All the time back in the day! Luckily these days I rarely have focus issues. And if I'm uncertain, I'll grab a bunch of shots with different focal planes and stack them in post if necessary.
Using an ISO setting that is too low can result in too slow shutter speed and/or too large an aperture setting. Saw a good picture that could have been a fantastic photo on a Reddit forum, a while back. It was in Japan, a salaryman was walking home after work, down a narrow, somewhat crowded street. It was blue hour, and the main light source was a series of colored lanterns overhead, which made a nice leading line. But the photographer was trying to keep his ISO down, and had to open his lens up too far. He didn't get quite enough depth of field, and details like the subject's tie and company pin were just soft. The photographer nailed "the moment" and the composition, but higher ISO could have let him get better depth of field, and made a good shot a great one. You CAN reduce noise in post, and the newest tools do a pretty good of preserving sharpness, assuming the sharpness is there, to begin with.
Mark, early on, the biggest issue I had with focus issues was the use of lower quality (amazon etc) UV filter or the like. Removed all extra filters from the lens and voila - crisp and clear!
Hey Mark, just wanted to say that I appreciate you leaving your bloopers in your videos and not constantly editing/chopping in and out like most instructors do to edit out their errors. It gives your videos a much more personable and relatable experience, almost like we're in the room chatting with you. Such a subtle little thing, but adds so much!
Agree. Creators shouldnt waste their time and energy on getting the perfect setup and editing. It doesnt matter. I have enjoyed videos the most when people were just starting out their youtube career. When they start to focus on the gear and quality they start to loose focus on what they talk about.
Totally agree with you “Hey guys *jump cut* so *jump cut* today we’re going to be looking at *jump cut* how to get your photos pin *jump cut* sharp” Drives me mad!
I have been doing the "hand on shoulder" for a few years. I really like it. It's become natural to do that. This is the first time I see a UA-camr promoting it. Well done.
Also for handheld, put on burst. The first shot will detect the the motion from pressing the shutter release, the second or third shot should be more stable, and the last shot will detect the release of the shutter button. I almost always find the middle shots to be sharpest.
Excellent suggestions. As a former manager of a pro camera shop i used to help customers with problems like this. One tip I used to give people that you didn't mention although I'd guess you already know it is in low light situations when you don't have a tripod, you can use your face as your tripod. I did this back in film days when people would rarely be shooting even ASA (see? Long ago) 400 film. Usually they were shooting ASA 100. I found I could shoot the interiors of European cathedrals (dark) by leaning back against a column with my head against the column and holding the camera against three points on my head, the cheek, nose, and forehead, and I could shoot as slow as 1/8 or 1/4 second fairly reliably. 1/2 second was iffy but possible sometimes too. Great video!
Another factor that can detract from sharpness -- particularly for long focal-length shots -- is the instability of the air between the camera and subject. In many cases this can't be avoided, but for example if you're shooting a distant scene and have a choice between shooting over grass vs. over sand / rock / concrete / pavement, the air over the grass will have far less thermal movement and therefore be sharper. As an amateur astronomer, this is a major concern for visual observers, but it applies to photography as well.
I was proud with my 5.6 400 but the softness was disgusting: dark ground under strong sunlight at roughly 0 degree centigrade ... exactly what you say! My experience is - if you cannot move - to use shorter shutter speeds. You have some distortion by the hot air but the image looks sharper compared to longer exposures where the motion of the hot/colder air makes everything soft.
@@deborahtroeller6237 It's what astronomers refer to as "seeing" and it's usually the final limiting factor in optical resolution, in that context. Telescopes are almost always seeing-limited rather than optics-limited (assuming quality optics).
Not many people know that a lens hood can play a significant role for long telephoto lenses creating hot air disturbance. Unless you have a stray light hitting the lens, take the hood off.
@ 7:40ish Recommendation: use your camera bag or a heavy bag to hang from the hook of the bottom of your tripod. This definitely helps to stop some shaking. Also keeping the neck of the tripod as low as possible will help too
I found a big bonus to becoming a wheelchair user, I now have a nice solid rest for my supporting elbow for every shot. Although I have to be a bit careful about staying slightly slumped down in the seat. Shooting from my powerchair is pretty good, it has a seat lift, so I can be almost as tall as when I could stand and shoot. The seat also tilts right back, so looking at the night sky is quite pleasant when 'Out really early shooting. Oh and even though it's indoors and pavements only, according to the book, I'm pretty good at off roading in it. It's nice that I live in a UK National Park, the Norfolk Broads, nad have a good relationship with the local farmers, so that I can use the farm tracks and field margins during my wanders.
This is my first visit to your channel. I've been shooting professionally for over thirty years, and never thought of the "elbow as stabilizer" technique you demonstrated, but I'm definitely going to implement it in the future. Your presentation is excellent, and I always appreciate learning new things from other photographers. Thank you for the great content!
Hi Mark, I think its worth mentioning the advantage of using a wall, doorway, tree , fence post etc as a third point of contact to stabilise yourself for hand-helds , so long as it suits where you want to shoot from . I find this most useful for interiors like museums and art gallery’s which are generally much more dimly lit than you might think. Cheers from NZ 😊
I pay attention to handholding technique. Yet I see many photographers composing and shooting while looking at the screen, holding the camera away from their body. And their photos are sharp.
Something I would add is understanding the difference between sharpness in terms of being in/out of focus vs. depth of field. Of course you get into the things you covered here anyway with that, but when I was teaching I had students who did not get why they had to stop down for some subject matter. BTW- when I was doing press photography, I could almost put a 35mm focal length lens on one of my Nikons, set it to f/8, use hyperfocal "focusing", and not focus at all. I would not use this for portrait or closeup, but in grab shooting it worked out fine.
The biggest difference maker for me was learning about the apertures for best sharpness. For years I shot on the high/low ends instead of shooting around f/8 or f/11. I hadn't seen that shoulder resting technique before- might have to try that out. Thanks Mark!
