Hey Peoples! I need some advice...

[TheFabulousSashaBee]

Hey there!

I have been shooting with my Nikon D3200 for a while now and I notice that with my Wide Angle lens, my pictures never quite come out as clear as I would like. Is there a trick to ensuring my pictures are crisp? I have my ISO set at 100 and still just doesn't look great...

Thanks in advance!

 

[Braineack]

examples?

 

[Designer]

Hey there!

I have been shooting with my Nikon D3200 for a while now and I notice that with my Wide Angle lens, my pictures never quite come out as clear as I would like. Is there a trick to ensuring my pictures are crisp? I have my ISO set at 100 and still just doesn't look great...

Thanks in advance!

Several factors are in play here, so before we can properly address your question, we will need more information.

As you're posting an example, make sure the exif is included, and tell us everything about your camera and lens, including all attachments, your technique, and all the rest.

 

[TheFabulousSashaBee]

The lens is a manual focus and I was thinking that I just wasn't focusing...but I don't know. Driving me crazy! Here's 2 that I have access to....

 

[TheFabulousSashaBee]

The camera is a Nikon D3200 and the lens in question is a 14mm f/2.8

 

[ronlane]

Are you using it at f/2.8? If so the depth of field is still really shallow.

 

[TheFabulousSashaBee]

Well shoot....if that's all it is I'm gonna kick myself!

 

[TheFabulousSashaBee]

I was using it with f/2.8. I'm going to snap some when I get a chance and see how they come out.
Thanks!

 

[davidharmier60]

I generally shot (not people much) at 5.6 or 8. Some of my best night stuff (AE-1) was 30 seconds at F8.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Tapatalk

 

[480sparky]

Both appear to be loaded with noise. Maybe you're pushing the limit of the camera's ISO capabilities. The D3200 isn't renowned for it's low-noise capacity.

 

[KmH]

Few fast prime lenses deliver their sharpest focus when set to wide open.
Those that don't need to be 'stopped down', usually at least 2 stops - f/2.8 to f/5.6 is 2 stops.

14 mm is so short a focal length that it distorts people facial features - like making their nose look longer than it is if the nose is in the middle of the frame.
Many pro portrait photographs shoot people as single subjects with 105 mm to 200 mm prime lenses.
200 mm was my favorite for portraits.

Which 14 mm f/2.8 manual focus lens do you have?
Is it a pre-auto focus Nikon lens?
Or do you have a Nikon AF 14 mm f/2.8 that lacks a focus motor in the lens so the D32oo can focus the lens?

 

[jcdeboever]

You should be able to hand hold that lens with a shutter speed at 1/25s, so no real need to shoot at high ISO unless it's really poor light. I usually try to shoot at the lowest ISO I can to accommodate adequate shutter speed. It also helps to understand the DOF distances of your glass.

 

[TheFabulousSashaBee]

I am going to research DOF a little more, maybe that's were i'm getting messed up. I always try to shoot with the lowest ISO so something else is not adding up...

 

[480sparky]

Well, we don't know what ISO you shot them at, so we're just (pun intended) shooting in the dark.

 

[TheLibrarian]

If you look at the picture of the kid his shirt collar is in better focus than his face. While his shoulders and face are pretty close to being the same distance from you I suspect you were shooting slightly down at them thus from that angle the collar is a different distance than the face so with a thin dof (9 inches or whatever) and if you miss it slightly you're not going to get both things in focus.

Especially in manual it is a skill which can be honed to eyeball it just right. Stopped down a few just makes it easier on you to get within the range of focus when you give yourself a larger dof target to hit. And would allow you to get more of the person in focus like if they were laying down perpendicular to the camera or if you had a couple rows of people.

Similarly with the bride. The books on the right one has a P that looks pretty sharp and in general that is a good pic to understand dof. The books in the front are blurry. Follow the aisle back and it gets more in focus to around the book with the big P then it starts to get less in focus behind that. Looks like the focus there is just behind her maybe on her shoulder.