Easy Sharpening

[Stagecoach]

John, I think there are two entirely separate areas to be considered here, one focus, the other softness of the image.

With respect to the focus of each shot I would say Rita has achieved that, which was her aim, in each image albeit with the angle of the pencil in image two it could be possible to not get both the front and rear most part of the lead in equal 'sharp' focus due to aperture and resulting DOF.

With respect to the apparent softness of the image I'm suspecting technique because if we look at No 1 taken at f/22 and the pile of lead shavings at the left those within the focus plane show greater sharpness than any in No 2 image taken at f/11. If we also consider that there's a chance sharpness falls off at the edge as with many lenses that suggests technique even more.

This setup would be ideal with a a reasonable depth of lead shavings as in my pic for Rita to take a range of shots at different apertures to assess the sharpness results.

Grahame

[Mike Buckley]

It's clear, Rita, that these images are a bit beyond your comfort zone and I admire you so much for going where perhaps you have never gone before. I'll leave the technical stuff up to others who know more about that than I but I do want to mention that it will be the lighting that you use that will take the images from the present level to a compelling level. As an example, notice the big improvement in lighting between your first and second image.

To get a firm understanding of the characteristics of light, I highly recommend the fourth edition of Light: Science & Magic. It will also provide lighting setups, but the most important thing is that you first understand the characteristics of light.

To change the subject, what's up with everyone around here using those wimpy pencil sharpeners? Doesn't anyone have a real pencil sharpener?

[ajohnw]

Same kit even the camera. ISO 400, 1/160, F11, the full frame hand held and I feel there is a tiny bit of shake. I tried to get the same framing as Rita. The focus scale didn't reach 1 to 4 so mag is less than that.

Just reduced - don't think Adobe products will do this as I understand some sharpen automatically when a shot has been reduced.



Sharpened in as described and usual crisp up after reduction



Plus a bit of very rough and ready PP




Untouched 100% crop



Sharpen in and a bit of PP 100% crop. PP exactly the same as the reduced shot.



Really the PP needs a tiny bit of curves work to tidy up the lighting.

Snap shot style normal central AF. I knew it would be ok as the focus area indicator in the preview was half on the pencil lead.

These are from a camera jpg with no enhancements from the camera. No point in using raw with this sort of dynamic range and the colours are pretty faithful but could be altered if desired. The white balance was slightly out so a 1 click fix on the paper which to my eyes is still slightly out but paper can be funny stuff.

Diffuser - the entire sky is a pretty good diffuser here in the UK today but I have had hot spots on shiny insects when the sky is nearly as good - dense white large cloud across the sun bringing exposure levels down to the same region as this shot but at ISO 200. This was taken with the camera facing north with the sun if it could be seen more or less behind me.


John
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[ajohnw]

I
To change the subject, what's up with everyone around here using those wimpy pencil sharpeners? Doesn't anyone have a real pencil sharpener?

See my shots. My wife's could a teacher own anything else? She also has a green turn the handle one too.

Retired now but she probably had both for something like 35 years.

John
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[ajohnw]

I thought I should near finish one of the shots as it should help Rita with her PP as this so far is all simple. Often best and do the fancy stuff later if needed.



I just used levels to shift the tone and set mid grey which effectively mean adjust the gamma. These were the settings



It's easier to use than curves and I think Adobe show it under the curves panel - not sure some one who uses Adobe could clear that up.

The histogram is the histogram and shows the dynamic range in the shot, luminance, which is the main one of interest. Using it on the colour channels is a whole subject on it's own. The input slider pointers select the range that is to be moved. The output pointers set where it will be in the output. The centre input slider can be the tricky one. It adjusts mid grey / gamma.

So moving the input bright end slider has brightened the bright end as it will be higher up in the output - in this case until the paper is white. The output black slider has been shifted up to brighten the black end - done until the pencil lead is close to correct also watching the sharpener shadows. Then tweak the input centre grey to get the contrast right. The trick as I see it is to anticipate the effect the centre grey slider will have and get the end points correct 1st which isn't too difficult. Just worry about dark and light ends initially. Contrast / gamma last.