Ansel Adams had a F 64 school, for landscape photography. My camera only goes down to F 16. You can use "Focus Stacking" programs to keep everything in focus depending on the effect you want. Small aperture means longer shutter speed.
I recently did a 4K city video. Decided to put the hood on the lens and dictate F8 in bright sun. Never seen anything so sharp in my life. 18-135 kit lens at 18
All good tips, however, regarding the 1/focal length practice, if one is using an APS-C or Micro Four Thirds camera, the shutter speed needs to be increased by 1.5 or 2.0 times to account for the longer apparent focal length with these smaller sensor cameras.
With a DSLR another benefit to using the delayed shutter release is that in most cameras the mirror goes up right away, even though the shutter opens 2 seconds, 10 seconds, etc. later. This eliminates the vibration from the mirror snapping up. I assume that's irrelevant with mirrorless though...
Hi Mark. Thanks for the great info on how to capture sharper photos. I have had more than a few photo shoots where the images looked fine on the camera's display, but when I got home and uploaded them in to Lightroom on my PC, I'd notice that some of the photos were not as sharp as I was expecting. Implementing your helpful tips will definitely help me reduce those "oh, ____" moments in the future. On another note, and to second the comment of another poster, I appreciate you leaving your bloopers in the video instead of editing them out. As a 30-year videographer, it drives me crazy when I have to sit through a video that has a bunch of jump cuts where the presenter's head shifts position every few seconds. That seems to be the norm in a lot of YT videos these days - but it still looks very amateurish. Thanks again. I've subscribed and I'll be perusing your other posted videos.
I'm getting back into photography and I can't tell you how much I'm enjoying going over all of these advice and instruction videos. I'm also noticing that there is so much that has to be learned, it attracts a certain personality type to photography. Everyone is always so methodical and yet open-minded.
I really enjoyed this video! All such fantastic points, thanks! When I am doing product photography, in addition to what you mentioned I also choose digital shutter release, and once I’ve got my focus, I turn off the touchscreen focus option and use it as my shutter release. It only takes a very light touch to snap the photo and when combined with 2 second delay was little to none for shake compared to the wobble recovery from pressing on the shutter button.
It also depends on what you call ‘sharpness’. We are doing too much pixel-peeping instead of looking at the photo as a whole for composition, exposure content etc. We are also ‘zooming’ in too much on our superb monitors which creates an artificial viewing concept - no one looks at a picture on a wall with their nose stuck six inches away from it! We view photos from a couple of feet away usually, and don’t forget in the outdoors we are looking at our compositions tens to hundreds of feet away or even miles! This ‘sharpness’ obsession is completely false and encourages the purchase of ever more ridiculously expensive cameras and lenses, which of course just what the manufacturers want. If you really think about it, digital cameras years ago only had a few mega-pixels, but were able to produce content that was used in all the glossy magazines and displayed in galleries and no one complained about lack of ‘sharpness’! I only ever have purchased used cameras that have cost at most a few hundred pounds, and print to A3 and receive praise from all who sees them. All Mark Denney’s instruction is spot on, but don’t get hung up on impossibly unnecessary sharpness seeking.
I agree with you, Peter - there's an almost obsessional fixation in regard to digital cameras; my analogue units (invariably) produce better resolution, shaprness, (& when using colour film) saturation; ultimately, I'll use analogue over digital - tho' the result are obviously not so immediate.
Fwiw, there’s no reason these are mutually exclusive. Of course composition, exposure, depth of field, etc. are important. But there’s no reason not to capture as sharp an image as possible once those are set.
True. It is why we sometimes see images that are oversharp, because they were blown up 200% on a monitor, they looked soft and were sharpened even more. Unnaturally sharp images are common nowadays.
Thank you so much!! I felt so frustrated, I watch all these videos , see all these sharp pictures and ask myself why I can’t level up with them. MAYBE because I have a 400 dollars (old) camera and not the newest, 2000 dollars model …
Thanks for the video. Here's one that pretty much no one ever talks about, the resolving ability of a lens. A cheaper lens will never be sharp enough with a high megapixel camera. Trust me I know. I've tried every technique you've mentioned and then some for years until I found out that high megapixel cameras are extremely difficult to get sharp unless you have a very high end lens. Even then, it can be quite difficult. Perhaps you can do a video on that? High megapixel cameras and focus issues. Thanks.
Very interesting remark that reminds me on my observation of a standard Nikon 50mm (45MP) I then bought a much bigger lense from Sigma 1:1.4 which is about 4 times the size & weight (!) but pictures are way much better now. Happy you gave me substance on this issue!
Yeah this is always my problem, since I use kit lense and vintage lenses. Many reviewers said great things about my Fuji kit lens but surely it's not that great.
I know that this video was put out almost a year ago but it’s new to me.Ive been a serious hobby photographer for about 8 years now and for some reason, I find a lot of people sending me DM’s on IG asking different questions about photography but the most common questions have to do with motion blur. I actually prefer the “ appearance” of an out of focus subject which can be just as challenging as an in focus tack sharp image! Lol! One thing I was not expecting you to touch on in your video but was very pleased that you did was the self timer or shutter delay option. I use it often and it has made a world of difference! It amazes me how many people don’t think to use it! It definitely comes in handy! Thanks so much for including this often overlooked but extremely useful feature on your camera when shooting!😊
What you shooting with? Am using Sony, a6400 actually. Advise is great but in video he also use a Sony. When a slow shutter speed is selected the shutter seems to be slower to react to the touch. If I ramp up the shutter speed then the shutter goes of instantly on pressing the shutter button. Is this normal or a feature of Sony do you know?
I had always used 1/120 as my safe handheld shot. It took quite a few lost shots to realize 1/160 is the safer point the moment any action starts. Wide open and too slow caught me up for years. I think we shoot too open not realizing ISO noise is infinity better than it used to be. It also sucks shooting a group portrait at 1.4 and only one person's eyelash is in focus 😂
1/160 makes sense if you are shooting a 135mm lens handheld. It’s too slow for a 400mm shot and way overkill for a 14mm. Double or triple those speeds if the subject is moving.
