Quest for superclean photos

[Eyelight]

On topic, while post can enhance it cannot create a sharp image. The sharpest image is one with correct exposure, focus, aperture, steady hand (tripod), etc.. Everything affects sharpness. An image is an infinite number of infinitesimal pinpoints of light all being placed where you tell the camera/lens to place them.

However and assuming the shot is "close enough", try your post routine with the sole purpose of sharpness. In other words, use each tool with an eye to how it affects the detail of the image.

 

[flipperzoom]

after cheking my photos again i think i realised that they may actually look ok!

i have others that they are much better.

sorry for overreacting

 

[Horoscope Fish]

Both of those look pretty good, overall I think. I do think there's some room for improvement but they're certainly not bad at all. The sleeping kitty punched up pretty nicely with very little work, I think. Below is your shot with some sharpening applied, a RAW file would be much better to work with but you can get some good results with a JPG if that's all you've got. I think a slightly deeper depth of field would have helped here but a little tweak didn't hurt...

Original​

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Sharpened​

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[flipperzoom]

i have accidentally found an automotive picture that shows what i mean when i say superclean picture!

is it even possible to shoot pictures like this with an entry level dslr like D5200? Im pretty sure D200 with 18-55mm lens will not have any result near this!

The picture size is so big yet the quality is so good, the reflections are almost perfect (see headlights).

I doubt thats just a post processing result... it has to be the camera!!!

 

[wornish]

A D5200 is perfectly capable of producing a shot like this.
Practice makes perfect.

Look at the EXIF data.

1/640 sec f/2.8 focal length 173 mm ( probably the cannon zoom lens).

This looks like a set piece shot
The car was probably stationary, the light was right and perhaps the camera was on a tripod.
You can get this level of "cleanness or sharpness" with a D5200 but you have to work for it.

The f/2.8 blurs the background, the shutter speed removes the camera shake and the focus was probably on the RHS of shot door mirror.

You can find lots of equally clean shots on this forum taken with the D5200.

 

[J-see]

I doubt it is a "out of the cam" shot and is probably processed or worked at like most shots these days. If you load it into PS and check it at 500%, you'll see what I consider to be "artifacts" of a process making the shot this clean.

 

[Horoscope Fish]

i have accidentally found an automotive picture that shows what i mean when i say superclean picture!

is it even possible to shoot pictures like this with an entry level dslr like D5200? Im pretty sure D200 with 18-55mm lens will not have any result near this!

The picture size is so big yet the quality is so good, the reflections are almost perfect (see headlights).

I doubt thats just a post processing result... it has to be the camera!!!

Shots that good are a combination of things including camera, lens and technique -- both behind the camera and behind the computer. It should be mentioned the Canon 5D Mark II is a $2500 full-frame camera and the lens used, a Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM, will set you back another $2000. That being said, all that horsepower in the hands of someone who doesn't know how to put it to use won't get you images like that.
....

 

[Eyelight]

What really sets the shot off is the blurred background. It enhances the sharpness (to our eyes) of the more in focus lines of the car. Put the same car on an in focus background and it would be lost in the shadow with the pavement.

 

[flipperzoom]

I understand what you are saying guys. I will try to practice my shooting skills and learn all the different manual settings of the camera.

thanks for your replies

 

[aroy]

The modern DSLR and kit lenses do produce razor sharp images, even at F5.6. It is the lighting and technique that matters.

 

[flipperzoom]

is there any way i can use built-in flash to take pictures but not have that vignet-style effect which the objects in the middle of the picture have more light and those around are darker?

I actually never use flash when shooting!

 

[wornish]

With the built in flash you are very limited in what can be done. Perhaps putting a bit of thin white gauze in front of the actual flash might help but not a great deal.
You can compensate for the vignetting caused by the flash in Post Processing by using a radial filter to increase the exposure in the darker areas.

If you attach a separate flash gun then you can do a lot more, again there are increasing levels of complexity that you can use to get better results.
The easiest method is to direct the flash to bounce off a large white surface like a ceiling or a wall. You can also attach a diffuser on the flash as well to soften the effect.
Ideally the flash should be mounted on a bracket so it is some way from the camera lens.

Or better still but a lot more complex use multiple flashes mounted on stands around the subject and trigger them in command mode using the on camera flash as the master.
Using flash well is a whole subject of its own.

 

[flipperzoom]

thanks for the helpful information!

as a newbie photographer, do you think adding flash will make dramatic change on my photos or?

 

[J-see]

That depends entirely upon what you shoot and under which circumstances. Flash can be to light what shrieking is to sound.

 

[flipperzoom]

i see, ok

 

[Horoscope Fish]

thanks for the helpful information!

as a newbie photographer, do you think adding flash will make dramatic change on my photos or?

Working with flash adds an entirely new dimension to photography. It's a huge and powerful aspect and there is much to learn to use it well in all circumstances.

To answer your question about avoiding the vignetting flash sometimes creates, yes, that absolutely can be avoided but the solution depends on what's causing it in the first place.

...

 

[aroy]

You can also use a polarizing filter to control reflections. I have used it to take the glare off the wind screen while shooting cars. You have to rotate the filter till the objectionable reflections are gone, but be ware one set may go and another set may come.

A direct flash will never give uniform lighting. ou have to use remote flash mounted away from you, preferably with large umbrella reflectors for diffusing light. If possible shoot when the light is a bit diffused and not in bright sun.

 

[Sevenup]

is there any way i can use built-in flash to take pictures but not have that vignet-style effect which the objects in the middle of the picture have more light and those around are darker?

I actually never use flash when shooting!

LumiQuest Soft Screen Diffuser LQ-051D-1 B&H Photo Video

How to make a supersimple bounce flash for your dSLR - CNET