Steve'sDigicams

vIZnquest · Mar 13, 2011, 7:47 AM

Yes, it is. Due to the viewfinder screen not being the best for manual focusing (quite dim actually in comparison to the 35mm viewfinder) it should be of help with your manual focusing.

DigMe · Mar 15, 2011, 8:56 AM

Zombz,

Since we're talking about pet pic sharpness and you mentioned that you have umbrellas on the way you might be interested in taking a look at my first experiments with off-camera flash which just happened to involve my dogs.

All of the lighting info is detailed below the pic:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/5493777460/

Here is a 100% crop that shows the sharpness:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/5493779688/

My other dog (not quite as sharp as the first):
http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/5493186369/

These were taken with a 35mm 1.8 lens on my D5000. I honestly don't remember if I was totally wide open or not but obviously it was a very shallow DoF if not wide open. I'm at work now and I can't look at the exif data.

With pets it's best IMO to put your focus point right on one of the eyes. Don't let autofocus choose the focus point for you. Also, google some articles about shooting sharp photos. There are some good tips out there on shooting very sharp, handheld photos. Good lighting helps, of course.

brad

JohnG · Mar 15, 2011, 10:52 AM

brad - the challenge is Zombz is using a lens that's not as sharp as yours and trying to manually focus it with a dim viewfinder. That makes the task of getting sharp results very difficult. Stopping down will improve the sharpness AND give him more leeway for not accurately manually focusing on the eyes (which is excellent advice - whether human or animal, the eyes are what is usually most important).

DigMe · Mar 15, 2011, 11:19 AM

JohnG,

I agree but I think before he starts stopping down he should first be absolutely sure that he's doing everything possible technique-wise to get the sharpest picture he can. Honestly I'm doubting that what I see in his pics is the sharpest that this lens has to offer even at 1.8.

brad

LGWGM · Mar 17, 2011, 6:31 AM

DigMe,

Is it possible to get images as sharp as the ones you linked above using zoom lens (i.e., Nikon 18-105mm VR or even Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8 VRII)?

DigMe · Mar 17, 2011, 7:58 AM

LGW,

Definitely possible with the 70-200. I've seen equally sharp shots with it. Probably possible with the 18-105 but not sure.

brad

zombz · Mar 17, 2011, 6:42 PM

http://forums.steves-digicams.com/tr...gle-talon.html are these better

Mar 17, 2011, 6:31 AM	#15
LGWGM Member Join Date: Oct 2010 Posts: 49	DigMe, Is it possible to get images as sharp as the ones you linked above using zoom lens (i.e., Nikon 18-105mm VR or even Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8 VRII)? __________________ Nikon D7000 \| Nikkor 18-105mm \| SB-700 \| Nikkor 70-300 VR

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Mar 13, 2011, 7:47 AM	#11
vIZnquest Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2004 Posts: 2,974	Yes, it is. Due to the viewfinder screen not being the best for manual focusing (quite dim actually in comparison to the 35mm viewfinder) it should be of help with your manual focusing.

Mar 15, 2011, 8:56 AM	#12
DigMe Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2010 Posts: 473	Zombz, Since we're talking about pet pic sharpness and you mentioned that you have umbrellas on the way you might be interested in taking a look at my first experiments with off-camera flash which just happened to involve my dogs. All of the lighting info is detailed below the pic: http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/5493777460/ Here is a 100% crop that shows the sharpness: http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/5493779688/ My other dog (not quite as sharp as the first): http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/5493186369/ These were taken with a 35mm 1.8 lens on my D5000. I honestly don't remember if I was totally wide open or not but obviously it was a very shallow DoF if not wide open. I'm at work now and I can't look at the exif data. With pets it's best IMO to put your focus point right on one of the eyes. Don't let autofocus choose the focus point for you. Also, google some articles about shooting sharp photos. There are some good tips out there on shooting very sharp, handheld photos. Good lighting helps, of course. brad

Mar 15, 2011, 10:52 AM	#13
JohnG Moderator Join Date: Aug 2004 Posts: 8,529	brad - the challenge is Zombz is using a lens that's not as sharp as yours and trying to manually focus it with a dim viewfinder. That makes the task of getting sharp results very difficult. Stopping down will improve the sharpness AND give him more leeway for not accurately manually focusing on the eyes (which is excellent advice - whether human or animal, the eyes are what is usually most important).

Mar 15, 2011, 11:19 AM	#14
DigMe Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2010 Posts: 473	JohnG, I agree but I think before he starts stopping down he should first be absolutely sure that he's doing everything possible technique-wise to get the sharpest picture he can. Honestly I'm doubting that what I see in his pics is the sharpest that this lens has to offer even at 1.8. brad

Mar 17, 2011, 7:58 AM	#16
DigMe Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2010 Posts: 473	LGW, Definitely possible with the 70-200. I've seen equally sharp shots with it. Probably possible with the 18-105 but not sure. brad

Mar 17, 2011, 6:42 PM	#17
zombz Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: wolcott NY Posts: 437	http://forums.steves-digicams.com/tr...gle-talon.html are these better