyman, @Ralph Bruno, @bleirer, @DRwyoming and @jeffnles1 (and anyone else trying to help me). I have not done AF fine tune yet, maybe I should but it seems to be more than just one lens? And both the fawn and the squirrel were shot when the camera was well acclimated to the temps. I believe the fawn was shot after I'd been out hiking for a few hours, so there shouldn't have been any temperature-related issues?

A couple other items - I'm using BBF, single-point AF.

@jeffnles1, per your request, here's a downy woodpecker shot with the D500/500mm PF, most likely hand-held, f5.6, 1/500, ISO 360. On the 100% crop, the feather detail still doesn't look crisp. I mean, better than the fawn or squirrel, but still...just not...

D51_3012_01.JPG
You can only see EXIF info for this image if you are logged in.


D51_3012.JPG
You can only see EXIF info for this image if you are logged in.
 
Member's gallery
I have a few questions and comments for you, MikeJ.

1: Do you have Nikon NX Studio installed on your computer? If so, please open the photo in NX Studio and determine where the camera was actually focusing and let us know where the focus point actually was for these shots.

2: Have you applied any post processing sharpening to the images? If not, do so and see what differences that makes. Start small and increase as needed and as you see improvement in the images.

3: How close to the subject was your camera when you captured this photograph? The reason I ask is that I see some feather detail that looks very good to me in the crop. (Just below the eye. Some of the wood grain that the bird is peerching on also looks sharp, but some of it is also not sharp, as I'd expect.) It appears that the depth of field is extremely shallow, which would be an effect from, among other things, the lens/camera distance to the subject being very close to the minimum focus distance of the lens. (If your first photo is of the full frame, it appears to me that you were very close.)

And finally, some comments: The 100% crop is an extreme enlargement of the photo, and the image of the bird is several times the size of the actual bird, which will cause the image to appear less detailed if viewed from too close a distance. If you are viewing it on a computer monitor within arms distance, you are viewing it from too closely. In addition, when you did the image post-processing, did you adjust to add contrast and/or testure to the photo. (Overall, the image doesn't have much contrast, due to scene lighting.) You also might try some shots with flash, even though it will drive your shutter speed lower for synchronization, as well as using a brace to steady the camera or a tripod.
 
I just think you just have to go through the back to basics variables systematically, otherwise you chase your own tail. If the camera and lens is confirmed to consistently take a sharp picture of a target on a tripod under ideal conditions, then move on to the next possibility. Are you certain of your bbf technique and certain you are acquiring focus on the eye. Are you keeping the thumb down while you shoot? If not are you sure you or the subject are not moving?

Another line of inquiry, you said SOOC. Do you mean jpeg made by the camera? If so check over the settings, especially that there is some sharpening. If not, raw really has to be processed to get a good result, especially in this case sharpened to some degree, no matter how good the lens is.
 
Member's gallery
Hey Wayne -

Thank you for your reply! To answer your questions:

1) For the fawn, the focus point was right on the eye. The squirrel was off a little, but looks to be close to the same plane as the eye. Downy was right on the eye (sorry it's not rotated like above).

2) No post processing at all, other than converting from RAW/NEF to JPG. I don't tend to do much post processing, so I'm not sure how to start with sharpening?

3) Yes, the fawn was maybe 10-15 yards away. Squirrel probably the same. Downy woodpecker, probably not even that far. So yeah, I suppose with being that close, DOF would be very thin?

Just seems though that the photos aren't razor sharp like so many on this forum. And it's not like I'm shooting cheap glass!

1649605887170.png


1649605894755.png


1649605910574.png
 
Member's gallery
Hey Bill (@bleirer) -

SOOC - I shoot raw, these were only converted from raw to jpg. I'm keeping my thumb on the AF-On button throughout, though I admit I've only just started using BBAF in the last 6 months or so. I haven't yet tested the camera/lenses against a target yet, maybe I need to start there as you suggested.

Regarding sharpening - I've never done that, seems before with my D300 images always seemed good right out of the camera. That's what's making me question my D500. Perhaps you can give me some guidance on sharpening?
 
MikeJ said:
Hey Wayne -

Thank you for your reply! To answer your questions:

1) For the fawn, the focus point was right on the eye. The squirrel was off a little, but looks to be close to the same plane as the eye. Downy was right on the eye (sorry it's not rotated like above).

2) No post processing at all, other than converting from RAW/NEF to JPG. I don't tend to do much post processing, so I'm not sure how to start with sharpening?

