Help... I couldn't get Crisp image for landscape with Nikon d5000 + 3 examples

<p><strong>Hi folks ... I've tried many times but these are my shots without details ... any help Pros...</strong></p>

<p><a href="http://i.imgur.com/QWw01.jpg">http://i.imgur.com/QWw01.jpg</a></p>

<p><a href="http://i.imgur.com/dnO1P.jpg">http://i.imgur.com/dnO1P.jpg</a></p>

<p><a href="http://i.imgur.com/N4dDY.jpg">http://i.imgur.com/N4dDY.jpg</a></p>

<p>Although, I went to this trip to get (( crisp )) image but as you see I failed any suggestions PLEASE...;:</p>

<p>I see what you mean, but it's hard to say why they are like that without knowing what focus settings you used for them, and also shutter speed and aperture. They are also lacking in contrast, as if you took them with the stock Neutral picture control.</p>

<p>There does not seem to be anything wrong with the last two. The first must have been the wrong focus point with widest aperture and slow shutter speed. Yes, we need to know all thee details!</p>

I struggle with hazy landscapes like this. It kills contrast. For the foreground, you need some sharpening (either in camera if you are shooting jpg or in post processing). I took one of them into PS and did both. I think it made a pretty significant but still subtle change.

--Wade<div></div>

details!

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/forhood/5989975511/meta/in/photostream/">http://www.flickr.com/photos/forhood/5989975511/meta/in/photostream/</a>

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/forhood/5989975003/meta/in/photostream/">http://www.flickr.com/photos/forhood/5989975003/meta/in/photostream/</a>

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/forhood/5989974103/meta/in/photostream/">http://www.flickr.com/photos/forhood/5989974103/meta/in/photostream/</a>

Thanks

<p>After looking at your exif data, it appears that all 3 were shot at 1/60 sec...really low speed for handheld shots to be really crisp. You also had your aperture really closed down. Had you opened it by 2-3 stops you could have had everything in clear focus and not had any effects of camera shake. When you close down the aperture too far you also get diffraction showing up which makes your pictures less clear. Try to stay below f11 for best lens performance.</p>

<p>The 3rd image looks fine to me... blurred just like digital is supposed to be. You are stripping off the exif/iptc info. Convert with viewNX2 and repost the images.</p>

<p>In Cameraw i did :<br />Tempreture<br />exposure<br />color<br />contrast<br />detail</p>

<p><img src="http://i.imgur.com/DvPx0.jpg" alt="" width="700" height="465" /></p>

<p>To MUCH Saturation >>>>>>>>>>>>> I feel it now</p>

<p><a href="../photodb/user?user_id=1562370">Stephen Lewis</a> : I used a tripod with a remote control >>> the question is :<br />Is this the best result the d5000 can go in landscape<br>

(( Great Tip : aperture setting ))<br>

I have to tell you that my sensor got some dust<br />thanks guys>> :</p>

<p>Tripod and I see VR on in the exif.........that must be VR off.</p>

<p>When using a tripod use Mirror lock-up(but I don't think that is vailable on your camera) so use the option 'exposure delay mode'(I hope that is available on the D5000). So the vibes of the mirror are damped away when you take your pic.</p>

<p><a href="../photodb/user?user_id=2357169">Hans Janssen</a> oooh I forget<br>

Does it have a real impact?</p>

<p>thanks <a href="../photodb/user?user_id=2357169">Hans Janssen</a></p>

<p>I see you are shooting around f/25, no way you can get a sharp image at that f stop, try dropping it to around f/11 or f/8.</p>

<p>At f/25 diffraction is a killer.</p>

<p>Your first image simply looks like it isn't in focus. Seeing as your other two shots are in focus, I would say the first image is just user error. Other two shots look perfectly fine, not sure what the problem is with them other than diffraction. Sure they could use some post-processing to increase sharpness and contrast, but that is quite normal. </p>

<p>If you want your shots to come out differently straight from the camera, play with the image style settings until you reach something you like; to me it seems like you would like your camera set to Vivid w/ +7 sharpness, +1 contrast, -1 saturation. I usually leave my camera in Standard w/ +5 sharpness, 0 contrast, -1 saturation</p>

Were you shooting raw? If not, anything you did in post was to an already-baked image.