Great video, as always! There are just two things missing for me: --- 1) Turning off IBIS/OS/VS systems when using a tripod, as mentioned in many comments below. --- 2) I'm not sure if someone mentioned this below: In case of windy weather and if lighting conditions allow, it's good to remove the lens hood from the lens (when using on a tripod). The lens hood unnecessarily increases the surface area affected by the wind and causes micro-vibrations of the setup. I particularly mean the long lens hoods for telephoto lenses.
Another big tip on tripod stability: the mirror action on a DSLR can cause the camera to noticeably shake. Learn to use mirror lockup or live view for longer exposures!
I like to compose my shots in the viewfinder then go to live mode. The mirror locks up, then fire away with a 2s shutter delay. Learning this trick really improved camera stability..
Very good points! Thank you. I use back-button focus with AF-C. This allows me to control whether there is focusing being done or not, and the shutter release is simply that - a shutter release. If I'm going to be using my camera on a tripod and taking a lot of shots, I'll use a wireless remote. This allows me to sit on a chair or in the car. Plus, since it's also an intervalometer, I don't even have to babysit it. It will take the shots while I take a nap or engage in a discussion.
I have been using the 2 sec shutter delay for years. I often shoot handheld indoor under dramatic lighting (imagine car museum) where it's just not practical to use a tripod, nor do they want people accidentally knocking a tripod into an potentially priceless vehicle. It's good to see someone offering up this advice.
Using back-button AF, among other benefits, eliminates the need for shooting in AF-S. I have separate user settings for handheld and tripod and I bake the appropriate servo into those settings. Also, for #7 on this list, I don't know if this holds true in today's mirrorless/IBS world, but back in the DSLR days it was best to turn image stabilization OFF when on a tripod, as stabilization depended on some movement in the lens itself. I back that into my user settings as well on my Z7 so not sure if it's still necessary, but as of a few years ago it was.
Depends on the lens, but most modern lenses can detect when they are on a tripod. Also, there is a difference between being locked down on a tripod and being loose on a tripod (as using a gimbal).
One thing that you didn’t mention that could be an issue for soft images is if the camera’s diopter isn’t dialed in and rock solid sharp. If that is slightly not as sharp as it should be, it could result in images being soft. Also I use an app on my iPhone to control my Sony camera so I don’t have to touch the camera for long exposure shots but using the timer works too.
@@stephenschmid492 correct and if the diopter is not dialed in correctly what you think you see in the viewfinder is in focus when in reality your images may be not as sharp. Im basically saying it could throw you off if your viewfinder isn't sharp. Its happened to me once thats why I mentioned it lol.
Yes, many of these! It may seem obvious, but a mistake I've made (if focusing using back button focus or manual) is 'locking' focus with a zoom lens at full tele then zooming back out for a wider view and shoot. Most, if not all zoom lenses will need re-focusing. Thanks Mark for another great video.
Hi Mark, one curious thing i found when using a tripod. If I didn’t turn off VR on my long lens, occasionally the image wouldn’t be sharp. So I concluded that the VR feature must have been trying to compensate for movement that actually wasn’t there.
As long its on a tripod. (Shooting long exposure especially) Turn it off. The tripod is there to stablize already you dont need lens or camera in body stablize anymore. If you had it on. There will be chance your shot will become blurry because the camera will get confused
Thanks for sharing Mark! "sharpest Aperture Range"! ! ... how I've missed this all these years? i don't know. But this tip is super helpful for me. I've been struggling with a particular lens of mine (wildlife) and i am thrilled to try this technique.
Hey Mark, I’m a wildlife photographer that does a little landscape photography. I have to say that I absolutely love your channel. You’re teaching me so much. I’ve put many of your techniques into practice in the field. Your demeanor and teaching style is awesome. You crack me up with your side commentary. Caffeine puts me on highs speed too! Thanks for sharing your knowledge.
Unless I did not pay enough attention and missed it, another reason for lack of sharpness when shooting on tripod can be the camera's image stabilisation. Depending on circumstances, it can help to either turn it off, or turn it on.
@@LaposMovies Good point. And also when using longer lenses. When image stabilisation most clearly ruined a shot for me, was when I was using a long lens at night (so also a longer exposure). I turned it off and the image became nice and sharp. When it's a bit windy however and you're on softer ground, sometimes it can be better to turn image stabilisation on instead! So it pays to try it out and experiment.
It looks like it also depends on camera+lens. I saw testing of this and there was no difference on their setup. They did not test on huge telephoto though. Anyway better test on what you have.
One that has caught me several times is the OIS on Fuji. I switch it off to use the tripod, and thats fine for me, BUT I forget to switch it back on when I take it off the tripod , and then shoot thinking its on, and you can get very soft images, in low light conditions .
Using back focus button is definitely the first thing you should do for your camera. Also setting up and doing a focus check on each lens is very important. There is a reason they include an in body focus adjustment on most dslr's. Even though that lens may be brand new from the factory, doesnt mean its focus is dead on. It can be different on every camera body you use. Problems of back focus or front focus issues can be a real thing. I have a nikkor 200-500 f5.6 that was back focusing and once I adjusted it, I stopped getting soft pictures. Also keep in mind that if hand holding, its best not to use a shutter speed slower than the focal length of the lens.
Look in your camera menu to see if you can find a folder for focus adjustment. Then you can either buy a focus target kit or make one yourself using yardsticks or metric rulers. Its easy to do. You have the camera focus on the target and take a shot. Then look at the scale or yardsticks to see where the camera actually focused. It can either front or back focus. Then you adjust the focus in the settings in the camera. Do a YT check for your camera and see what you can find.
It’s a system camera, so no mirror. I’m not sure if all these testing options are possible. I’ll check. Would this be considered “calibration” or “calibrating”?
