How to get sharp pictures

[Richard H]

Hi everyone,

I am using a G9, Z240 strobe and two stacked Inon 165 lenses.

I'd like to make my images sharper.

So far I half press the shutter button and then rock slightly back & forth.

I have read spot metering can improve sharpness. I current use evaluative.

Does anyone know if this is true ? Does anyone have any other tips to improve sharpness ?

Thanks

 

[Onewolf]

Metering mode should have no effect on focus sharpness (This assumes you are shooting in 'M'anual mode). Using magnifiers results in a small focal plane. Using stacked magnifiers results in a VERY small focal plane. You want to shoot with the highest f-stop to have the maximum focal plane depth. However higher f-stop = slower shutter speed. Slower shutter speed often leads to camera shake blur. It takes a great deal of practice and skill to get sharp photos with stacked magnifiers. I limit myself to a single Inon 165 because I don't have the skill yet to reliably achieve tack sharp images with stacked magnifiers. I use 15Mpix to crop 'zoom'.

 

[Richard H]

Hi Wolf,

Thanks for your help. I am using manual settings. I use F8 (the smallest aperture on the G9) and a shutter speed of 1/200th. Some of my shots are pretty sharp. I guess I just need to keep practising.

 

[jghflash]

I use spot metering and try to hold real still when the camera does the focus and fire routine, especially when using stacked 165's. As Onewolf said, even with f8 you have a really shallow focal plane to work with when the macro's are on there. I wouldn't try to rock to get perfect focus, just hold it still and let the camera do it's work. With shutter lag you're really guessing when you rock it in and out of focus. My 2 cents....

 

[Banon]

Richard,

I have a G9 with the 165 macro. It's been my experience that the camera will not autofocus well with that lens.

I've had better luck using manual focus, which lets you use the "MF-Point Zoom" setting (see menu) to display an additional magnification rectangle on the display which shows the "center square" of your 9 point display at a higher magnification, thereby letting you see if the shot will be in crisp focus. I then set the zoom to where I want it (aka how much magnification, but with corresponding loss of depth of field), usually about half, and slowly move the camera back and forth until it is sharp in that "Point Zoom" area (what you call rocking the camera).

The G11 (which my wife has) supports "Point Zoom" in auto-focus mode, but the G9 only supports it in manual focus. I find it to be a GREAT feature for macro shots.

Banon

 

[Richard H]

Thanks a lot guys

 

[scottfiji]

hey Richard - many factors affect sharpness, but the metering mode isn't one of them. Here's an article on how to maximize image sharpness underwater.

Many people confuse things like depth of field or contrast with actual sharpness. I'd post a photo so we can see exactly what you are talking about. I'd show one that you think is sharp, and one you think is not. And are you looking at web-size photos or 100% crops?

 

[sansky]

Hi Wolf,

Thanks for your help. I am using manual settings. I use F8 (the smallest aperture on the G9) and a shutter speed of 1/200th. Some of my shots are pretty sharp. I guess I just need to keep practising.

F8 is good since that is your limit; I don't use magnifiers and shoot at 1/125th and get CLOSE! A photo pro on an Aggressor I was on said shoot at 1/125th and only adjust F-stop for your subject matter, and if your strobes are adjustable - set them to the lowest setting with manual TTL and adjust +/– for more or less light. This has worked great for me - I have an Olympus 5050 in Light and Motion housing with Sea and Sea 110 and 120.

Good luck!

 

[Richard H]

Thanks a lot guys. Hey Scottfiji are you Scott from underwater photography guide ? Your website is amazing, I came across it c 6 months ago.It's the best underwater photography guide I have ever found on the web. My last dive trip was based on your Bali tips (Amed is a wonderful place to stay and dive at - as is the Tulamben area). Thanks so much.

 

[scottfiji]

hey Richard - yes, that's me. Thanks for the great feedback, and I'm really glad to hear you put the bali tips to use and had a great time in Bali - it's one of my favorite places to dive.

Make sure you post a couple of your photos so we can figure out your sharpness issues