5 Tips for Maximum Sharpness

Upgrading from a P&S camera to a DSLR does not guarantee sharper photos. Frustration over sharpness can lead new DSLR shooters into the costly land of uber lenses. Before spending money on another lens consider these 5 tips for sharper photos.

Moving Subjects – Pan the camera to match your subject’s speed if your subject moves quickly across your viewfinder. If your composition allows, try backing up from the subject.

Shutter Priority – Switch your DSLR’s autoexposure mode to shutter priority. Nikon cameras will denote this mode with the letter “S” and Canon cameras with the letters “Tv”. Set your shutter speed according to the focal length of the lens used. Photographers using full frame cameras, i.e. Canon 5D or Nikon D700, should use a minimum shutter speed of 1 divided by the focal length. Photographers shooting a crop sensor DSLR, such as a Nikon D40 or Canon Digital Rebel, should multiply the focal length by 1.5 (Nikon) or 1.6 (Canon) and then divide 1 by the product. For example;

Format	Focal Length	Shutter Speed
Full Frame	28mm	1/30th
Full Frame	50mm	1/50th
Full Frame	85mm	1/80th
Crop 1.5x or 1.6x	28mm	1/40th
Crop 1.5x or 1.6x	50mm	1/80th
Crop 1.5x or 1.6x	85mm	1/125th

It is worth noting that multiplying 1.5 or 1.6 by the focal length doesn’t always result in a nice number that corresponds to your camera’s settings. Example, 28(mm) x 1.6 = 44.8. My cameras don’t have a 1/44.8th shutter speed. In this case I round up to 1/50th of a second.

Add More Light – Consider moving your subject closer to the main light source. This will increase the amount of light reflected by the subject into your camera’s lens. Raising your camera’s ISO setting, which effectively amplifies the available light, is another option. Raising the ISO will increase the noise/grain of the photo. Increased noise can be handled with by adjusting the noise reduction (NR) setting of the camera or in post production.

I would much rather deal with a little noise, that probably won’t show up in print, than deal with a soft photo. Why? Because I can’t replace detail that wasn’t captured in the first place due to an inappropriate shutter speed.

Stabilize Your Camera – Sometimes there isn’t enough light to achieve an appropriate shutter speed. In this situation stabilize your DSLR by bracing it against a wall or atop a steady surface. Make sure you are gently squeezing and not poking the shutter button. Try crouching on one knee as if proposing to a potential bride. I have cheated the focal length/shutter speed rule by several stops by using a combination of these techniques.

Get Naked – Beginners often “clothe” their lenses with cheap single coated or non-coated filters. I’ve personally seen many filters that resulted in poor photographs. Try shooting a “brick wall” test with your filter(s) on and off. Scrutinize the resulting photograph at 100% resolution to make sure your image isn’t degraded by filters.