Hi Mark, one thing should be addressed is that DSLR cameras, not Mirrorless or Canon 5DSR, all have an anti-alias filter that will introduce a blur to every image, sharpening must be applied. Some sharpening might be done automatically when shooting in JPEG, but RAW images will need sharpening in various amounts, depending on size of enlargement.
Great tips Mark. I would add that hanging your camera bag on the bottom hook of a tripod center shaft provides more stability to the tripod for long exposures if there is not a lot of wind that can move the bag. Thank you for the video!
If your photos aren't as sharp as you think they should be, wideangle edge distortion in the corners of the picture area can't be cured except by using a better lens! Canon still continues to release expensive and _soft_ wideangles in the 16-35mm and 24-70mm zoom range. Prime lenses are better... and zooms get softer at their _longer_ end than their wider end, generally, across the _entire_ picture area, not just the edges!
You missed one important thing. Setup your camera for back button focus and use it long enough to become accustom to it. This feature will help you in making a conscious effort to nail the focus and will prevent your accidentally refocusing. If you use it long enough back button focus will become second nature. Then going back to the old shutter button focus will feel annoyingly awkward.
@@deborahtroeller6237 You map focus to a button, usually by your thumb. This way shutter and focus are now decoupled and you control either or both at will. As opposed to shutter button always forcing refocus AND shutter action. In situations with movement, you just hold the focus button when you want continuous focus to be active. When focus is right and you don't wanna have redo it, take as many pictures you want until you want to refocus. You get more control.
I do something similar, I try holding the button after I get my image in focus and that usually works unless there's movement of course. What I don't understand is how to "setup for back button focus". Another contributor here used the phrase "map focus to a button" to decouple the shutter and the focus but HOW do you do that???
I stumbled over all of those problems when I got into night photography. I thought I just had a crappy camera when my night shots came out grainy. I was absolutely giddy when I figured out that trading iso for exposure time gave me gorgeous night photos. If I forgot to set the 2 second timer, I'd delete the photo without even looking at it. One other tip I learned was that wind can have an effect too on long exposure shots that isn't remedied by a timer. What helps in that case is having a weight bag to dangle from the bottom of the tripod. My best tripod actually has a hook, specifically for this use. Anything from a 2 pound jogging weight to 10 pounds or so in a sturdy grocery bag, depending on the strength of the wind and the sturdiness of the tripod. Err on the side of light if you need to do a lot of walking with it.
Great video and extremely useful tips. Thanks for sharing, Mark. I would like to add two tips that I try to follow as well. 1. Make sure that image stabilization is turned off if I am using a tripod. Some lenses act a bit "jittery" if stabilzation is turned on while on a tripod. If you are on a tripod, you don't need stabilization...if you do, you need a new tripod. 2. If I am shooting a scene with plants or leaves on trees etc. and it is windy, then I need to have a higher shutter speed to move any wind induced movement in the scene itself. I learned this tip from a great photographic educator named Mark Denney in a previous video. 😁 Thanks again Mark!
Just started with photography courses and viewing your videos really add a lot more knopwledge in practice mode. Enjoy hearing with your style of approach.
One that you didn't mention is turning off image stabilization when using a tripod. It is always looking for movement and can miss calculate what it thinks is movements. Thus correcting for something that isn't needed. Softening the image. For me, it is just a matter of remembering all the little things you mentioned b4 firing of a shot. I'm not 30 anymore and have only been serious about photography for the last 3 years. So, the old mental muscle memory isn't locked in yet. LOL!! Great stuff as always Mark!!
Clearly a weakness in my photography I must say - what I sort of missed (and seems to be my particular problem) is respecting the depht of field of your lense as your photo might need a range of sharpness which has a lot to do with the size of your lense, the aperture setting and distance. For DSLR shooters to bring up the mirror ahead of taking the picture is another point that might have been pointed out more clearly. But May be I’m the last one shooting with outdated gear.
Tried that technique of one hand on the other shoulder and resting camera on elbow and I love it. My hands are a little shaky but I tried this indoors and I could get at least a 1 second exposure without having much blur
Great video. Also, if you are taking some night shots of stars or the moon, enable mirror lock up and the delay to prevent shakiness. Also, disable autofocus for that as well so the camera is not "hunting" to focus on something.
Canon shooter here. Ironically, I am strongly starting to suspect that f/5.6 is giving me better results than f/8, which is generally the go-to aperture for best optical performance. (The general rule of thumb in the industry is, *_always_* use f/8 _unless_ you have a specific reason not to - such as requiring more - or less - depth of field than f/8 can provide.)
AFC vs AFS would not be an issue for missed focus if you use back button focus --- unless, of course, you FAIL to release the button when desired focus is acquired. I found one additional factor that you didn't mention that has adversely affected my sharpness. I used to use a 70-300 telephoto lens that cost less than $500, Eventually, I upgraded to a telephoto lens that cost well over $1,000. At all the same settings and shooting techniques, the expensive lens produced sharper results. So lenses do have quality differences that can't be offset by any of your tips. That having been said, within the confines of a specific lens and auto focus activated with half press of the shutter release, all your tips are spot on and EXCELLENT..
Very nice video, I have learned a few techniques from watching this the hand on shoulder technique and the 10 second delay were my favorite takes thanks again I will be subscribing to your page. Keep them coming.
I loved this video. Did not notice you were going fast and then when you intentionally slowed down, it did seem more natural. I’ve never seen your videos before but I’ll look for more as I enjoyed the content and delivery (in both speeds ;)). Thanks for the educational info!
Well done video Mark, I would add one thing which happened to me a lot. You need to turn off your lens IS when taking longer exposures on a tripod. What's your take on that? Thanks for the video, well done, A+
Shamefully, I never could get my Manual mode pictures to come out as well as Auto mode. Another video recommended that your shutter speed should be twice that of your focal length rather than "about" that of your focal length. So at 55mm I was using a shutter speed of 1/125@f/4.5, shooting a still life. I noticed that in Auto the shutter speed was 1/60 for my 55mm which is as you recommend about the focal length of my lens. So, I tried that method, 1/60@4.5 and the picture was markedly better. It wasn't quite as good as the Auto, which had a lot of contrast and great color. I found that Auto was using Auto WB instead of Preset and Auto picture control rather than Neutral. I changed those settings on my D7500 and the pictures look great. I know these setting won't work in all settings but now I have a place to start.
