What is a clear photo???

[LI Diver]

What ISO setting did you use? Seems like I'm noticing a little "noise" in these that give it a little grainy, fuzzy appearance.

I set it at 100 manually or in uw mode it seems to default it to 80 usually.

 

[MauiScubaSteve]

Here is an example from my old Oly 5050. These final web images are 600x450 pixels. The shot was taken in Raw; ISO 64, 1/80th, f5.0, with the same exact system listed in my sig line. With the WAL, I'm probably ~4 feet from the frogfish foursome. Strobe is set to it's lowest output, 1/8 power, with a diffuser.

For this camera, this full image is pretty good but not spectacular.

Cropped to just the four frogfish, the sharpness is a little less sharp.

Cropped even farther, to show the mostly hidden fourth frogfish, the softness is evident.​

The light colored coral head is why I had to be so far away. Any closer and the coral head is blown out. I should have tried disconnecting the strobe and holding it on the right side back behind than the plane of the lens, which then could have come closer. That would have been a lot of work for only a little better shot, so I didn't

 

[alcina]

halemano - I'm sorry, I've had a very long day but I don't understand what you are trying to show with these images? The 5050 can produce cracking sharp results that aren't shown here?

 

[LI Diver]

Is this a better example of my question? The First is original size and the second is increased by 33% and cropped.

 

[LI Diver]

Here it is before photoshop in case it makes a difference?

 

[MauiScubaSteve]

halemano - I'm sorry, I've had a very long day but I don't understand what you are trying to show with these images? The 5050 can produce cracking sharp results that aren't shown here?

It seemed to me the op was regarding the fact that the subject of his photos, when cropped to fill the frame and enlarged as wallpaper (or just a good size print), were not as sharp or clear as he expected.

I think my full frame image of the four frogfish is pretty sharp, but as I said not the greatest example of this cameras potential. Others have said the op needs to get closer to his subjects. I mentioned the reason I didn't get closer on this shot, also influenced by the fact that I was not solo diving and needed to stay with the group.

If you look at the full image, the final cropped image is ~1/9 of the original image (~.55 megapixel image?). I think it's testament to the sharpness of the 5050 that it is as sharp as it is at that magnification, especially as we all agree the original is not as spectacular as this camera is capable of.

I thought the series showed loss of sharpness due excessive cropping rather well, but I am just a point and shoot hobbyist.

 

[maged_mmh]

try to use Av mode instead of UW, it seems that tyou're shooting more than ASA100; set it to 80 or 100 manually & use manual WB