optimal jpeg settings

yee379

New member
i often shot in jpeg on my d70s, however, i find the jpegs on the d5100 rather soft and a little 'flat'. i've always like olympus jpegs - has any got recommendations on tweaking the jpeg settings? do most people shoot on SD or VI?
 

Marcel

Happily retired
Staff member
Super Mod
I think this is something that we can not decide for you. You already seem to have a preference for a certain look. What you have to do now is "TRY" different settings and then use what you prefer.

You might start by adding a little contrast and sharpening to your jpegs with the in-camera settings and work from there. You'll get to know your camera and from there, you can use whatever setting depending on the light conditions or the scene you're shooting.

Have fun and test your camera's settings, you'll get better results.
 

Geoffc

Senior Member
Last year I wanted to upgrade my d70. My wife has a d300 and that seemed a logical choice but I ended up buying a d7000 because it is supposed to be later technology / pixels etc.

After 2 weeks I was still disappointed that it never looked as sharp as the 70 or 300. I took it back and changed it for a 300s which I love. My friend has a 7000 which he likes but I pointed out that it doesn't seem to resolve lines as sharply as I like. I did test shots to compare. I'm sure many love their 16 mp cameras and I'm not saying they're rubbish, but it wasn't for me at that time. I paid an extra £200 to get the 12.3 mp 300s!!

Either way just takes pics and enjoy it, as the camera is rarely the limiting factor.
 

eurotrash

Senior Member
Try also playing with your custom white balance. I've found that A2 or A3 makes things "pop" a bit more but is sometimes too much for darker-skinned people (my Columbian girlfriend, for example.) It really does warm up shots, however, and looks somehow more neutral to me. I only use this setting with the "Neutral" color tone setting though as it tends to be too much with "Vivid".
Also, sharpness all depends on your focus and your distance/DOF. You can make any lens/camera/point and shoot "sharp". Spend time trying to get things perfectly in focus. I'm still struggling with this, but I did read it several places :)

Also, you can adjust the sharpness setting as a custom setting. Bump that up to +6 or so. It should come standard at somewhere around +2 or so. This, along with a better lens helped my pictures become so much more crisp than standard.
 
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Eye-level

Banned
Shoot at faster shutter speeds, stopped down, and work on holding the camera very still when pressing the shutter button...many people stab at the shutter release button with the tip of their finger...I like to use the fleshy part of my finger and I try to exhale as I press the trigger.
 
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