3) Yes, the fawn was maybe 10-15 yards away. Squirrel probably the same. Downy woodpecker, probably not even that far. So yeah, I suppose with being that close, DOF would be very thin?

Just seems though that the photos aren't razor sharp like so many on this forum. And it's not like I'm shooting cheap glass!

View attachment 36035

View attachment 36036

View attachment 36037
Click to expand...

With bbf the position of the focus point when viewed in post will not always be accurate if your thumb was not down when pressing the shutter. Just something to be aware of that you can't always rely on it. For example if you release thumb then move, the little square will stay locked at that spot relative to the frame.
 
Member's gallery
I'm pretty sure I was holding my thumb down, but maybe I need more practice?

Another example:

D500, 600mm f4G, f4, 1/2000, ISO 250, VR set to Tripod mode. Full image showing where the focus point was, 100% crop showing the not-so-crisp. Shot on a tripod with a Wimberley gimbal, thought I was using good tripod technique, although this one looks maybe a little blurred?

D51_5042a.jpg
You can only see EXIF info for this image if you are logged in.


Screenshot 2022-04-10 111344.png
 
MikeJ said:
Hey Bill (@bleirer) -

SOOC - I shoot raw, these were only converted from raw to jpg. I'm keeping my thumb on the AF-On button throughout, though I admit I've only just started using BBAF in the last 6 months or so. I haven't yet tested the camera/lenses against a target yet, maybe I need to start there as you suggested.

Regarding sharpening - I've never done that, seems before with my D300 images always seemed good right out of the camera. That's what's making me question my D500. Perhaps you can give me some guidance on sharpening?
Click to expand...

Sharpening depends on what software you are using. NX Studio if you are using that should be picking up your camera settings for sharpening unless you told it not to, but can be changed. I use lightroom/photoshop, but the idea is the same. Possible reading below, though I'm not saying this is the cause of the problem.

https://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/image-sharpening.htm

Sharpening Using an Unsharp Mask

www.cambridgeincolour.com www.cambridgeincolour.com
 
Last edited:
Member's gallery
Yes, I'm using NX Studio. I don't know that I ever told it not to sharpen, or that I ever set that in-camera? I just got the camera (albeit a few years ago) and started shooting. Should I set something differently in-camera?
 
MikeJ said:
Yes, I'm using NX Studio. I don't know that I ever told it not to sharpen, or that I ever set that in-camera? I just got the camera (albeit a few years ago) and started shooting. Should I set something differently in-camera?
Click to expand...

Usually cameras are set to a moderate amount of sharpening and it might vary according to what picture control setting you are using. This will also control things like contrast and the curve and a dozen other settings that are under your control in NX Studio. If you never customized the camera settings then it should stay the same and so maybe sharpening has nothing to do with your concern. Maybe find the sharpening part of NX Studiio and see what it is doing automatically, then bump it up a touch, see how you like it. Maybe while you are there see what the other settings are doing and read up how they impact your image. Definitely a rabbit hole that might not affect your main concern, but can be worthwhile to tweak + or - the various settings.
 
Last edited:
Member's gallery
MikeJ said:
Thank you @Whiskeyman, @Ralph Bruno, @bleirer, @DRwyoming and @jeffnles1 (and anyone else trying to help me). I have not done AF fine tune yet, maybe I should but it seems to be more than just one lens? And both the fawn and the squirrel were shot when the camera was well acclimated to the temps. I believe the fawn was shot after I'd been out hiking for a few hours, so there shouldn't have been any temperature-related issues?

A couple other items - I'm using BBF, single-point AF.

@jeffnles1, per your request, here's a downy woodpecker shot with the D500/500mm PF, most likely hand-held, f5.6, 1/500, ISO 360. On the 100% crop, the feather detail still doesn't look crisp. I mean, better than the fawn or squirrel, but still...just not...

View attachment 36033

View attachment 36034
Click to expand...
Mike,
The woodpecker in this photo looks fine to me. I would be happy with this photo. The Canada goose on the nest is a bit soft a 100% crop but looking at the photo in its entirety it looked fine.
Jeff
 
Member's gallery
I would use a fast shutter speed of 1/1600s or faster and manual focus and mirror lockup and use a cable release and see what you get. It does not appear like the autofocus is front or back focusing in the images posted but when the needed DOF is an inch or less for a subject a smaller aperture may be needed.
 
Member's gallery
Thanks, Carlson, I'll definitely try what you suggested! Unfortunately the last few weekends have been pretty busy for me so I haven't been able to get out much, but your MLU and cable release should be doable.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top