Why are my images so soft?

[msolorio]

I've just started learning and diving into photography, so I am still trying to fix out some issues I have. I have a Sony A330 and i'm in the NW (Seattle) and around this time the weather really stinks (rain, wind, overcast etc.). I did however take some photos during the summer and they came out pretty clear.

Recently the weather has been fairly ok. It's been a bit sunny but really cloudy. Like this image that I've linked, it seems way too soft. You can take a look at my meta deta. Is my ISO not right (though I still don't how to set that right) ? I'm getting the hang of the shutter speed and exposure & meter. But for some odd reason they seem too soft. would appreciate anyone's input. thanks!

EDIT:

Meta Data
Exposure: 0.003 sec (1/400)
Aperture: f/22.0
Focal Length: 24 mm
ISO Speed: 800

 

[namaste_lv]

I would look at moving the aperture more towards the middle sweet spots. I assume that you're stopped all the way down at f22 on that lens. A lot of lenses lose sharpness at either extreme.

 

[ann]

no metadata came up, the screen was empty.

if your talking about the fishing boat, on my monitor it doesn't appear that soft.

what shooting mode are you using? if shutter priority , which speed?
the faster the shutter the sharper the image.

 

[namaste_lv]

Flickr: More detail about Fisherman's Terminal

I see your iso is at 800 as well, the noise is contributing to the lack of perceived sharpness as well

 

[msolorio]

well if you go on the right bottom side of the screen there's a link to "more properties" and it tells you all the info. From a small scale the picture doesn't look as soft, but if you were to enlarge it you can see clearly the softness. The reason why it bothers me is because these will be printed on a large scale. Or am I just being too careful?

 

[msolorio]

Flickr: More detail about Fisherman's Terminal

I see your iso is at 800 as well, the noise is contributing to the lack of perceived sharpness as well

um im sorry im still a newb :meh: help in english please?

 

[kundalini]

Just a quick question for you msolorio......

If you are wanting your questions resolved by others here on TPF, why do you make us chase the info? Post your photo and provide the metadata. It's not that difficult. At this point, I'm not interested in trying.

 

[fokker]

If you lowered your aperture to something like f/10 and your ISO to 100 it should help out the sharpness a bit. On the large size you can see a bit of noise, which is caused by the relatively high (800) ISO that you've used. ISO is the sensitivity of the sensor, turn it up and you can use faster shutter speeds, the tradeoff being that you get noise/graininess in the pictures which also makes them a bit softer.

 

[msolorio]

Just a quick question for you msolorio......

If you are wanting your questions resolved by others here on TPF, why do you make us chase the info? Post your photo and provide the metadata. It's not that difficult. At this point, I'm not interested in trying.

i'm sorry if i'm not following the rules here yet, i am fairly new to the forum. Will try my best to tidy up everything. Also I wasn't sure if new members were allowed to post images etc. will edit first post. thnx

 

[Overread]

Is my ISO not right (though I still don't how to set that right) ? I'm getting the hang of the shutter speed and exposure & meter.

Camera manual - read it - then read it again
Seriously when I was learning the camera the manual was in the bag every time I went out. It was great to be able to check how to adjust settings or try out new modes in the field rather than have to miss the chance and have to come back home to find the manual.
If you've lost yours then the website for your camera manufacturer should have a link to a PDF or online version that you can read.

As for the shot - taking the boat as an example:
f22
ISO 800
1/400sec

Ok shutter speed is good and should be fast enough to get a nice sharp shot, even of a moving subject. However your aperture is way too small (small number means big aperture; big number means small aperture). At f22 most lenses will start to experience diffraction, the result of which is an overall softer shot. f16 is roughly where diffraction starts on most lenses and f13 is normally hte best highest aperture to use when out and about.
However remember that whilst a smaller aperture will give you more depth of field, it will cut down the light entering the camera and thus limit your shutter speed - unless you do as you have here and up your ISO.

However a higher ISO means more noise and thus softer overall shots. Cut down to as low an ISO as you can to help preserve as much sharpness as possible.

I would also recomend getting the book "Understanding Exposure" by Bryan Peterson - that book will help you a lot with coming to understand apertures, ISO and shutter speed and how they link together to give you an exposure

edit -also please check out the first post in these two threads:
http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/...-gallery/183599-notice-image-sizes-forum.html
http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/...e-your-posts-get-critiques-your-work-c-c.html

 

[msolorio]

Awesome. Thanks Overread & fokker, really appreciate the input and will do some homework. really appreciate it :thumbup:

 

[Inst!nct]

Yea, overhead pretty much said the main thing, generally, the sweet spot on *most* lens is f /11, also for shutter speed, anything over 1/200th should suffice unless shooting things that move, so having a very fast shutter speed with a high ISO is pointless, for next time, go ISO 100, f / 11, and 1/200, that should produce the best shots , gll

btw 2 things, first, consider thank button for overread , and the ISo button, at least on my camera, is the top button on the d pad.

 

[msolorio]

Haha thanks Inst!nct. i didn't realize how advanced this forum is. most ones i've been to all look the same but not TPF cheers! and i'll take into consideration the ISO and shutter speeds.

 

[df3photo]

buy yourself a good can of focusing spray... it always helps...

 

[KmH]

Just a quick question for you msolorio......

If you are wanting your questions resolved by others here on TPF, why do you make us chase the info? Post your photo and provide the metadata. It's not that difficult. At this point, I'm not interested in trying.

i'm sorry if i'm not following the rules here yet, i am fairly new to the forum. Will try my best to tidy up everything. Also I wasn't sure if new members were allowed to post images etc. will edit first post. thnx

Since you're new, it could look at this thread which suggests visiting this sticky.

Then, you can checkout the TPF Rules, Reqs and FAQ's