Vancouver Nightlight

mangtarn · Oct 18, 2011

So i just did one of those. i did realize that it is not that sharp (i forgot to step the apature down to get a sharp focus).

on flickr.
Any good?

heroes19 · Oct 19, 2011

Ya, the sharpeness is not good enough. The contrast also. Try other shoot to have longer exposure and smaller apature. Thanks for sharing.

Big Mike · Oct 19, 2011

'Stopping Down' your aperture, doesn't necessarily affect focus. It will affect your Depth of Field, but in this case, the city is so far away, that you would be at infinity focus anyway, so your DOF isn't an issue.

If the shot is out of focus, it's because you didn't focus it accurately.

However, there are other things that might affect how sharp an image looks. The first thing to look at is the shutter speed. Slower shutter speeds will turn motion into blur. The cityscape obviously isn't moving, but the camera might be. Certainly if you're holding it in your hands, it would be moving...but even if you had it on a tripod or other support, it may not be perfectly still. For example, if you press the shutter button while it's on a tripod, that will move the camera, causing blur. When the mirror flips up and the shutter opens, that maybe move the camera a little bit. Many cameras have a 'mirror lock up' function to help alleviate that. You also have to consider the stability of the tripod. Cheaper tripods, or doing things like extending the centre column, will make for a less stable support, which may allow some minor movement.

Lastly, consider the aperture that you're shooting at. Not in terms of focus or DOF, but how well that lens performs at that aperture. Most lenses are not at their best when used at their largest (maximum) aperture. Most lenses are best around F8.

mangtarn · Oct 21, 2011

i just realized by thinking back that i messed up big time when i was focusing this shot. i didn't have my usual lens so i was using my other kit lens which had no distance marker on it, so i just threw it into which ever looked goo at the time and forgot about it.

quick question, i've also read somewhere else that longer exposure increases detail and sharpness, is there a reason for it or should i just remember it?

Big Mike · Oct 21, 2011

quick question, i've also read somewhere else that longer exposure increases detail and sharpness, is there a reason for it or should i just remember it?

That doesn't sound right.

It's almost always the case that a faster (shorter) shutter speed will give you sharper photos. In a night shooting scenario, you might be able to see more detail with a longer shutter speed, but if so, it's only because you're getting more exposure...which can also be done with aperture and ISO.