Newb with CoolPix S550 Seeks Crisper images

[eclecticguy]

Help! This image sucks!
I am an online seller and I need to be able to take crisp images to highlight details. I don't know if I have reached the limits of my camera or if I can get more sharpness for images, like the one attached to this post, with my S550.

CoolPix S550 settings for the attached image:

• ISO: 100
• Tripod used
• 10-second timer (to eliminate shake from a cheap tripod)
• White photo box
  
• Image mode 'Normal 3648'
• Flash: OFF
• Light Tent Box Used. (Lights pointing from left and right)
• White Balance: I chose the preset manual option and set by a piece of typing paper.
• Background: white typing paper
• Macro-mode: ON

For this particular image, a specialty bit, I actually hoped to zoom in on the end and create a sort of mechanical drawing with dimensions marked near the end where the bit is tapered. However, I just cannot see that happening with this level of crispness. More generally, this has been an ongoing issue that I have been meaning to look into for a while; this crispness issue keeps cropping up with small mechanical and specialty parts where I need to show a high level of detail and sometimes display measurements, etc. with photo-editing software.

 

[zulu42]

well, it's just not focused. Maybe you were too close for the minimum focusing distance for your lens, is there a macro setting on the S550? Or maybe the focus just didn't grab the subject for some reason. The settings in your post are incomplete. What shooting mode was used?

Also, the background looks really gray for a piece of white paper.

 

[zulu42]

There is a "close up" setting on the s550. have you tried that?

 

[eclecticguy]

There is a "close up" setting on the s550. have you tried that?

Yes. I forgot to mention that. I will edit the post.

 

[astroNikon]

increase your lighting a lot. I don't think that camera let's your control aperture, shutter speed and ISO independently.

You don't have many options on that camera. So you have to control it's function by the amount of light available.

The camera selected these settings
Camera: Nikon COOLPIX S550
Lens: 17.4 mm (Max aperture f/3.5)
Exposure: Auto exposure, Program AE, 1/30 sec, f/5, ISO 100
Flash: Off, Did not fire
Focus: AF-C, Center
AF Area Mode: Single Area

which has too slow of a shutter speed. As it's probably fuzzy because your hand holding techniques are not adequate for that. Add more light; and raise your subject off the paper if you can.

 

[eclecticguy]

Thanks for the reply.

well, it's just not focused. Maybe you were too close for the minimum focusing distance for your lens, ...

I will try again from a further distance. That said, there is a little square that appears in the LED screen that indicates the center of focus. This was in the proper area.

...is there a macro setting on the S550? ... The settings in your post are incomplete. What shooting mode was used?.

Macro Mode was 'ON'. (I just edited the original post. I forgot to mention that.)

Also, the background looks really gray for a piece of white paper.

I used 'Preset Manual' for white balance setting, and snapped the white background typing paper to set it when prompted. I will try some images set to 'AUTO'. But I am really going to concentrate more on the focus , crsipness issue.

 

[eclecticguy]

Much improved!

For posterity and my own reference, the key differences and advice taken are:

• Increased distance to 33" [zulu42],
• Increased the lighting a lot [astroNikon]
• Raised the subject off the paper [astroNikon].
• Changed the white balance to AUTO.

It's worth noting that the auto focus focused on the bolts to the right and it does seem that that side is crisper.

• ISO: 100
• Tripod used
• 10-second timer (As mentioned before, therefore there is no hand shake )
• Photographic light bulbs (forget what they are called)
  
• Image mode 'Normal 3648'
• Flash: OFF
• Light Tent Box Used. (Lights pointing from left front and right)
• White Balance: AUTO
• Background: white typing paper
• Macro-mode: ON

 

[KmH]

The photo is still under exposed - by at least a full stop.
In professional circles a 1/4 stop under or over exposure is about the limit.

The main issue is your lack of photography knowledge and skill.
Your point and shoot camera has some significant limitations too, but a knowledgeable skilled photographer could overcome most of those limitations - a very small image sensor, a contrast-detect AF rather than phase detect AF, electronic (not optical) zoom/macro, and limited exposure modes.
Plus, ideally you would want to shoot Raw image files and then 'finish' your product photos with a decent image editing software application.
Image sensor format - Wikipedia
Digital Camera Sensor Sizes: How it Influences Your Photography
The Digital Negative: Raw Image Processing in Lightroom, Camera Raw, and Photoshop (2nd Edition)

This inexpensive book, now in it's 5th edition, is considered my many to be a product lighting primer:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0...gic: An Introduction to Photographic Lighting

 

[eclecticguy]

Same setup as previous post, but changed 'exposure compensation' to +0.7.

 

[Derrel]

Applying (some type of one of several methods of) sharpening to a camera-created .JPEG image is pretty standard procedure, after the image has been brought into a computer. Was any unsharp masking applied to this picture? Was the sharpen command used in any type of image editing application before it was posted here?

I can see small details, but not clearly, which makes me think you just need to apply a healthy amount of sharpening to the shot.

 

[zulu42]

Great improvement, a heck of a lot better.

Also make sure the drill is parallel to your lens. Any angle can throw one or both ends out of focus

 

[eclecticguy]

Same setup as the previous post, but changed 'exposure compensation' to +1.0. and added light filtered with a napkin. Still not impressed; it has a kind of hazy look when looking at it at 100%.

Note: I don't want to make any software edits for this thread. (That's a topic for another thread.). Concentrating on photo taking now.

 

[eclecticguy]

Also make sure the drill is parallel to your lens. Any angle can throw one or both ends out of focus

Noted. The last photo is somewhat parallel. Thanks.

 

[astroNikon]

perused your manual ...

1 - MACRO mode does nothing other than continuously focus. since you are on a tripod, that feature could be off

2 - AF mode - you want to be in MANUAL or CENTER.
your AF system automatically focuses in the center and looks for faces.
so either manually focus or use the center and make sure you have the object in the center focus point. do not use AUTOmatic (It likes to look for faces). Technically it should work, but if you have the option of controlling it yourself and focus where *you* want it to focus, you might as well.

3 - consider turning ON the High Sensitivity Mode. This will increase ISO above 100 to improve exposure unless you add more light. These small sensor cameras have flash for a reason.

read your manual and learn it's limitations and features ==> https://cdn-10.nikon-cdn.com/pdf/manuals/coolpix/S550_en.pdf