Wood, Rusty metal and a flower

I loved this shot when I saw it. The only problem I have is sharpness. I have not been happy with an close focus shot that I have had. I make sure that I am far enough away that I can go in and out of focus on the shot, I have shot at F22, I think I have covered all the bases and I just don't think it is as sharp as it should be, This goes for both lenses that I have.

Diffraction can also be an issue with a small aperature setting like f22.

Something wrong with your eyes? Looks nice and sharp to me on my monitor. Nice shot.

tracsoft said:

I loved this shot when I saw it. The only problem I have is sharpness. I have not been happy with an close focus shot that I have had. I make sure that I am far enough away that I can go in and out of focus on the shot, I have shot at F22, I think I have covered all the bases and I just don't think it is as sharp as it should be, This goes for both lenses that I have.View attachment 4512

Click to expand...

hey which lens were you using? and what was other settings, such as iso, shutter speed, exposure, etc. I really like what you did here and was hoping i can learn a thing or two from you!!

Each lens has a "sweet spot" when it comes to sharpness. More often than not, it's right in the middle of the focal length and around f/8, plus or minus a stop. Give those settings a try and see if you notice an improvement in sharpness.

Here is the data from the shot. See if there is anything that I might try different.
@Anthony Hereld will give that idea a try. Back in my film days I did a lot of work with a 5X7 camera at F64 and only did contact prints. Digital SLR is really a different animal. Got to learn the ins and outs and tricks.

File Info 1
File: Nikon_07_12_2011_0648.NEF
Date Created: 7/12/2011 11:41:14 AM
Date Modified: 7/12/2011 8:35:19 PM
File Size: 11.9 MB
Image Size: L (4608 x 3072)
File Info 2
Date Shot: 7/12/2011 11:41:14.10
Time Zone and Date: UTC-6, DST:ON
Image Quality: Compressed RAW (12-bit)
Artist:
Copyright:
Image Comment: Don Kuykendall
Camera Info
Device: Nikon D3100
Lens: VR 55-200mm F/4-5.6G
Focal Length: 55mm
Focus Mode: AF-A
AF-Area Mode: Auto
VR: ON
AF Fine Tune:
Exposure
Aperture: F/22
Shutter Speed: 1/40s
Exposure Mode: Aperture Priority
Exposure Comp.: -1.0EV
Exposure Tuning:
Metering: Center-Weighted
ISO Sensitivity: Auto (ISO 400)
Flash
Device:
Image Settings
White Balance: Auto, 0, 0
Color Space: Adobe RGB
High ISO NR: ON (Normal)
Long Exposure NR: OFF
Active D-Lighting: Auto
Image Authentication:
Vignette Control:
Auto Distortion Control: ON
Picture Control
Picture Control: [SD] STANDARD
Base: [SD] STANDARD
Quick Adjust: -
Sharpening: Auto
Contrast: Active D-Lighting
Brightness: Active D-Lighting
Saturation: Auto
Hue: 0
Filter Effects:
Toning:
GPS
Latitude:
Longitude:
Altitude:
Altitude Reference:
Heading:
UTC:
Map Datum:

I did have a little fun shooting on my vacation. I was shooting waterfalls in the smokey mountains and ran across these kids diving off a rock.