<p>+1 Scott Wilson</p>

<p>Keep your aperture at f/8 and f/11 no smaller. If you need smaller, use a faster shutter speed or an ND filter.</p>

<p>Also, as has been mentioned, VR OFF when on a tripod. It can have a significant difference if the VR components are misaligned when the shutter goes off.</p>

<p>RS</p>

<p>The EXIF data for the first image show a focus distance of 0.28m - so no wonder here that nothing in the distance is in focus - even at f22.<br /> It's 3.35m for the second and third image (which don't look too bad to me) - and you used manual focus for all three. What exactly were you focusing on? Did you use Live View for focusing? The viewfinder of Nikon's consumer series cameras aren't very good for manual focusing.<br /> The 3.35m can be misleading though, many Nikkors no longer distinguish distances farther than a certain point, so 10ft, 30ft and 300ft could all be reported as the same. Since I don't have that particular lens, I can't check were that point is (the lack of a focus distance scale doesn't help here either).</p>

<p>You can set your self timer for a two second delay. That will take care of the vibration on the tripod. You can use the excellent autofocus of the D5000 by selecting one of eleven autofocus points that is on your chosen point of focus. You can avoid all apertures beyond f/11. Probably f/8 is your sharpest. Also, the D5000 is known to be somewhat soft working out-of-camera. Images need some additional sharpening. BTW my new D5000 is arriving by Priority Mail today. I've studied many reviews. You have a great image making potential there, if used right.</p>

<p>Howard Vrankin wrote: "You can set your self timer for a two second delay. That will take care of the vibration on the tripod. "<br>

That's not true with the selftimer the mirror goes up just before the exposure, so in what time is taken care of the vibrations? In the 'delayed exposure mode" the mirror goes up when you press and 2 seconds later the shutters does its work and in these 2 secs is taken care of the vibrations.</p>

<p> I just ran a little impromptu test using a tripod a D300 and a Micro Nikkor 105 AF D. I shot it at f/32 f/25 f/11 f/56 on a static subject. F/32 is a little softer then the others but that could easily have been from camera movement. I did not use any shutter delay modes and the exposure was 30 seconds. The differences between f/25 f/11 and f/5.6 are so small as to be slight focus errors.<br>

So I really have a hard time believing that the softness of these images is caused by diffraction. To me they look more like camera movement and focusing errors. If any one would like to see the images to make your own judgments just say so and I will post them somewhere.</p>

<p>From the exif the camera was set to manual focus. I think that explains everything...</p>

<p>Forhood, one trick you can always try is taking a few shots in Auto Mode. If they seem alright check the settings and use them in Manual Mode. If you are looking for the sharpest possible image, without regard to anything else, you can find the "sweet spot" of your lens at sights like Photozone.com. Since you're working manual mode you might want to find out about Depth of Field and other factors that can influence your work.</p>

<p>I can easily see the effect of diffraction on a D700 (full-frame) at f/16 and smaller apertures, so I would expect a DX camera to show diffraction effects from f/11 onwards, and certainly very obviously by f/22. In any case most lenses give their optimum image quality at around f/5.6 to f/8, so those are the sort of apertures to aim for if depth-of-field isn't a priority - which it shouldn't be for shots like those posted.</p>

<p>As others have said, there are a few issues going on here. All of them hindering you getting sharp <em>looking</em> shots. Low contrast is probably the major problem, due to misty conditions and dull frontal lighting. If you take the same shots when the sun is out, the air is clear and the light is coming more from the side, then you'll see the texture of the rocks picked out and the impression of sharpness greatly improved.</p>

<p>RJ<br>

I can think of a couple of things that could have skewed the impromptu test I did. One of the being that I used a Micro Nikkor. A lens that was most likely designed with small apertures in mind. Second being that it is DX I am using the best part of the lens again minimizing issues.<br>

And then I also wonder about when I am shooting 4X5 and 8X10. I own lenses that wide open are at f/8 so that kind of kills the blanket statement that lenses are better at f/5.6 (not you but others)<br>

Not going to high jack this thread any farther.</p>

 

<p>Hans - Thank you, I was incorrect. It would be better to just turn of the VR when working on a tripod. Thank you.</p>

<p>Haze can be, to an extent, "micro" sharpened. I did not touch anything else but sharpening. This is a bit over the top since only the low resolution web grab was the subject. I added a capture sharpening generally, and then the Photokit Sharpener's haze brush was wiped over the hazy areas. (Pixelgenius' plug-in for PS.)</p>

<p>Some of you may be using a decedent of Photokit sharpener's output sharpener since that is essentially what Adobe built into the latest version of Lightroom for output sharpening. There are other sharpening brushes that might used in the same vein.</p><div></div>