It's probably at it's best and easiest used last like this. If more work is done after then space has to left in the output for that to work otherwise it might clip. Same at the dark end if the tone shifts were different. This probably depends on the package used but there is little point in repeatedly going back and changing earlier things in the processing steps. In my view a recipe for a mess.

John
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[Rita]

Grahame, I really appreciate your help and effort. That is a huge difference in your image. I am going to try some more things today and see where it leads.

Yes, the reviews for this lens are good. Once in awhile a really crisp image happens for me which tells me that it is me doing something wrong, just have to figure out what it is. When it is crisp it is really good. Yesterday I used my old tripod, today I will use my good one. As far as I can say there was no movement but maybe there was.

If all else fails I may end up with a new pencil sharpener

[Rita]

Some success. I found a setting in the scene mode on my camera for macro. According to the manual it is for a macro converter. Figured I had nothing to lose by trying it so I did. Unfortunately SS and aperture are selected by the camera with this on and I don't understand why it seems to help with a macro lens when it is for a converter. Reshot my infamous pencil sharpener and there seemed to be improvement so I went outside and tried it on some bugs. There is more room to improve but I thought these images were better than I did before on bugs. Minimal PP but they have been cropped.

1.


2.


3.

[HaseebM]

Which camera are using? I want to try this shot sometime to see the results with the Canon and 100mm Macro.

[Rita]

Haseeb I am using an Olympus E-M5 which is a micro four thirds with the Olympus 60mm micro lens.

[Stagecoach]

Hi Rita,

I agree, success.

No 1 & 2 are extremely good considering they are also cropped and displayed at this size. John would know more about the Macro setting function you mention but for these I see it chose 1/200s, ISO200, f/3.5 and f/5 for No 1&2 respectively.

What you have to do now is get in closer and condition your mind to think 'I do not want to crop'

I would say that these certainly confirm my suspicions that something was not right with the pencil you only have to look at some of the hairs that are at sharpest focus to demonstrate that. There's also scope for further basic PP enhancement which is good but that's another area separate to actually capturing a good result which you have done.

Well done.

Grahame

[Stagecoach]

Same kit even the camera. ISO 400, 1/160, F11, the full frame hand held and I feel there is a tiny bit of shake. I tried to get the same framing as Rita. The focus scale didn't reach 1 to 4 so mag is less than that.
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I think the first shot confirms capability of the rig and as a bonus knowing there could possibly be minor further improvement with the the use of a tripod.

Grahame

[Rita]

Mike, thank you for your feedback. You are sooooo right that I am out of my comfort zone! It is when we step out of our comfort zones that we grow and I do want to grow in photography. even if that means using a wimpy pencil sharpener I also have no idea of the characteristics of light. I will certainly obtain a copy of the book you suggest.

[Rita]

Grahame, knew there was a solution somewhere The reason I wasn't close to the insects was because I was leaning precariously over my balcony railing where the bugs were on a bush. I got as close as my arms could reach. Having played with this quit a bit over the last few days I have started to see how I was misjudging my distances to the subjects. Now that I am aware of it I can work on it next time I am out
Thanks again so much for all of your help.

[JBW]

Okay this may sound like heresy but it might help. Put everything on automatic and see what type of a shot you get. It may not be the best shot your camera is capable of but it will give you a benchmark. Next move away from automatic by learning to work with aperture priority or shutter priority. (I am guessing your camera has these options). Eventually move to fully manual? Just a thought but it worked for me.

[ajohnw]

Rita shot 1 leaves me wondering if you have the clipping preview enable in the camera? Because that is available Olympus don't leave a lot of scope for recovery from raw.

My advice will remain the same but I will add use F14 and forget changes to that for a while. Use standard AF. To get a feel for distances use the manual focus so that the lens scale shows 1:2 then point the camera at something and move it until it comes into focus but don't touch the shutter button. Then do the same thing with the scale showing 1:4. Last but not least use the focus distance switch thingy to set 1:1 and see how close that needs to be. This is the main drawback of the lens - very close but good for a 60mm I'll bet if Graham was using it he would soon start thinking about just how much can be cropped. A decent guide for that is 1/2 of the largest size of the thing being photographed fills 1/2 the frame. You might like to try 1/3 and 1/4 to get a feel for it. Even 1/4 is unlikely to be completely useless.

