Need crisp, clear photos.

[SwampDude]

Sort of.

It really depends on which prime and which zoom lenses you are comparing.

With 50 mm lenses there are 3 grades:
The inexpensive consumer grade 50 mm f/1.8's (5 to 7 lens aperture blades, less attention to the correction of optical aberrations)
The prosumer 50 mm f/1.4's (7 to 9 lens aperture blades, better optical aberration correction)
And the pro grade 50 mm f/1.2's (9 lens aperture blades, best optical aberration correction)

If I'm willing to pop for a pro grade 35 or 50mm lens, might I expect noticeably sharper images (assuming I'm holding and doing other things right) than my AF-S DX Nikkor zoom lenses are giving me?

 

[Coasty]

Sort of.

It really depends on which prime and which zoom lenses you are comparing.

With 50 mm lenses there are 3 grades:
The inexpensive consumer grade 50 mm f/1.8's (5 to 7 lens aperture blades, less attention to the correction of optical aberrations)
The prosumer 50 mm f/1.4's (7 to 9 lens aperture blades, better optical aberration correction)
And the pro grade 50 mm f/1.2's (9 lens aperture blades, best optical aberration correction)

If I'm willing to pop for a pro grade 35 or 50mm lens, might I expect noticeably sharper images (assuming I'm holding and doing other things right) than my AF-S DX Nikkor zoom lenses are giving me?

Well, the 50mm f1.2 Nikkor is a manual focus only lens, only Canon makes an autofocus version. I have one and it is a great lens but wide open your DOF is in the millimeter range. You have very little wiggle room. I usually use it at f2 as it is sharper and the DOF is more manageable, but still has loads of bokeh.
A 50mm f1.4G or D will be cheaper and autofocus, and the f1.8 is no slouch either.

 

[InnovaWraith]

The game changer for me was a tripod. I use mine for 95% of the pictures I take. Your keeper ratio goes way up.

 

[DrHarmony]

I asked myself this question at one point and as someone else has pointed out, there is soo many variables.
What I found that gave me what I was actually looking for is a difference in depth of field.
As mentioned above, the ability to direct the viewer to the subject with DOF and composition has a huge impact of "POP"

 

[cynicaster]

- all lenses are sharper at some settings than others. Learn where the sweet spot is in your gear.
- employ techniques to separate the subject from the background (such as blurred background, contrast, etc.)
- illuminate the subject's face well. This is very important. Practice techniques like fill flash and use of reflectors.
- learn post processing techniques that enable you to bring out the best traits of your work in a tasteful way (contrast adjustments, sharpening, skin smoothing, cropping, etc.)

I'd urge you to not get overly fixated on "sharpness". Sure, it's important, but there is more to a good image than just that. Once you start minding the details of the craft--some of which are mentioned above--you'll probably find that your results will gradually exude more and more impact, and the "perceived sharpness" of them will go up, even without an expensive lens upgrade.

I'm not saying lens upgrades are bad; I'm just saying that you should learn to run the gear you have to its limits before you go shelling out piles of cash for new stuff that is capable of performing way outside of your ability to use it.

 

[PWhite214]

Get to know your equipment. Try reading Composition From Snapshots to Great Shots http://www.amazon.com/Composition-S...F8&qid=1393791097&sr=1-3&keywords=composition. Despite the title, the chapters and assignments begin with exploring your equipment.

 

[glun]

I have been taking photos for friends and I want to take clear crisp photos currently my photos look like this.View attachment 61550
and I want my photos to turn out like this but don't know what I am doing wrong
http://leilanitucker.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/urban-outdoor-session-05.jpg

Make sure you hold your camera steady even in good lighting condition (or use tripod). Large aperture preferably 2.8 or lower will be great. A prime lens like canon 85mm 1.2 will be ideal. You can get similar result with other equipments or post processing. It really depends on how you want to tackle your shots. Hope this helps!

 

[nickelvery]

What equipment are you using Samantha?

 

[manaheim]

I am going to be honest here so please don't take this too harsh, it is based on decades of experience, and is only meant to help you out. When beginners ask "how do I get clear crisp or sharp photos", what they are essentially asking how do I become a really good photographer. Unfortuntately, many want a quick tip or fast route to get there and it just won't happen. What you need to do is study the basics and master them and your photography will slowly improve. Getting a good, clear image can hundreds of variables can be at play, from lens selection, to lighting, to hand shake, etc. And all of those things will somehow relate to the basic fundamentals of photography. So if you don't master than, frustration will be the name of the game.

Quoting for emphasis.

 

[minicoop1985]

- all lenses are sharper at some settings than others. Learn where the sweet spot is in your gear.
- employ techniques to separate the subject from the background (such as blurred background, contrast, etc.)
- illuminate the subject's face well. This is very important. Practice techniques like fill flash and use of reflectors.
- learn post processing techniques that enable you to bring out the best traits of your work in a tasteful way (contrast adjustments, sharpening, skin smoothing, cropping, etc.)

I'd urge you to not get overly fixated on "sharpness". Sure, it's important, but there is more to a good image than just that. Once you start minding the details of the craft--some of which are mentioned above--you'll probably find that your results will gradually exude more and more impact, and the "perceived sharpness" of them will go up, even without an expensive lens upgrade.

I'm not saying lens upgrades are bad; I'm just saying that you should learn to run the gear you have to its limits before you go shelling out piles of cash for new stuff that is capable of performing way outside of your ability to use it.

^ that. I mean upgrading from the kit lens isn't a bad idea, but that^ is even better. Combine the two, and I think you're golden. I had an issue with a lens where the sweet spot was in a spot that I didn't want to shoot (too thin of a DOF), so I really had to move on-IQ was noticeably bad, moreso than the sharpness isn't everything rule would allow for what I was using it for. If you want to replace an 18-55 kit lens, I'd HIGHLY recommend a Tamron 17-50 f2.8. Much larger sweet spot (mine seems sharper from f4-16 and best at f8-11) than what I was using before, which was sharpish at f4, but soft everywhere else. Product shots shouldn't be soft, and often need a larger DOF than that thing could provide at f4, so out it went.

 

[Solarflare]

[...] When beginners ask "how do I get clear crisp or sharp photos", what they are essentially asking how do I become a really good photographer. [...]

Actually thats just a TECHNICALLY good photographer. Photography as an artform to make non-boring pictures is a step further.