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Welcome to the Canon D-SLR photography service centre

PROBLEM #40

How do I take even

sharper photos?
Learn D-SLR skills for taking crisper pictures
without resorting to digital sharpening

here are plenty of reasons for

rejecting a photo. The exposure
might be completely off. Maybe
youve clipped off an important detail when
you framed the shot. You may not have
caught the moment the point that
separates a stunning photo from a so-so
one. But more than likely, especially if youre
just starting out in photography, youll ditch
pictures because theyre not sharp.
Its understandable
this may sometimes
happen. Not only do

you have to make sure the shutter speed is

fast enough to freeze any movement, you
need to think about the choice of aperture,
the depth of field, the ISO, the focal length of
the lens, the lighting conditions and more.
However, your first concern will probably be

focusing. Your EOS camera has a choice of

three different autofocus modes, which you
can set on the camera itself, and a manual
focus option, which you set on the lens. Set
the wrong focusing mode and youre likely to
end up with a blurred mess.
If the subject isnt moving, such as
someone having their portrait taken, or
when youre taking a still-life or a macro
shot, then choose One-Shot AF. In this
mode, the lens will stop focusing once its
locked onto a subject and wont move again
unless you take your finger off the shutter
release. Its not to be confused with Single
Shooting drive mode, which only lets you
take one picture when you press the shutter
release; you can use One-Shot AF mode in
combination with your cameras Continuous
drive mode, its just that the focus will be
locked for the first frame and wont change
for the sequence of pictures.

Activate the High-speed

Continuous shooting drive
mode A moving story
and shoot in short bu
rs
ts

Servo AF is the mode to choose if your

increases your chances this AI
subject
is moving. In this mode, the camera
of
least one frame being sh at continuously
adjusts the focus in order to
arp

try and keep the subject sharp as it moves

through the frame. Advanced EOS D-SLRs,
like the 5D Mark III, let you customise the
response of AI Servo AF, so that it prioritises
sharp focus ahead of releasing the shutter.
The default focus mode on all EOS
cameras is AI Focus. In this mode, the
camera will detect whether the subject is
stationary or moving, and set the
appropriate focus. If youre anything like us,
youll prefer to know precisely which
focusing mode the camera is in at all times,
and wed always recommend choosing One
Shot or AI Servo accordingly.As well as
choosing the right focus mode, telling the
camera where you want it to focus is, of
course, crucial. Instead of leaving all the AF
points activated and hoping the camera
picks out the subject, manually choose an
AF point that matches up with the detail you

72 | PhotoPlus February 2015

Its safe to say that Tripod know-how

youll probably
need a shutter
speed faster than
you think
How to make the most of
your three-legged friend

want to be in focus. If the lens has trouble

locking on perhaps the subject doesnt
have enough contrast or a clear edge for the
AF system to bite onto aim the AF point at
something else at the same distance and
half-press the shutter to lock the focus
before recomposing the shot.
The length of time it takes to record a
picture is the second most important factor
when it comes to getting sharp results. The
faster the exposure, the more likely is that
youll successfully freeze the motion. There
are two types of motion you need to think
about: subject movement and camera
movement. The shutter speed required to
stop a moving subject depends on the
distance the subject is from the camera, the
speed its moving and the direction of travel,
but its safe to say that youll probably need
a shutter speed faster than you think. If
youre panning, or moving the camera to
follow the action, then you can get away with
slower shutter speeds.

Whether you consider it a clichd or

classic slice of photography advice,
using a sturdy tripod is the easiest
route to sharper pictures. Youll still
need to use good technique in order
to get sharp shots from a tripodmounted camera though, such as
locking the mirror up and switching
off the Image Stabilizer on the lens
(in our experience, youll get sharper
results even with those IS lenses
that can detect when theyre on
a tripod). Here are some other
techniques to be aware of.

Lock it down

Before you take the shot, do a final

check to make sure all the locks
and knobs are tightly fastened.