Then with AF on you could photograph the end of your pencil with the lens scale as above. Do the same thing but this time when the viewfinder or rear screen show the subject clearly gently press the shutter button fully, A good place to put the focus square would be over the lead. Do it on well lit table with your hands resting on it and use the rear screen.

In the gears menu - a - focus mode I have single plus focus assist on. The same menu also offers continuous AF. You could also try that. It can help with camera forwards backwards movement before a shot is actually taken. One thing for sure in either mode when you 1/2 press the shutter to focus don't stop like that for long unless you are slowly adjusting the camera distance in continuous or the image is fairly steady.

This method - set the focus scale - position the camera for a crisp view - take the shot is a little like the method Grahame etc use except AF is being used to finalise the focus. What they probably do is set the camera distance suitably from experience, use the focus ring, and then move the camera to a sharp view in an optical viewfinder - can't do that so easily on mirrorless which is why the AF is needed. In practice I suspect they could use AF too but the sensing area is a bit small. They might also use the AF to get a rough focus. That's just a 1/2 shutter press or focus now on any camera.

One way of doing a similar thing on mirrorless is to use focus assist. Trouble is that this gives a minimum 5x view. 2x would do - or even 1x really, the focus ring needs to do it's stuff and that it. So using that play with distance and focus ring until distance is where you need it to be. The problem is that at 5x you will probably fail to keep the subject where you want it to be so will have to move the camera when it returns to normal view. The distance will be correct though so just frame keeping it sharp and press the shutter. The AF will tidy up the focus.

Flash diffusers. I'm going a different way as I can use a soldering iron and don't mind taking things apart but this one is a guide to what is needed.

http://imgur.com/a/6Exlw

It would be better if it had a rectangular shape and was tapered along it's length, biggest end at the front of the lens. Rear to fit round the flash and square at the other end. Held in place with an elastic band. It could be made from a corn flake box lined with aluminium kitchen foil and as you have water proof kit covered in gaffer tape.

I started this post earlier today. Went for an hour of ti chi as I need to do something to keep fit, ate some toast and marmalade and drunk a mug of decent coffee - came back and finished it. It's now dinner time but I may be able to come up with some ideas about making a cardboard flash diffuser later if needed.

John
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[ajohnw]

One setting I forgot that can be useful is the lens reset on power off. I often turn the camera off between shots depending on time as it powers up quickly and full sleep power up is slower. In the gears menu A again is lens reset. Turn that off and the lens still resets when the camera is powered down but returns the focus to the last position used as soon as it's powered up again. Handy as it makes use of the magnification scales or some focus distance easier as the camera can be turned off and back on when needed again.

I haven't tried extension tubes on this lens yet. Might be a method of getting greater working distances.

John
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[Rita]

Brian, thank you for commenting. I generally use manual settings.

John, just one question, what is clipping preview. I tried to find it in the manual but I don't see it?

[ajohnw]

I'm not sure if it will work when flash is being used for a lot of fill in but it's far better than the histogram for normal shooting as clipped highlights go orange and clipped dark end goes blue. I find there isn't any need for flash if I can keep the exposure time 1/200 or faster. In full sun it's likely to be higher than that.

Best description I can find quickly is here - look at "Choosing live view displays and configuring Highlights & Shadows"

http://www.dpreview.com/articles/911...ympus-e-m5#UI2

I mentioned it as when the flash is being used the viewfinder should show under exposure and the flash just makes that up so there shouldn't be any over exposure as shown in 1 on your latest post. I'd guess the flash wasn't needed which can happen what ever settings you have so the clipping display should work - maybe you would find it in the manual using dpreview terms.

The manual is pretty brief. What I found I had to do is look through the menu section at the end and then think well what does that do. Google can help. My d7000 manual is very thick - mostly a waste of time so - look through the menu section. Same problem.

For normal shooting I'm fond of P mode but have to remember to think about the settings that come up initially - if I should change them with the rear thumb wheel. It's good for general shooting with mixed subjects and distances. I set the front wheel for exposure compensation - think they call that easy compensation. That then works in all controlled modes except manual where it's done with either speed or apperture.

