fuel925 Posted July 18, 2006 Share Posted July 18, 2006 I have taken some pictures of a flower with a brick wall as a backdrop. Not very attractive I know, but I was just messing with DoF etc. Anyway, if you check the image in this link: http://www.flickr.com/photos/cjcater/192724861/ you will see that the petals of the flower doesnt look sharp... I am aiming for maximum sharpness but I just cant seem to achieve this. That picture was taken while zoomed in at 55mm, with an apeture of 5.6. Changing the apeture to 22 didnt do anything to make the flowers sharper (although the DoF increased to bring the bricks into focus. Are there any ideas as to what im doing wrong? Also, when taking portraits, pictures of flowers or anything else that takes up the whole frame, is it better to zoom in, and then move yourself until the subject fills the frame, or use the widest angle your lens will allow? (and move yourself until the subject fills the frame). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MR_Candyman Posted July 18, 2006 Share Posted July 18, 2006 with zoom lenses the sharpest point of the lens is actually around the middle of the zoom range. Try positioning yourself that way and it should get sharper Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fuel925 Posted July 18, 2006 Author Share Posted July 18, 2006 Ok, I tried that but it didnt improve my results, nice bit of info anyway :) Other photos I have taken appear sharp, but this particular flower always seems to appear not quite sharp enough :\ Looking closer at my image, it appears that the middle flower is sharp, but the surrounding flowers (especially the closest one) is not as sharp... its as if the focus is being concentrated on the middle flower, and the rest are getting the **** end of the stick... im really confused now! :o Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MR_Candyman Posted July 18, 2006 Share Posted July 18, 2006 here's some more tips to help make it sharper: http://www.ethanmeleg.com/tip5.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmeags Posted July 18, 2006 Share Posted July 18, 2006 You're probably focusing on the middle of the flower... if I remember correctly, you said in an earlier thread that you bought a D50. I've also got one, try using a different auto focus setting to see if that helps out with the blurryness Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fuel925 Posted July 18, 2006 Author Share Posted July 18, 2006 You're probably focusing on the middle of the flower... if I remember correctly, you said in an earlier thread that you bought a D50. I've also got one, try using a different auto focus setting to see if that helps out with the blurryness Thanks for the suggestion, i'll give that a try at the next available opportunity! :cool: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Draconian Guppy Posted July 19, 2006 Share Posted July 19, 2006 (edited) Thanks for the suggestion, i'll give that a try at the next available opportunity! :cool: Well as an owner of a d50 as well, and as others mentioned you should check the type of focus being used, being single area, dynamic, or closest to subject, I think the case with you flower is Closest to subject, remember, when using auto, when you switch back to A,P or S, the AF mode will remain as the "auto" function left it. For macro shots, You should practice manual focus, rather than letting AF do it for you. IF you indeed did use manual focus, then look at the tips @Mr_Candymans reply. edit: 1.spelling 2. Just checked the "more info" option on your pictures in flickr, and it shows "Focus Mode: AF-A", which is set by default. for stationary subjects you should use AF-S/ Single-Servo AF, if you must use AF. A combination I like to use when I want to shoot a close-up quickly not wanting to manual focus is AF-S and Single area focus in AF area mode. These options are all in the "Nikon guide to DP with the D50" that comes with the camara. Edited July 19, 2006 by maudit Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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