Fat legs

A little spiky

If your tripod legs have

thin bottom sections,
dont extend these
first go for fat
ones instead.

Some tripods have

spikes under their rubber
feet use these for extra
stability when shooting
on grass.

Just stop it

If youre adjusting
the angle of the
lens, ensure the top
leg locks are firmly
pushed to their stops.

STEP BY STEP

How to get crisper results using Live View

With the mirror locked up and the ability to magnify details in the image, Live View can help you get bitingly sharp shots

Use manual focus

Slide the AF/MF switch on

the lens to MF the focus
indicator in Live View will switch
from vertical to horizontal
orientation. Lock the camera on
a tripod so its easier to keep
the focus plane in position.

Magnify the image

Move the focus indicator to

the point you want in focus.
Tap the magnifying glass button
to blow up this area by x5. Twist
the lens focus ring to find the
sweet spot of sharpness. Tap the
button again to magnify by x10.

Use DoF preview

This may be too big to be

able to assess how sharp
the point being focused on is
compared to nearby areas.
Press the depth of field button,
located near lens mount, to help
judge the sharp and soft areas.

Try picture styles

Choose the Landscape

picture style and increase
the sharpness and contrast
further to display low-contrast
images with more bite, making
it easier to see it theyre in focus;
the Raw file remains unaffected.

PhotoPlus February 2015 | 73

It looks fine full-size.

But try zooming in

How sharp is tack-sharp?

It may be tricky to gauge how sharp an image is when
reviewing it on the rear screen, particularly if you havent
taken similar images to provide a comparison. To judge
sharpness, youll need to zoom in and check the details
when you play back the image. Once youve set the
magnification, use the thumbwheel or cursor keys to scroll
between images the magnification will stay locked in
the same place, making it easier to compare. Youll have
sharper shots on a tripod-mounted camera, compared to
a handheld shot, and even better results if you activate
the Mirror Lockup function (to kill vibrations) and fire the
shutter without touching (jarring!) the camera either
using a remote release or the cameras self-timer function.

1/25 sec at f/16

17-40mm zoom

Handholding technique
The rule of thumb when
shooting handheld is to make
sure the shutter speed never
drops below the focal length,
expressed as a fraction. So a
20mm lens shouldnt be used
at a shutter speed slower
than 1/20 sec, and 1/400 sec
should be the minimum with
a 400mm lens.
But forget that rule!
Some photographers
can comfortably get
sharp pictures below this
recommended minimum,
while others may struggle
to do so at shutter speeds
twice as fast. Add one of
Canons high-end four-stop
Image Stabilizer lenses into
the mix, and you may be able
to get sharp shots at speeds,
well, four stops slower than
recommended (so, 1/25sec
instead of 1/400 sec for a
400mm lens). Realistically
though, your hit rate shooting
a 400mm lens at 1/25sec
isnt likely to be too high.
Besides, none of this
will make the slightest bit
of difference if youre not
holding the camera steady.
Heres a simple guide to
getting it right

74 | PhotoPlus February 2015

Jabbing the
shutter release
button will jerk
the camera roll
your finger onto it
instead.

Use Stabilizer Mode 1

when photographing
stationary objects
and Mode 2 when
moving the camera
to follow active
subjects.

The viewfinder
eyecup is there
for a reason
keep your
brow pressed
against it.

Rotate or
remove a lenss
tripod foot like
this to enable
you to cradle
the lens in your
left hand.

HandHELd:
nOT SHaRP

Lens quality

Youll never take

a sharp shot
with your arms
flapping like this
keep them tucked
into your sides.

Pull the strap

tight around your
arm to act as a
brace. Ideally,
brace yourself
against a solid
object too.

