Going RAW/ cc please

[Sue5606]

Would going RAW make my pictures more sharp? I've tried it in the past but the only editing software I have is from the cd that came with my camera and it literally took my an hour to convert and edit. My computer is getting old and I think I would have to invest in a new computer if I want new software and don't know if it would be a worthy investment for my increasingly expensive hobby. I HATE blurry pictures though! Is it me/my kit lens or my fear of straying away from the (*gasp*) jpeg?

 

[jowensphoto]

Advantages of RAW over JPEG | Pixiq

 

[tirediron]

I can say with almost 100% certainty that it is NOT your gear. There's nothing wrong with shooting .jpg, however you do lose a lot of latitude as far as editing and enhancing go. I do recommend RAW over .jpg for that reason, although more often than not, your RAW images will in fact appear just slightly softer than .jpg images because of the in-camera sharpening normally applied in the conversion process. My suggestion would be to look at your computer's specs and see if it can run a current version of Adobe Photoshop Elements; this is the "light" version of Photoshop, and will give you almost all the editing power you're likely to need for a long time. It can be found on sale for as little as $69.

 

[PhotoWrangler]

Going RAW is going to do the exact opposite. It's going to leave it completely UN-sharp so that you can sharpen it to your likening in post.

 

[Sue5606]

So if it's not the gear and not because it's a jpeg what can I work on improving? I have my focus point the one at the center, focus on the iris of the eye and recompose. The whole picture seems soft to me though

 

[tirediron]

First, "focus and recompose" doesn't always work; you may be recomposing on to a point that is significantly nearer or farther (relative to the depth of the field in that circumstance) rendering your images soft, and second, if you could include the EXIF data for that image, it would help greatly. I much prefer to use a single focusing point and to move that wherever in the scene I want it to ensure tack-sharp images.

 

[PhotoWrangler]

Stop down. What aperture did you shoot this at? I'm figuring it was shot wide open and at a slow shutter speed due to the amount of ambient in the sky.

Raise your ISO, Raise your shutter speed, and stop down a little.

 

[Sue5606]

5.6 1/160 ISO 800

 

[PhotoWrangler]

hmmm..... from the example above, I don't think its that soft. Its truly about what I'd expect from a lower end lens. You're settings for this one don't seem too whackadoodle either.

Which parts of the photo are you unhappy with? And have you tested your lens to see if its front/back focusing any>?

 

[Sue5606]

Tirediron-I will Practice moving my focus pt rather than my camera, thanks for the advice
Christopher-I don't know how to check for front/back focusing...guess I'll check the ole YouTube for some education! If this is what you would expect from a lower end lens could I expect that with practice on a better quality (perhaps prime) lens I would be more satisfied with the clarity?

 

[PhotoWrangler]

Primes will, for the most part, always be sharper. The same goes for 'pro' level glass.

I think you'd be a lot happier with the clarity you'd get from a pro level glass.

Check out Rent professional cameras or camera lenses for Canon, Nikon, Sony, Olympus, Leica and Pentax and rent an 85mm 1.8 or something for a week. It's about $30 for an entire week, and that would give you ample time to shoot and see how you like them.

Here's a good explanation for focus testing... Focus Testing - photo.net
and, another... http://cameralightlens.com/newsblog/?p=264
and here's a good PDF with diagrams and instructions... http://focustestchart.com/focus21.pdf