SLR cameras can often provide sharper images with high quality optics. Use caution though. Ask yourself how sharp you NEED the images to be. Are you trying to shoot birds in flight, where you're likely cropping the image too 100%? If so, you need sharp images. If you're shooting images of your friends and only print them on 4"x6" images, you won't see the added sharpness because quite honestly you're throwing away so much data. A 2mp camera can take a full res 4"x6" shot, so today's 6 - 10mp p&s cameras take more info than is necessary for this size..

You can also get better sharpness with better techniques. Use better lighting (like flash) to freeze motion. Use a tripod for stability, even if you have a stabilized camera. Use a cable release instead of pressing on the shutter button. Make sure your optics are perfectly clear. Things like that can go a LONG way to making your images sharper.

Sometimes I use 6-9%, 40-70 pixels, 0 threshold to clear things up a bit..

Next look at the camera menus. Mfrs often have settings that you can adjust to adjust the sharpness, contrast, and saturation of the images. My opinion is use moderation..

-Porter..

My best shots are with my Z50 but I am looking for clarity out of the camera. I used to use a Minolta 2.5x2.5 years ago and that is the quality I am looking for..

Those negatives cropped & went to 11x14 and maintained sharpness. I am new to digital and if proccesing with the computer does the trick, so be it. I am satisfied with those results but was thinking about buying a SLR if I could get tack sharp results right from the camera. I get very good results from the Z50 with some proccesing in Picasa. In the darkroom you could alter everything but the sharpness, perhaps I am carrying over some concerns from the film days..

I used to use Olypus OM1 & OM2 (sometimes still do) they were sharp with the right light & focus. Thanks for you reply...

While ultimately a DSLR will provide more resolution than a P&S they may well need more sharpness applied in post proccessing because they do less in camera. This is done to allow the DSLR user to apply their judgement instead of a "canned" solution...

Acsmith wrote:.

While ultimately a DSLR will provide more resolution than a P&S theymay well need more sharpness applied in post proccessing because theydo less in camera. This is done to allow the DSLR user to applytheir judgement instead of a "canned" solution..

Yep. A DSLR may produce softer images than your current cameras because of that..

Also, nearly all sharp digital photos have had 'sharpening' applied. (About 100% of the pics coming out of point & shoot cameras are sharpened in the camera). So don't feel guilty about sharpening. It's not cheating or anything ..

With most dSLRs, the user has more control over how much sharpening is applied in camera, but Ive never tried turning the sharpening all the way up on either of my dSLRs. In general the images straight from a dSLR will be softer than those from a P&S camera. And when shooting RAW, all the sharpening has to be done in post processing..

There are several reasons why post shot sharpening is better..

In camera sharpening is applied to the whole image. Large, fairly uniform areas of the image often suffer adverse effects from this. Blue skies can turn mottled for example. Sharpening on a computer allows selective sharpening..

Some images require more sharpening than others. Poor light conditions and low contrast images often require more sharpening. Lenses vary and zoom lenses are often softer at their tele end..

Sharpening exaggerates noise. Shots taken at higher ISO sensitivity already have higher noise levels..

Brian A...

Good to get this info, I felt that post proccesing was like cheating or compensating for poor lens/camera quality. I get very satisfying results with my Z50 making 8x10 photos. I feel better knowing that this is a common if not nesessary procedure. Thanks to all...

DSLRs with their larger and less photo-site-crammed sensors are more amenable to the use of a range of sharpening techniques. I don't see it as cheating any more than say using ND Grads or merging different exposures to get a higher dynamic range recorded. Your task is to bring back home the image you saw and present it in such a way that you can be happy that it carries the look and feel of what you saw at the time. If you used 2 1/4 square in the past you'll know that 35mm was a compromise made for convenience; likewise digital is also compromise but with a number of work-arounds which are much easier than anything that exisited in the old wet darkroom..

John.Please visit me at:http://www.pbase.com/johnfr/backtothebridgehttp://www.pbase.com/johnfr..

John,.

Your photos are very impressive, my FZ50 has many of the same features that are in your Fuji. You have inspiered me to continue to sort out this digital world. I see that now there is a dark room sitting on my desk. Your right, no chemicals,no red lights etc. It seems the more I work with the FZ50 the better it gets. I guess I need an improved software program to help things along. Thanks!..

I agree with you about better software programs for sharpening. My experience with Picasa was that one click of sharpening was often too much sharpening. Have you used Irfanview? I got it as a free download: http://www.irfanview.com/.

Photoshop Elements offers very subtle sharpening with Unsharp Mask, but it is not free!.

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Thanks..

My first digital darkroom program was Picture Publisher, a real photographer-freindly piece of software that did what you told it to do in a way that could be understood. They ceased upgrading after version 9. Today it is Photoshop that has the lion's share of the market..

Photoshop Elements is a great starting place to get going with Layers & Curves and digital dodging and burning. If you want better control over sharpening without having to work out the paramaters in USM, consider downloading the Focus Magic plug-in (I think it can still be tried for free)..

John.Please visit me at:http://www.pbase.com/johnfr/backtothebridgehttp://www.pbase.com/johnfr..

Many DSLRs have something placed over their sensor that Point and Shoots do not. That something is an anti-alias filter designed to reduce certain artifacts that could "creep" into an image. This filter often softens the image. So a DSLR shooter should have decent image edit software that can be used to sharpen. Unsharp Mask is often better than a regular sharpen tool..

Thezero..

Ordered Elements 5.0 today, they had a $20. discount until 8/23..

I was thinking about doing Real Estate photos & virtual tours,I am retired and could use some time filling work. With the conversion from 35mm to digital I guess I would need a 10mm to 16mm lens. I would think that there is generic software for stiching the shots together and doing the virtual tour. Can it be done in Elements?..

Mandatory66 wrote:.

With the conversionfrom 35mm to digital I guess I would need a 10mm to 16mm lens..

That would depend on the size of your sensor. On a 1.6 crop sensor, that would be the equivalent to about 16-25 mm do you really need something that wide?.

Iwould think that there is generic software for stiching the shots.

There are certainly many programs out there that stitch, some free,.

Together and doing the virtual tour..

I have no knowledge of virtual tour software, although I'm sure there must be some..

Can it be done in Elements?.

You can do it manually in almost any photo editing software, including Elements. I don't know whether Elements has an automated routine..

Brian A...

Autostitch is a favorite of many, and is free..

For virtual tours, you may want to buy a slideshow program such as Proshow Gold, or use the slideshow capability in the latest version of the free Ifranview..

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