One technique I use when I'm shooting at the limit of handheld, and don't have a tripod, is to use a wall, a tree, a post, or some solid fixed object to brace myself and the camera against (as long as you can still get your framing.) That works really well to extend the limits of handheld shots.
Your explanations were exceedingly easy to understand. I've watched quite a few videos on these issues, only to feel confused, and frustrated. No reaching for two Advil this time. Thank you!
I also like using 10s shutter delay for long exposure photos using a tripod. I also set the mirror up when I am using DSLRs. I believe Mark was taking into consideration only mirrorless cameras. They obviously do not need that. As I was watching the part where Mark advises the use of AF-S/AF-C for auto-focus, I checked my D7200 and solved a problem: I find it so annoying when I press the shutter and the camera refuses to take the shot. I found out that you not only have to choose the focus mode (AF-C) but also the "release" option so your camera will take the shot even if it is out of focus. I'll have to be more careful from now on, but I prefer this way. Very useful video. Thank you.
one more piece of advice which I use and I have to force myself to remember, 'wear your glasses for close inspection work on playback', man has that tripped me up on more than one occasion. great vid.
Nice! Turns out I've learned some of these organically. Good to have them confirmed. The 1 over focal length is a new one to me and excellent information!
I use a wire release twice per year: 1) For Fireworks (can't be waiting 2 seconds per photo there) and 2) for milkyway photos because my camera does not have an advanced built-in intervalometer. But yeah, I almost never use it any other time. For me from this list of possible options, my biggest is I'm almost always going hand-held and I have weak arms. That new holding the shoulder to make a platform trick might come in handy. Will look forward to trying that, at least it seems a lot more stable than tucking in my elbows sitting here on the couch. Thanks for that.
Great stuff Mark. I always tell novices that their first investment is not a 2nd lens, but rather a good sturdy tripod. And I fully agree with the self-timer delay idea. 100%. And the other thing I recommend is learning how to use the magnify function for the LCD screen to look at the image before they move on! Nine times out of 10, novices think the image looks great and sharp and then realize it did look nice and sharp on a small screen, but.... It doesn't hurt to go into full manual mode and try your luck at some manual focusing too.
I am so grateful to God I found this video. I've been learning photography and camera shake, shaky hands have been my biggest problem and after following your advice...I'm taking way sharper pictures
One that used to trip me up was leaving image stabilisation on when my camera was mounted on a tripod. Fell for that one a few times. All the best Russ
Mark, truly appreciate the video content... as always crisp delivery of the content without much ado! The AFC vs AFS and the lens' sharpness are the things that hadn't crossed my mind, thanks for this wonderful video!
Very helpful, even though I've been taking photos for decades. Loved the hand on shoulder hack. Never heard this before. It's a game changer. Will use the delayed shutter for landscapes, for sure. Thanks!
Hi Mark, I just wanted to say that I found this video to be very helpful to me. Also I find your style of teaching to be very easy to understand. Thank you. 👍👍
I used to tie my lens cap to my camera and that had the same problem as the strap. It's incredible how much vibration can be sent through your entire setup just from a tiny piece of plastic tapping the leg of your tripod. If I was zoomed in far enough my subject could leave the frame entirely, let alone add motion blur to the image.
You did good explanation with this area of details. For action/sports it can apply. There are other methods and factors that interweave or overlap to affect results as well. Much revolves around the subject as well. SS 1/500 to stop things, spot focus, f-stop/DoF, use a strong/heavy tripod or tripod with sandbags, in addition to the focus modes and the back button as focus with the front button as shutter only. Studio and Landscape genre's use SS and Tripod always. Using a larger F-stop will affect your AF's ability to focus quickly. Low light will affect a great many cameras to find focus quickly as well. Lastly flash. Flash sync speeds drive SS, and then removes a control from use in this respect so other items must be relied upon to help get sharp pics. Also be sure your camera has enough power to drive your lens(es) esp if they have motors in them. It takes real juice to drive a lens and AF quickly in sports or wildlife scenarios.
💥QUICK QUESTION: Has this ever happened to you?
All the time back in the day! Luckily these days I rarely have focus issues. And if I'm uncertain, I'll grab a bunch of shots with different focal planes and stack them in post if necessary.
Same here Dave. Think I've had all these bite me in the past.
Definitely, it has happened to me many times in the past. Now, I try to slow down and take my time making sure that I have everything set correctly.
Using an ISO setting that is too low can result in too slow shutter speed and/or too large an aperture setting. Saw a good picture that could have been a fantastic photo on a Reddit forum, a while back. It was in Japan, a salaryman was walking home after work, down a narrow, somewhat crowded street. It was blue hour, and the main light source was a series of colored lanterns overhead, which made a nice leading line. But the photographer was trying to keep his ISO down, and had to open his lens up too far. He didn't get quite enough depth of field, and details like the subject's tie and company pin were just soft.
The photographer nailed "the moment" and the composition, but higher ISO could have let him get better depth of field, and made a good shot a great one. You CAN reduce noise in post, and the newest tools do a pretty good of preserving sharpness, assuming the sharpness is there, to begin with.
Mark, early on, the biggest issue I had with focus issues was the use of lower quality (amazon etc) UV filter or the like. Removed all extra filters from the lens and voila - crisp and clear!
Hey Mark, just wanted to say that I appreciate you leaving your bloopers in your videos and not constantly editing/chopping in and out like most instructors do to edit out their errors. It gives your videos a much more personable and relatable experience, almost like we're in the room chatting with you. Such a subtle little thing, but adds so much!