Obviously some lenses are engineered

to be sharper than the rest, but that
quality comes at a price. Take the Canon
EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM its been
widely acclaimed for its remarkable
sharpness wide open at f/2.8, but it
costs north of 1700. However, you can
maximise the quality of any lens with a
few simple techniques. For a start, avoid
putting important details at the very
edge of the frame its the centre of the
lens that delivers the best sharpness.
Some lenses produce a more accurate
autofocus if you fine-tune them using a
cameras AF Microadjustment option,
but to be honest the whole process is
rather unsophisticated. Finally, remove
the red and green fringing you often
see along high contrast edges by using
Chromatic Aberration Correction. If your
EOS doesnt have this, shoot Raw and do
it in Canon DPP or Adobe Camera Raw.

CHROMaTIC
aBERRaTIOn

CHROMaTIC
aBERRaTIOn
REMOVEd

a question
of aperture
Your choice of aperture has a very
big part to play when it comes to
the sharpness of an image.

TRIPOd-MOunTEd:
aCCEPTaBLY SHaRP
Unintentional camera movement is
invariably the more challenging type of
motion to try and deal with. In fact, the
camera doesnt have to be flailing wildly for
pictures to be ruined. The action of the
mirror bouncing up and down can be
enough to literally take the edge off details
during slower exposures. Activating Mirror
Lockup in the camera menu can help when
the cameras mounted to a tripod.
Alternatively, shoot in Live View mode as
the mirror will automatically be locked up
to allow the image to be fed to the Live
View screen. Mirror lockup, or Live View
shooting, is particularly useful when using
longer lenses or taking macro shots. This

MIRROR LOCkuP:
PROPERLY SHaRP

is because the magnification offered in

these situations means that any subtle
movements will be equally magnified.
Finally, dont be afraid to use a higher
ISO setting in order to hit the faster
shutter speeds that are often required for
sharp photos. Although picture
quality deteriorates at higher
ISOs, at least you can do
something about the resulting
noise when you process the
files. Its preferable to have a
sharp but slightly choppy shot
taken at ISO3200 than trying to
digitally sharpen a butter-soft one
taken at ISO100.

n Narrower apertures (represented

by high f-numbers like f/16 and f/22)
offer a greater depth of field than wider
apertures (such as f/2.8). Depth of
field is the amount of front-to-back
sharpness in an image.
n Despite giving the largest depth of
field, the narrowest apertures on the
lens actually produce softer images.
Try sticking in the middle of the range
instead, usually somewhere between
f/8 and f/11.
n The narrower the aperture, the
longer the exposure time needs to be to
record a picture and that can lead to
blurred shots. You may need
to sacrifice some depth of
field and use a larger
aperture instead.
Alternatively, increase
the ISO to give you
faster shutter speeds.
Narrow apertures can
lead to diffraction and
longer exposure times,
which can soften a shot

5 hints and tips for...

50mm prime lenses

1 See the light

Canons trio of fast 50mm

prime lenses and their wide
apertures let in lots of light,
meaning you can use fast
shutter speeds. You can
keep the ISO low in too: an
aperture of f/1.8 at ISO400
will give the same shutter
speed as f/5.6 at ISO6400.

Every month we highlight an EOS camera

or type of lens and provide priceless
advice to get more from your gear

3 Cut it out

2 Dont swivel

Avoid locking focus with the

central AF point and then
recomposing. The depth of
field offered by a 50mms
wide maximum aperture is
wafer-thin, and the point
you focused on may not be
in focus any more when you
recompose.

If you select a fast 50mms

widest aperture in bright
sunlight, the shutter
speed required to prevent
overexposure may be faster
than that offered by the
camera. In this case, fit a
strong ND filter to cut the
light entering the lens.

5 Stop it down

4 Non-standard?

Although 50mm is referred

to as the standard focal
length for the 35mm/digital
full-frame format, it can
distort shot up close. On
an APS-C camera, a 50mm
lens gives an angle of view
closer to 80mm, which
helps to flatten a portrait.

We appreciate you didnt

buy a fast lens to not use
its maximum aperture, but
a 50mm lens isnt sharpest
at its widest aperture;
two stops down (eg f/2.8
instead of f/1.4) will tighten
things up while retaining
lots of background blur.

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