new pen, improve photo?

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mikeschn

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I made a new pen this morning, and decided I would learn how to improve my photos...

First things first... I didn't paint the tube. :befuddled: I need to go and buy some black paint... so don't beat me up on that.

Now for the picture... I learned about exposure comp this morning. I have my camera set to +1. That seems to help a lot. But it's still not as sharp as I'd like to see it. So what can I do to improve the sharpness of the photo? Here's the settings I used.


F-stop f/22
Exposure time 1/6 sec.
ISO speed ISO-100
Exposure Bias +1 step
Focal length 70mm
Exposure program Aperture Priority
White balance Auto

Mike...
 

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Ed McDonnell

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Are you using a tripod? 1/6s is too slow to reliably get crisp hand held shots. With a tripod you would also want to use remote shutter release or the timer to avoid any camera movement. Without a tripod, adjust aperture / iso to get shutter speed of 1/60s or faster.

If you open up the lens (something wider than f/22) you will get more light and faster shutter speeds. You will lose some depth of field, but it might not be a problem with how you have the pen oriented.

Instead of boosting the exposure setting, try increasing your iso to 200 or 400. Or add more light to the subject. You may not need to do either if you open up the lens and use a wider aperture.

Pen looks good.

Ed
 

mikeschn

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Jan 6, 2016
Messages
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Location
Lake Orion, MI
Exactly... how do I make it a little bit sharper? I'm using a Canon Rebel, with an 18mp sensor, and a Canon 15-85 lens.

It's sunny out right now. Let me go and see what the sun does for the sharpness...

Mike....

P.S. Yes, I am using a tripod!

P.P.S. Photo added....
F=stop f/22
exposure time 1/30 sec.
Iso speed ISO 100
Exposure bias +1 step
Focal length 85mm
Exposure program Aperture Priority
White Balance Auto


Just needs to be a little sharper.
 

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Dave Turner

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Sylvania, Ohio
Very nice base photo. This is a good starting point for your post-processing. I also like to use a small aperture to get a broad depth-of-field. For me, anything higher than f/18 is satisfactory. If your camera is capable, I prefer to use the manual mode, where you set both the aperture and exposure time. This gives your exposures more consistency. You may also want to bracket your shots, taking one shot at what you think is the correct exposure, then additional shots about 1 1/1 stops above and below this point. This gives you lots to work with when you go to post-processing and often eliminates having to re-shoot photos. If your camera is able, shoot everything in RAW mode rather than JPEG. RAW gives you a lot more latitude in adjusting things in post-processing. Also, it's better to have the photo slightly underexposed than overexposed. There's not much you can do to fix washed-out highlights, but underexposed shadows can usually be fixed.

I do most of my post-processing in Lightroom, but have also used Zoner Photo Studio, which I like a lot for the price. Here you can adjust the white balance and exposure to give your backgrounds a nice bright white look. It's also easy to brighten any areas that are too dark, without bringing up overall exposure. Be sure to add some 'Clarity' which also helps add contrast and pops the color. No matter how careful I am, there usually are a few dust specs that show up. You can use the clone tool to easily remove these. If needed you can perform a little noise reduction (particularly if using higher ISO settings). Finally, most photos benefit from at least a little sharpening, particularly for web viewing. I usually don't sharpen them until after I re-size them to what is needed for web posting.
 

jcreasey

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Feb 29, 2016
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To get a super sharp photo you have a couple of options:

1. Place the pen so that it is 'flat' with the camera.

2. Small aperture. This will increase the depth of field, but it does also lead to diffraction blurring from the lens. Try not to use more than necessary.

3. Focus stacking. This is where you take multiple photographs focused on different parts of the pen, and then combine them together in the computer. You can do it in photoshop or a utility called 'Helicon Focus'. The results are spectacular and it is quite easy to do.
 

mikeschn

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Okay, I did a couple more pics...

Are these sharp enough or do I still need to work on the sharpness?

Mike...
 

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vakmere

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Philly
My photos were really bad before I read how others on IAP were doing it. Some here have outstanding images without all the fancy stuff. Lots of different methods depending on your set up and affordability. I use this - PolaroidPro Table Top Photo Studio Kit.
Here's the link - Polaroid Pro Table Top Photo Studio Kit PLPSLED B&H Photo Video
I cleaned up your photo with Adobe Photoshop Elements. Removed the streak from the lamp light, adjusted the contrast and sharpness. Brightened it up a little. I typically angle the pen to avoid streaks. You will get good photos with a nice camera, practice and experimentation. Painting the tube aside, you will take better photos by trial and error.
My camera is wired to my laptop so I get to see the image right away and go from there.
 

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