I agree! Watching videos where it is clear they have been edited that way is soooo annoying...
Agree. Creators shouldnt waste their time and energy on getting the perfect setup and editing. It doesnt matter. I have enjoyed videos the most when people were just starting out their youtube career. When they start to focus on the gear and quality they start to loose focus on what they talk about.
Totally agree with you
“Hey guys *jump cut* so *jump cut* today we’re going to be looking at *jump cut* how to get your photos pin *jump cut* sharp”
Drives me mad!
True. That's when I subscribed. Give me authentic. lol
What he said!
Ok I'm 40 seconds in and I just have to say, whatever you have your lights set to in the back, I ADORE that color. So, so soothing.
Teal??? Or what I think used to be called powderpuff blue?
I have been doing the "hand on shoulder" for a few years. I really like it. It's become natural to do that. This is the first time I see a UA-camr promoting it. Well done.
Also for handheld, put on burst. The first shot will detect the the motion from pressing the shutter release, the second or third shot should be more stable, and the last shot will detect the release of the shutter button. I almost always find the middle shots to be sharpest.
Yes! I do this too and the middle shots are always the best.
Good advice!
Thanks will try that 👍
The 2 second timed release is great too, but with burst, it generally gives a person more choice .
Strange thing ... I usually find that the first of a burst is the best!!
Excellent suggestions. As a former manager of a pro camera shop i used to help customers with problems like this. One tip I used to give people that you didn't mention although I'd guess you already know it is in low light situations when you don't have a tripod, you can use your face as your tripod. I did this back in film days when people would rarely be shooting even ASA (see? Long ago) 400 film. Usually they were shooting ASA 100. I found I could shoot the interiors of European cathedrals (dark) by leaning back against a column with my head against the column and holding the camera against three points on my head, the cheek, nose, and forehead, and I could shoot as slow as 1/8 or 1/4 second fairly reliably. 1/2 second was iffy but possible sometimes too. Great video!
Another factor that can detract from sharpness -- particularly for long focal-length shots -- is the instability of the air between the camera and subject. In many cases this can't be avoided, but for example if you're shooting a distant scene and have a choice between shooting over grass vs. over sand / rock / concrete / pavement, the air over the grass will have far less thermal movement and therefore be sharper. As an amateur astronomer, this is a major concern for visual observers, but it applies to photography as well.
I was proud with my 5.6 400 but the softness was disgusting: dark ground under strong sunlight at roughly 0 degree centigrade ... exactly what you say!
My experience is - if you cannot move - to use shorter shutter speeds. You have some distortion by the hot air but the image looks sharper compared to longer exposures where the motion of the hot/colder air makes everything soft.
Never thought of this, brilliant!
@@deborahtroeller6237 It's what astronomers refer to as "seeing" and it's usually the final limiting factor in optical resolution, in that context. Telescopes are almost always seeing-limited rather than optics-limited (assuming quality optics).
Brilliant. I’ve dabbled in astro but it never dawned on me. Thanks sooo much.
Not many people know that a lens hood can play a significant role for long telephoto lenses creating hot air disturbance. Unless you have a stray light hitting the lens, take the hood off.
@ 7:40ish Recommendation: use your camera bag or a heavy bag to hang from the hook of the bottom of your tripod. This definitely helps to stop some shaking. Also keeping the neck of the tripod as low as possible will help too
Also, if you have some light weight tripod, it will be difficult to avoid vibration.
I found a big bonus to becoming a wheelchair user, I now have a nice solid rest for my supporting elbow for every shot. Although I have to be a bit careful about staying slightly slumped down in the seat. Shooting from my powerchair is pretty good, it has a seat lift, so I can be almost as tall as when I could stand and shoot. The seat also tilts right back, so looking at the night sky is quite pleasant when 'Out really early shooting. Oh and even though it's indoors and pavements only, according to the book, I'm pretty good at off roading in it. It's nice that I live in a UK National Park, the Norfolk Broads, nad have a good relationship with the local farmers, so that I can use the farm tracks and field margins during my wanders.
You have a very good outlook of life. Many could take a page out of your book .
I use a manual wheelchair, and can’t do those things you said, so you’ve def got that over me for this haha
My fiancé also uses a wheelchair. She loves photography, so I want to take her out on adventures. You inspired me quite a bit. Thanks
@@richardwestwood1812what choice do they have, they are stuck in a wheelchair, it's literally forced adaptation.
@@sew_gal7340 absolutely none , that is exactly my point . It's so easy to dwell on negatives .
I've been shooting for 45 years - never thought about the camera strap. I learned something today!
This is my first visit to your channel. I've been shooting professionally for over thirty years, and never thought of the "elbow as stabilizer" technique you demonstrated, but I'm definitely going to implement it in the future. Your presentation is excellent, and I always appreciate learning new things from other photographers. Thank you for the great content!
That was new to me as well. Went out and tried it. I'm going to check the results.
Hi Mark, I think its worth mentioning the advantage of using a wall, doorway, tree , fence post etc as a third point of contact to stabilise yourself for hand-helds , so long as it suits where you want to shoot from . I find this most useful for interiors like museums and art gallery’s which are generally much more dimly lit than you might think. Cheers from NZ 😊
I’d make that Fourth point of contact. L hand, R hand, forehead, shoulder….
I find in tourists areas there are handy quadpods about in the form of trash cans which can create a very stable foundation.
Ive also used my camera bag like a bean bag
I pay attention to handholding technique. Yet I see many photographers composing and shooting while looking at the screen, holding the camera away from their body. And their photos are sharp.
Good tips. Additional thought: a little discussion on focus calibration and back focus vs. front focus might be helpful, as well.
Something I would add is understanding the difference between sharpness in terms of being in/out of focus vs. depth of field. Of course you get into the things you covered here anyway with that, but when I was teaching I had students who did not get why they had to stop down for some subject matter. BTW- when I was doing press photography, I could almost put a 35mm focal length lens on one of my Nikons, set it to f/8, use hyperfocal "focusing", and not focus at all. I would not use this for portrait or closeup, but in grab shooting it worked out fine.
