tack sharp images - help needed to save sanity.

[baddness]

Ok, I think that I have the drool cleaned up off of my face and keyboard after reading TT's gear list. Holy Moly!!!!
I've been trying to get tack sharp images taken in natural light. I have the rebel xti and find that bumping up the iso above 400 makes for noise, lots of it. I've been going for exposure so I chimp the histogram and when I think I got a good clear image, I download to my computer and see that it's so OOF. It's pretty discouraging.

[tomorrowstreasures]

I just shoot using what I think I understand about photography and there's lot's of evidence in the form of very bad pictures to show I'm still very much a learning animal I don't do well with books but seem to thrive with hands on experimentation. In the case of toddler shots my answer is this...I shoot my girlfriends grandson using an external flash bounced off the ceiling (white) with a diffuser cup mounted. I generally shoot at 100 ISO 1/100 and set the flash to fill in. Using this method, I get 80% good results and tack sharp. Hope this helps. Again I don't fully understand to the levels of Travis why this method works but have a basic idea The other thing I'm prone to doing is a lot of experimentation because this is how I learn as I said. One of the methods I used to learn going back a bit was to set my old E-500 on auto and then go over the exif data to see what choices the camera made then I sort of back engineered it to try and figure out why. Where I want to be is at a point where I always get good shots because I totally understand the medium and in that I think I'm making some headway....

Yikes! You are going to be wicked good when you "get it"!!!! LOL - seriously, you are very,very talented and I can't wait to see how you grow!!! I think it is so true for the arty types - hands on over books. I work with kids that have learning disabilities - funny thing - most of them have skill in talent in area that are art, music, mechanical. They are so amazing.... then there are the types who can get it by reading it once or twice and acquire their skill that way. and then there are types like me who read, read, read, hands on, hands on, hand on and still struggle. BUT not give up.

Again - thanks for your feedback!

[edbayani11]

Ok, I think that I have the drool cleaned up off of my face and keyboard after reading TT's gear list. Holy Moly!!!!
I've been trying to get tack sharp images taken in natural light. I have the rebel xti and find that bumping up the iso above 400 makes for noise, lots of it. I've been going for exposure so I chimp the histogram and when I think I got a good clear image, I download to my computer and see that it's so OOF. It's pretty discouraging.

hi, i also use the xti and kit lenses. the first time i used it, i was disappointed and i thought it was the lens, because i was comparing my shots to my old photos shot on film and noticed that it was really sharp when i view it in the enlarger. i read the xti manual and learned that i can still adjust the sharpness levels (up to 7) aqnd when i adjusted the camera's sharpness levels and tested it, i noticed a marked difference. now, the only problem is me.

[edbayani11]

i think they have said everything to improve the sharpness of your photograps. very good advice.
may i add, try testing the slowest shutter speed that your hand can handle and then go one stop higher and maybe try to use a shorter focal length to add dof

[baddness]

hi, i also use the xti and kit lenses. the first time i used it, i was disappointed and i thought it was the lens, because i was comparing my shots to my old photos shot on film and noticed that it was really sharp when i view it in the enlarger. i read the xti manual and learned that i can still adjust the sharpness levels (up to 7) aqnd when i adjusted the camera's sharpness levels and tested it, i noticed a marked difference. now, the only problem is me.

Do you shoot raw or jpeg?

[edbayani11]

Do you shoot raw or jpeg?

for shots i think important, i shoot raw

[baddness]

for shots i think important, i shoot raw

I shoot raw + jpeg. I read somewhere that you can bump up the in camera sharpening, contrast etc. but it only affects the jpeg files. Does nothing to the raw files. So you find that even shooting raw with the in camera sharpening bumped up that your pictures are sharper?

[edbayani11]

I shoot raw + jpeg. I read somewhere that you can bump up the in camera sharpening, contrast etc. but it only affects the jpeg files. Does nothing to the raw files. So you find that even shooting raw with the in camera sharpening bumped up that your pictures are sharper?

yes, you can shoot raw or jpeg and sharpens both formats.

[kat]

How do you bump up camera sharpness? I'm slightly confused....

[baddness]

in the menu where it says picture style is where you can change the sharpness, contrast, saturation and color tone. But I thought that it was only for the jpegs not raw.