For macro no flash I use aperture and currently mostly set it at F14. I need to get a feel for DOF. F14 will give decent detail.

For macro with flash I set manual,. max flash sync speed and F14 again at the moment.

Once the buttons have been programmed as needed it's best to save them in a myset so that they can easily be restored if for some reason they get messed up. I've played with all sorts of settings but find that an easy ISO setting is most useful. Digital converter for jpg's and a button to lock either exposure or focus. A 1/2 shutter press can do one. I have mixed feelings about back button focusing / focus now and haven't even tried to set it on Olympus. I just set the mode I want.

I am not sure what the "full time AF setting" in gears menu a does. One day I will find out. It could be that some other setting I have made stops it from doing anything.

Focus peaking can be enabled but can't say as I really rate it. Just google E-M5 focus peaking. I'd say it may work if something has a clear outline and something pretty flat without much detail behind. It also seems to like fast sharp manual lenses. I intend to try a 500mm mirror lens on birds on water using it but going on trials in the garden don't hold out a lot of hope.

John
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[IzzieK]

John, this is similar to the Nikon's highlight option. I use this a lot -- it is enabled via the shooting menu (the one with the camera icon). It makes life a lot easier just adjusting your setting using the exposure triangle. Sometimes when the histogram is not enough or you are confused about how to interpret it, the RGB highlight enabled is easier. And if you shoot RAW, you know you have enough information to extract from.

I'm not sure if it will work when flash is being used for a lot of fill in but it's far better than the histogram for normal shooting as clipped highlights go orange and clipped dark end goes blue. I find there isn't any need for flash if I can keep the exposure time 1/200 or faster. In full sun it's likely to be higher than that.

Best description I can find quickly is here - look at "Choosing live view displays and configuring Highlights & Shadows"

http://www.dpreview.com/articles/911...ympus-e-m5#UI2

I mentioned it as when the flash is being used the viewfinder should show under exposure and the flash just makes that up so there shouldn't be any over exposure as shown in 1 on your latest post. I'd guess the flash wasn't needed which can happen what ever settings you have so the clipping display should work - maybe you would find it in the manual using dpreview terms.

The manual is pretty brief. What I found I had to do is look through the menu section at the end and then think well what does that do. Google can help. My d7000 manual is very thick - mostly a waste of time so - look through the menu section. Same problem.

For normal shooting I'm fond of P mode but have to remember to think about the settings that come up initially - if I should change them with the rear thumb wheel. It's good for general shooting with mixed subjects and distances. I set the front wheel for exposure compensation - think they call that easy compensation. That then works in all controlled modes except manual where it's done with either speed or apperture.

For macro no flash I use aperture and currently mostly set it at F14. I need to get a feel for DOF. F14 will give decent detail.

For macro with flash I set manual,. max flash sync speed and F14 again at the moment.

Once the buttons have been programmed as needed it's best to save them in a myset so that they can easily be restored if for some reason they get messed up. I've played with all sorts of settings but find that an easy ISO setting is most useful. Digital converter for jpg's and a button to lock either exposure or focus. A 1/2 shutter press can do one. I have mixed feelings about back button focusing / focus now and haven't even tried to set it on Olympus. I just set the mode I want.

I am not sure what the "full time AF setting" in gears menu a does. One day I will find out. It could be that some other setting I have made stops it from doing anything.

Focus peaking can be enabled but can't say as I really rate it. Just google E-M5 focus peaking. I'd say it may work if something has a clear outline and something pretty flat without much detail behind. It also seems to like fast sharp manual lenses. I intend to try a 500mm mirror lens on birds on water using it but going on trials in the garden don't hold out a lot of hope.

John
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[ajohnw]

The Olympus mirrorless cameras show it in the viewfinder before the shot is taken Izzie. The main one is highlight clipping really as there will be scope in raw at the dark end even if that is shown as clipping. As the area that is being clipped is shown directly it's possible to compensate to get rid of all or some of it.

The big advantage mirrorless has in this area is that the camera sensor is used for metering.

The only thing to be wary of is bright shiny yellow .

Maybe I shouldn't have used the term preview. That comes up in the viewfinder after the shot is taken and gives a sort of focus check.

John
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