I have heard from quite a few guys that work as press/news photographers "f/8 is your friend when things go crazy!"
@@jabezhane What we used to say was "f/8 and BE THERE."
Great video! Thanks for not including distracting music or sounds in the background.
The biggest difference maker for me was learning about the apertures for best sharpness. For years I shot on the high/low ends instead of shooting around f/8 or f/11. I hadn't seen that shoulder resting technique before- might have to try that out. Thanks Mark!
Ansel Adams had a F 64 school, for landscape photography. My camera only goes down to F 16. You can use "Focus Stacking" programs to keep everything in focus depending on the effect you want. Small aperture means longer shutter speed.
Thanks for checking out the video Dave!
I recently did a 4K city video. Decided to put the hood on the lens and dictate F8 in bright sun. Never seen anything so sharp in my life. 18-135 kit lens at 18
Aaaa
Yes. For most lens, f5.6 or f8 are the sharpest aperture. Landscape should only use f8, f11.
Thanks!
All good tips, however, regarding the 1/focal length practice, if one is using an APS-C or Micro Four Thirds camera, the shutter speed needs to be increased by 1.5 or 2.0 times to account for the longer apparent focal length with these smaller sensor cameras.
Agreed. I use an APS-C sensor camera and I've always done 2x focal length at least.
With a DSLR another benefit to using the delayed shutter release is that in most cameras the mirror goes up right away, even though the shutter opens 2 seconds, 10 seconds, etc. later. This eliminates the vibration from the mirror snapping up. I assume that's irrelevant with mirrorless though...
Never noticed that before with my DSLR - thanks
good point although on some DSLR's you have to set the 'mirror lock-up' manually
Mirror slap lol
Hi Mark. Thanks for the great info on how to capture sharper photos. I have had more than a few photo shoots where the images looked fine on the camera's display, but when I got home and uploaded them in to Lightroom on my PC, I'd notice that some of the photos were not as sharp as I was expecting. Implementing your helpful tips will definitely help me reduce those "oh, ____" moments in the future. On another note, and to second the comment of another poster, I appreciate you leaving your bloopers in the video instead of editing them out. As a 30-year videographer, it drives me crazy when I have to sit through a video that has a bunch of jump cuts where the presenter's head shifts position every few seconds. That seems to be the norm in a lot of YT videos these days - but it still looks very amateurish. Thanks again. I've subscribed and I'll be perusing your other posted videos.
I'm getting back into photography and I can't tell you how much I'm enjoying going over all of these advice and instruction videos. I'm also noticing that there is so much that has to be learned, it attracts a certain personality type to photography. Everyone is always so methodical and yet open-minded.
I really enjoyed this video! All such fantastic points, thanks! When I am doing product photography, in addition to what you mentioned I also choose digital shutter release, and once I’ve got my focus, I turn off the touchscreen focus option and use it as my shutter release. It only takes a very light touch to snap the photo and when combined with 2 second delay was little to none for shake compared to the wobble recovery from pressing on the shutter button.
It also depends on what you call ‘sharpness’. We are doing too much pixel-peeping instead of looking at the photo as a whole for composition, exposure content etc. We are also ‘zooming’ in too much on our superb monitors which creates an artificial viewing concept - no one looks at a picture on a wall with their nose stuck six inches away from it! We view photos from a couple of feet away usually, and don’t forget in the outdoors we are looking at our compositions tens to hundreds of feet away or even miles! This ‘sharpness’ obsession is completely false and encourages the purchase of ever more ridiculously expensive cameras and lenses, which of course just what the manufacturers want. If you really think about it, digital cameras years ago only had a few mega-pixels, but were able to produce content that was used in all the glossy magazines and displayed in galleries and no one complained about lack of ‘sharpness’! I only ever have purchased used cameras that have cost at most a few hundred pounds, and print to A3 and receive praise from all who sees them. All Mark Denney’s instruction is spot on, but don’t get hung up on impossibly unnecessary sharpness seeking.
I agree with you, Peter - there's an almost obsessional fixation in regard to digital cameras; my analogue units (invariably) produce better resolution, shaprness, (& when using colour film) saturation; ultimately, I'll use analogue over digital - tho' the result are obviously not so immediate.
Fwiw, there’s no reason these are mutually exclusive. Of course composition, exposure, depth of field, etc. are important. But there’s no reason not to capture as sharp an image as possible once those are set.
True. It is why we sometimes see images that are oversharp, because they were blown up 200% on a monitor, they looked soft and were sharpened even more. Unnaturally sharp images are common nowadays.
This obsession with sharpness is a disease. Ansel Adams and countless other photography masters weren’t hung up on it.
Thank you so much!! I felt so frustrated, I watch all these videos , see all these sharp pictures and ask myself why I can’t level up with them. MAYBE because I have a 400 dollars (old) camera and not the newest, 2000 dollars model …
Thanks for the video. Here's one that pretty much no one ever talks about, the resolving ability of a lens. A cheaper lens will never be sharp enough with a high megapixel camera. Trust me I know. I've tried every technique you've mentioned and then some for years until I found out that high megapixel cameras are extremely difficult to get sharp unless you have a very high end lens. Even then, it can be quite difficult. Perhaps you can do a video on that? High megapixel cameras and focus issues. Thanks.
Plus with high density megapixel cameras diffraction occurs.
Very interesting remark that reminds me on my observation of a standard Nikon 50mm (45MP) I then bought a much bigger lense from Sigma 1:1.4 which is about 4 times the size & weight (!) but pictures are way much better now. Happy you gave me substance on this issue!
Yeah this is always my problem, since I use kit lense and vintage lenses. Many reviewers said great things about my Fuji kit lens but surely it's not that great.
