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USS North Carolina in Wilmington, NC |
Will you see the difference in sharpness between a 25 year old SLR lens and a lens costing 3 to ten times as much? Only at wide apertures, using fine grained film, and only if you enlarge to 16 by 20, pore over a slide with a 10x loupe, or feel that you must justify blowing a grand on one lens. If your shooting technique is as sloppy as mine has been in the past, it matters little who made your equipment. I see no point in investing thousands in equipment until I get my act together in these areas. I am negotiating with my wife to let me buy one used Leica lens. Just one.
feeding Dale, my nephew |
1. Use the lens at it's best performance aperture, f5.6 or f8, or, at least, f4 to f11. You will be more likely to have images sharp in the corners as well as in the center. The battleship at right is sharp by default: Canon 35-mm lens at f 8, and plenty of light allowing a 1/250 sec shutter.With a 24 or 28, you'd be surprised how much much of your image will appear in focus at f8. Shoot at f16 or f22 if you must, but it will cost you a little in terms of sharpness. Let's not make a fetish of sharpness. Very pleasant softness can be had at wide apertures, especially for portraits. The picture at left is soft because of a wide aperture and flare from the window light.
lower the center of gravity |
2. Use a tripod or monopod!For shutter speeds below about 1/125th sec (with a 50-mm lens!), use a tripod and cable release, a monopod, or, at least, lean on something for support. I found this out after 30 years; trust me! Forget trying to hand hold ANY lens at 1/30 sec and slower. Be very cautious at 1/60 sec. Bitter is the experience of discovering, years later, that a cherished image is just not sharp. I can look like a fuddy-duddy setting up my tripod, or I can take a hit on sharpness. If I can't hold the camera truly steady, every lens Leica or Contax makes will not improve my images in the least. If you like to use telephotos, or zooms in the tele range, you REALLY need to be using a tripod. Don't go on a photo safari without one! It IS true, however, that Canon's IS (Image Stabilization) system works quite well. Look at the photographers on the sidelines at sports events. You will see them using a monopod, even with the best IS lenses. Bogen/Manfrotto makes reasonably priced quality tripods and monopods.
In addition to a tripod: lock the SLR mirror in the up position during the exposure, if your camera allows it. This is helpful at speeds slower than about 1/30 sec. When you press the shutter button, the mirror slaps up out of the way, the aperture lever whacks the aperture shut for the exposure, the shutter slams open and shut, and and the mirror plops back down. All that vibration can cause slightly fuzzy images. You can eliminate two whacks by immobilizing the mirror. Compose and meter your shot, then lock up the mirror. The Canon F-1 and FTb, Nikon F's, Olympus OM-1's, Contax RTS's, Minolta SRT's, and the Pentax KX, K2 and LX have mirror lock up. You will have to go pretty far up the product line to get mirror lock-up on any autofocus SLR. If you don't have mirror lock-up, try using your self-timer. Many cameras with self-timers operate the mirror and aperture before the shutter, which, I am told, lessens the vibrations. Canon fans assure me that mirror vibration has been designed out of the newest F-1 and EOS cameras (grin). If you are using a rangefinder camera, Contax G, or point'n shoot (film or digital), you don't need mirror lock-up, because you have no mirror! But don't forget the tripod!
Pentax rectanglar shade on Olympus 28 and OM-1 |
3. Use your lens shade! You will avoid problems with light coming in from the side that may cause flare. Using a shade may make NO difference with some shots, but it may make ALL the difference under some conditions. I know, shades can look goofy, especially the wide angle ones and the ones that look like a tulip stuck on your camera. Zooms especially need shades because of more glass elements to bounce light around. Get into the habit of using the shade provided with your lens. Shades for particular lenses are widely available on line at auction sites. A screw-on or clip-on shade for another maker's lens may fit yours as well; use the lens filter size to compare. For my wide-angles, I like rectangular or square shades. Should they drop off, they won't roll down the church aisle ahead of the bride, under the feet of crowds, or into the Rhine. The clip-on Konica 24/28 in 55-mm size and the Pentax 28 shade (49-mm, clip-on) are two good examples. The Konica shade works well on a 52-filter size lens, if you use a 52-to-55 step-up ring. For 55-filter-size Canon lenses, remove the glass from a cheap 55-mm filter, and mount the ring on your lens to attach the Konica shade. Hama in Germany makes rectangular shades in 49, 52, and 55 sizes, and they have their own rectangular cap over the shade. If you want to use a rectangular shade, however, be sure that the front ring of your lens does not turn during focusing.
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