I'm looking at your shots Wev, thinking how clear they are. I can't get anywhere near that clear but I'm thinking this is in pretty good light? I think its the weight of the camera and the weakness of my arms (all my shots hand held), plus shots taken in low light that are causing me to get not so clear shots. Do you use a tripod or monopod for your shots?
Well, the first thing to remember is that you only see the pics I post -- bucket loads go into the trash every day. I've been shooting with a monopod lately, waiting for my new tripod to arrive. I don't do much hand-held, as my right hand is a bit wonky and doesn't hold up long. I'm in SoCal and have pretty good light most days, but am quite willing to push the iso hard to stay at least at 1/200, f9.
That and I never start without a few large doses of Dr. Augustus Wicket's Golden California Good Luck Powder (Pat. Pending)