D3200 detail or sharpness issues!

I have been an amateur photographer for around 5 years now though there was a two year gap as family life got very busy for a while. At the time I was using a canon EOS 350D which was just 8mp but I got some truly stunning images with it (If I do say so myself) but it had seen better days so I got rid. Two years later I finally got the time to get back into photography again and with a little advice I settled on the D320. The 24mp was a big influence on me plus I prefer the menu layout and I find the interface to be more user friendly but here is the problem.
I find my images to be lacking detail and/or over all sharpness. I always use a good study tripod so shake is not the issue. At first I thought my polarizer might be interfering with the sensor so I tried a few shots without the filter but still the same problem, so then I reset the camera back to factory settings and still the same. Does anyone have any insight? Also any and all other advice and critique welcomed.

With a 24mp sensor, you might be getting some diffraction. Since the exits are missing from your supplied pics, it's a little difficult to judge and diagnose. What was the aperture used for these shots? Are you using raw files? If yes, are you applying some sharpness in post processing? If shooting jpegs, have you increased your camera settings for sharpness? I found that I needed to bump the sharpness level to 7 on my cameras in the shooting menu.

Since these were long exposures, I suspect diffraction...

Without exif data it is hard to provide an intelligent answer, however two possibilites that come to mind are:

1. The default sharpening level in all Nikon cameras is very low. Go into the shooting menu, picture control, and increase the default sharpening level.

2. The D3200 will suffer from diffraction limited resolution at apertures smaller than f/7.1. If you are shooting at f/11, f/16, f/22, etc. your images will not be as sharp as they could be at larger apertures. See this recent thread: http://nikonites.com/general-lenses...when-using-dx-specific-lenses.html#post296463

Are you shooting in JPG or RAW? If you shoot JPG, the first thing you need to do is go into your menus and adjust the "Sharpening" setting.

Press the "Menu", go into your Shooting Menu and highlight "Set Picture Control".
Click-right using the four-way selector switch and highlight whatever setting you use here.
Click-right again, using the four-way selector switch and highlight "Sharpening".
Adjust this setting to +6 or +7 and press "OK".

I don't know why on earth the default sharpness setting is set so low at the factory, but it is.

Another thing I've noticed is when looking at photos on my monitor, they're reduced to a tiny fraction of their total size for easy viewing on the screen. Seeing them at, say, 15% really does not accurately reflect how sharp the shot really is; I think it's reflecting how well the photo-viewing software can render my images at significantly reduced size. Try zooming in on the shot a little and see how sharp the shot looks at, say, 75% or so.

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Any shot you have the VR turned on? It can actually cause shake on long exposures on a tripod.

BackdoorHippie said:

Any shot you have the VR turned on? It can actually cause shake on long exposures on a tripod.

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Very true. It is sooo easy to forget.

LensWork said:

Without exif data it is hard to provide an intelligent answer, however two possibilites that come to mind are:

1. The default sharpening level in all Nikon cameras is very low. Go into the shooting menu, picture control, and increase the default sharpening level.

2. The D3200 will suffer from diffraction limited resolution at apertures smaller than f/7.1. If you are shooting at f/11, f/16, f/22, etc. your images will not be as sharp as they could be at larger apertures. See this recent thread: http://nikonites.com/general-lenses...when-using-dx-specific-lenses.html#post296463

Click to expand...

I didn't realise that the default sharpening was low on Nikon I will have a look at that and also I usually shoot most of my shots at f22 for long exposures and ISO is usually at 100 or 200. so I guess that would explain most if not all o my problem. I like to use the smaller aperture's for blurring out moving water but am aware of other techniques to achieve the same result so I will have fun trying.

Also I know what EXCIF data is but I am unsure how to put it on here with my images.

Horoscope Fish said:

Are you shooting in JPG or RAW? If you shoot JPG, the first thing you need to do is go into your menus and adjust the "Sharpening" setting.

Press the "Menu", go into your Shooting Menu and highlight "Set Picture Control".
Click-right using the four-way selector switch and highlight whatever setting you use here.
Click-right again, using the four-way selector switch and highlight "Sharpening".
Adjust this setting to +6 or +7 and press "OK".

I don't know why on earth the default sharpness setting is set so low at the factory, but it is.

Another thing I've noticed is when looking at photos on my monitor, they're reduced to a tiny fraction of their total size for easy viewing on the screen. Seeing them at, say, 15% really does not accurately reflect how sharp the shot really is; I think it's reflecting how well the photo-viewing software can render my images at significantly reduced size. Try zooming in on the shot a little and see how sharp the shot looks at, say, 75% or so.

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Click to expand...

Hi Horoscope. I shoot RAW. Can this sharpening be done if I shoot RAW? Also I have a high res IPS screen and even zoomed in it looks unsharp and has lost detail.

