Why my night shots are not sharp?

[Solarflare]

These photos could probably be shot at f/4 or less. Theres a huge distance even to the nearest subject.

What does ISO have to do with diffraction?

Zip.

High ISO gives you noise on digital and less resolution on chemical film.

 

[cgipson1]

These photos could probably be shot at f/4 or less. Theres a huge distance even to the nearest subject.

What does ISO have to do with diffraction?

Zip.

High ISO gives you noise on digital and less resolution on chemical film.

SolarFlare.... most lenses have a "Sweet Spot"... it varies per lens, but is usually around F8 to F11... which is why most of us suggest it. Also, many lenses are wide open at F4.. definitely NOT optimal!

 

[Solarflare]

Oh ok sorry. I'm now kind of used to my prime lens which is optimal at f/2.8 already hehe.

 

[cgipson1]

Oh ok sorry. I'm now kind of used to my prime lens which is optimal at f/2.8 already hehe.

I had a 35mm 1.8 G... and while it is more or less sharp at 2.8 (especially compared to wide open) it was still significantly sharper at F8 than 2.8! Try it..

 

[o hey tyler]

I bet it was as sharp as it gets at around f5.6. Most primes, be it f1.8 or f1.4 get sharper at f5.6. Zoom lenses are sharper starting around f8 in my travels and experiences.

 

[cgipson1]

I bet it was as sharp as it gets at around f5.6. Most primes, be it f1.8 or f1.4 get sharper at f5.6. Zoom lenses are sharper starting around f8 in my travels and experiences.

Good call, Tyler... it depends on the lens, but yes... in that area! (But it still had CA) lol!

 

[o hey tyler]

CA FOR LYFE!

 

[Solarflare]

Oh ok sorry. I'm now kind of used to my prime lens which is optimal at f/2.8 already hehe.

I had a 35mm 1.8 G... and while it is more or less sharp at 2.8 (especially compared to wide open) it was still significantly sharper at F8 than 2.8! Try it..

You sure that wasnt just your prejudice ?

This test (and I have a D5100, which has the same sensor as the D7000 used in this test) says the maximum sharpness is at f/4.0, which is hardly any better than f/2.8.

The resolution at f/5.6 is already softer than even f/1.8, except for the corners, and quickly deterioating even more at f/8 and f/11.

What you saw in "additional sharpness" was thus most likely the effect of increased depth of field.

(Not that I could actually see the difference between f/2.8 and f/11 visually, by the way. I just made a series of test pictures and I would call f/11 still perfectly sharp everywhere, while f/1.8 feels blurry)

 

[cgipson1]

Oh ok sorry. I'm now kind of used to my prime lens which is optimal at f/2.8 already hehe.

I had a 35mm 1.8 G... and while it is more or less sharp at 2.8 (especially compared to wide open) it was still significantly sharper at F8 than 2.8! Try it..

You sure that wasnt just your prejudice ?

SURE! My prejudice!!! YEP! Uh huh!!! ( I did GIVE that lens away... so I guess it wasn't a favorite!)

I always enjoy reading your posts... they are usually amusing!

 

[o hey tyler]

I always enjoy reading your posts... they are usually amusing!

They're also usually full of wrong information, or misinformation, rather.

 

[o hey tyler]

You sure that wasnt just your prejudice ?

This test (and I have a D5100, which has the same sensor as the D7000 used in this test) says the maximum sharpness is at f/4.0, which is hardly any better than f/2.8.

The resolution at f/5.6 is already softer than even f/1.8, except for the corners, and quickly deterioating even more at f/8 and f/11.

What you saw in "additional sharpness" was thus most likely the effect of increased depth of field.

Okay, so you loose 9 points in terms of center sharpness going from f1.8 to f5.6. However you failed to note that you gain 85 freakin' points in CORNER SHARPNESS when stopping down your aperture to f5.6.

Stop insinuating what you think other people have seen. There's a big difference between corner sharpness and increased DoF. Two weeks ago, you didn't even understand how aperture works, and clearly you don't know how to evaluate image sharpness. You make so many misstatements about cameras and lenses it is literally unbelievable. Unless there's some sort of "lenses are sharper wide open" narrative you are trying to project, I suggest you rethink your standing, as well as your level of photographic knowledge when compared to Charlie's or any other far mor experienced photographer than you.

I am tired of correcting your posts and pointing out inaccuracies.

 

[fjrabon]

I don't see any lens flare, but I do see diffraction spikes from the many over exposed light sources. The diffraction spikes are caused where your lens aperture blades overlap, and using a small aperture.

The cityscape shot (#1?) my seem blurry to you because the lights are so overexposed adjacent pixels in the image sensor were saturated.

As your focus point gets more distant, you can open up the lens aperture while keeping the same DoF.

ISO has to do with diffraction by using an inappropriate ISO for the shot, which causes other exposure settings to also be changed in ways that diminish overall image quality.

Geez, I hate Flickr. I can't see the photo's EXIF data.

Both of these were good candidates for blending 2 exposures, or using HDR, multiple exposure (3 or more) combining techniques.

On flickr, all you have to do is click on 'actions' and view EXIF data.

 

[cgipson1]

I always enjoy reading your posts... they are usually amusing!

They're also usually full of wrong information, or misinformation, rather.

Yea.. that was kind of my point! But I was trying to be nice and not put it so honestly!

 

[leeroix]

are you absolutely certain there is no camera shake? even on a tripod the wind can effect the outcome. i see the flag on the bridge blowing pretty hard. have you weighted the tripod to try and stabilize it? is it a quality tripod? are you using a remote trigger? or a timer? all those can play a role, and of course, everything else mentioned....

 

[rickrange17]

Those pics are pretty good but I agree with rest you should never shoot at f/22 If you get a nifty fifty lense and keep your ISO at 400 your pictures will come out even more awesome