BackdoorHippie said:

Any shot you have the VR turned on? It can actually cause shake on long exposures on a tripod.

Click to expand...

Thanks BackdoorHippie but I am aware that the VR can cause shake so I leave it off.

F22 is never going to be the sharpest to shoot at for a start. Any particular reason you are shooting at such a high F stop?

Also, are you using auto or manual focus?

Iron lung said:

Hi Horoscope. I shoot RAW. Can this sharpening be done if I shoot RAW? Also I have a high res IPS screen and even zoomed in it looks unsharp and has lost detail.

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Well the camera embeds the information in the RAW file but I'm unclear, too be honest, on how exactly that information is used, or IF it's used, by different software applications. The general consensus seems to be that this information, meaning the settings as applied in the different profiles (Standard, Vivid, Landscape, etc.), are not applied to RAW files; but again, I've heard differing explanations on this topic and I've not yet looked into as much as I'd like to find out for myself.

Further, my girlfriend shot with a '3200 for a long time and, using a Nikon 35mm f/1.8G lens, she could get some pretty darn good sharpness. The 85mm f/1.8G was even better. We recently bumped her into a '5300 which maintains the 24MP's of the '3200 but also loses the optical low-pass filter (OLPF). I speak from experience, albeit somewhat limited, when I tell you I've had two previous Nikon's that did have OLPF's and now, we have two Nikon's that do *not* have them (I shoot with a '7100 which also does not have this filter). In comparing images from all these cameras I can tell you the difference is dramatic. So, anyway... Question for you is, what lens, or lenses are you putting on the '3200? I'm sure it's no surprise this is going to be a huuuuge factor in overall image quality.

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Definitely not going to get a sharp image at f22. Try f8-f11 and see if you notice a difference. Also, what lens and focal length are you using? That can also play a large role in your problem. I have to say, I have a D3200 myself, and I never notice any sharpness issues unless I don't have the depth of field or focus set properly.

Also not sure what procedure for focus you are using but as you are shooting landscapes on a tripod I would advise manual focus, use live view, zoom in on the LCD and fine tune your focus for nice sharp results.

Apologies if you are doing this already or are aware of these methods but with limited technical details in your OP it's hard to pin it down.

I am just using the standard kit lens at the min. I use F22 for low light landscapes (e.g. early morning before sunrise and late at night before sunset or just after). I had read that it was the best for this image style and have seen images in magazine's using f22 for these shots to great effect and have used it myself on an older 8mp camera and got some nice results. Just click on the facebook tab on my profile and see what I mean. I alternate between auto focus and manual focus. I am not to keen on using live view I prefer the view finder but I will try and use it to see what happens and I will adjust my F stops accordingly.

Also I think its very limiting if I can only use f7.1 or higher. Lots of books like understanding exposure recommend an F stop value of F22 for low light landscapes or the "cotton candy" water

Iron lung said:

Also I think its very limiting if I can only use f7.1 or higher. Lots of books like understanding exposure recommend an F stop value of F22 for low light landscapes or the "cotton candy" water

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Get yourself a few neutral density filters. You will then gain much control in that area.

Marcel said:

Get yourself a few neutral density filters. You will then gain much control in that area.

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I was thinking about getting some ND filters but would the diffraction not just be the same with or without the ND seeing as I would be using F22?

Get some ND filters to slow your shutter speed and shoot at something like F11 instead of F22.

Iron lung said:

I was thinking about getting some ND filters but would the diffraction not just be the same with or without the ND seeing as I would be using F22?

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There will be no diffraction with an ND filter in place when using a wider aperture because diffraction is caused by small apertures.

>>...

Ah now I get it. So by using the ND I wont have to go as far a F22. I give it a go and see what happens. Thanks

Iron lung said:

I was thinking about getting some ND filters but would the diffraction not just be the same with or without the ND seeing as I would be using F22?

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I really don't know. There is only one way to find out. But the f22 is certainly a factor. Another point when doing long exposures is you have to make sure to block the light from coming in through the viewfinder. This could kind of flare inside and give you a diffraction effect as well.

But have you tried to sharpen your images. When I use raw files, there is no way I'd even show them on a computer or a screen without sharpening. Remember that the camera's processor do apply sharpening to the jpegs (depending on your shooting settings) but the raw files are alway a little dull and need the sharpening.

The suggestion to get the ND filters is great and should allow you to get the water effect you're looking for without having to use such a small aperture. Like the suggestion said, try one with an aperture of f11 and adjust the shutter speed accordingly for the correct exposure. This should fix your problem.

While you may see examples of f22 and they look great you can't assume that it will work for you with every lens and camera combination (especially an intro body with kit lens).