I know that this video was put out almost a year ago but it’s new to me.Ive been a serious hobby photographer for about 8 years now and for some reason, I find a lot of people sending me DM’s on IG asking different questions about photography but the most common questions have to do with motion blur. I actually prefer the “ appearance” of an out of focus subject which can be just as challenging as an in focus tack sharp image! Lol! One thing I was not expecting you to touch on in your video but was very pleased that you did was the self timer or shutter delay option. I use it often and it has made a world of difference! It amazes me how many people don’t think to use it! It definitely comes in handy! Thanks so much for including this often overlooked but extremely useful feature on your camera when shooting!😊
What you shooting with? Am using Sony, a6400 actually. Advise is great but in video he also use a Sony. When a slow shutter speed is selected the shutter seems to be slower to react to the touch. If I ramp up the shutter speed then the shutter goes of instantly on pressing the shutter button. Is this normal or a feature of Sony do you know?
I had always used 1/120 as my safe handheld shot. It took quite a few lost shots to realize 1/160 is the safer point the moment any action starts. Wide open and too slow caught me up for years. I think we shoot too open not realizing ISO noise is infinity better than it used to be. It also sucks shooting a group portrait at 1.4 and only one person's eyelash is in focus 😂
1/160 makes sense if you are shooting a 135mm lens handheld. It’s too slow for a 400mm shot and way overkill for a 14mm. Double or triple those speeds if the subject is moving.
I reckon everyone who doesn’t learn through lessons, learns that exact thing the hard way lol
Great video, as always! There are just two things missing for me:
--- 1) Turning off IBIS/OS/VS systems when using a tripod, as mentioned in many comments below.
--- 2) I'm not sure if someone mentioned this below: In case of windy weather and if lighting conditions allow, it's good to remove the lens hood from the lens (when using on a tripod). The lens hood unnecessarily increases the surface area affected by the wind and causes micro-vibrations of the setup. I particularly mean the long lens hoods for telephoto lenses.
Another big tip on tripod stability: the mirror action on a DSLR can cause the camera to noticeably shake. Learn to use mirror lockup or live view for longer exposures!
I like to compose my shots in the viewfinder then go to live mode. The mirror locks up, then fire away with a 2s shutter delay. Learning this trick really improved camera stability..
Mirror shake? Living in the past, man.
Very good points! Thank you.
I use back-button focus with AF-C. This allows me to control whether there is focusing being done or not, and the shutter release is simply that - a shutter release.
If I'm going to be using my camera on a tripod and taking a lot of shots, I'll use a wireless remote. This allows me to sit on a chair or in the car. Plus, since it's also an intervalometer, I don't even have to babysit it. It will take the shots while I take a nap or engage in a discussion.
I have been using the 2 sec shutter delay for years. I often shoot handheld indoor under dramatic lighting (imagine car museum) where it's just not practical to use a tripod, nor do they want people accidentally knocking a tripod into an potentially priceless vehicle. It's good to see someone offering up this advice.
The 2 second delay often means you can't time the waves too well for seascapes. Better to use a remote trigger and no delay.
Thanks for the tip about the timer. Makes total sense and works. Sometimes the simplest solutions are the most difficult to come by!
Using back-button AF, among other benefits, eliminates the need for shooting in AF-S. I have separate user settings for handheld and tripod and I bake the appropriate servo into those settings. Also, for #7 on this list, I don't know if this holds true in today's mirrorless/IBS world, but back in the DSLR days it was best to turn image stabilization OFF when on a tripod, as stabilization depended on some movement in the lens itself. I back that into my user settings as well on my Z7 so not sure if it's still necessary, but as of a few years ago it was.
Depends on the lens, but most modern lenses can detect when they are on a tripod. Also, there is a difference between being locked down on a tripod and being loose on a tripod (as using a gimbal).
One thing that you didn’t mention that could be an issue for soft images is if the camera’s diopter isn’t dialed in and rock solid sharp. If that is slightly not as sharp as it should be, it could result in images being soft. Also I use an app on my iPhone to control my Sony camera so I don’t have to touch the camera for long exposure shots but using the timer works too.
The diopter affects the sharpness of the viewfinder, not of the images you take with the camera.
@@stephenschmid492 correct and if the diopter is not dialed in correctly what you think you see in the viewfinder is in focus when in reality your images may be not as sharp. Im basically saying it could throw you off if your viewfinder isn't sharp. Its happened to me once thats why I mentioned it lol.
@@cre8tivity06 Gotcha. When I manually focus, I use the highlighter function on the EVF, which doesn't really depend on the diopter.
Yes, many of these! It may seem obvious, but a mistake I've made (if focusing using back button focus or manual) is 'locking' focus with a zoom lens at full tele then zooming back out for a wider view and shoot. Most, if not all zoom lenses will need re-focusing. Thanks Mark for another great video.
If you are using canon you have zoom option when using screen live view, so it is easier to focus small objects
After years of photography, I now learned the 1/f rule for minimum shutter speed. You learn something everyday. Thank you.
It's not a good rule because it doesn't account for how fast the subject is moving. Also with high MP cameras, it's pretty outdated now.
Hi Mark, one curious thing i found when using a tripod. If I didn’t turn off VR on my long lens, occasionally the image wouldn’t be sharp. So I concluded that the VR feature must have been trying to compensate for movement that actually wasn’t there.
I've heard yes and no to this question and both sides had arguments why or why not. Are you using a DSLR or mirrorless?
As long its on a tripod. (Shooting long exposure especially) Turn it off. The tripod is there to stablize already you dont need lens or camera in body stablize anymore. If you had it on. There will be chance your shot will become blurry because the camera will get confused
Thanks for sharing Mark! "sharpest Aperture Range"! ! ... how I've missed this all these years? i don't know. But this tip is super helpful for me. I've been struggling with a particular lens of mine (wildlife) and i am thrilled to try this technique.
Hey Mark, I’m a wildlife photographer that does a little landscape photography. I have to say that I absolutely love your channel. You’re teaching me so much. I’ve put many of your techniques into practice in the field. Your demeanor and teaching style is awesome. You crack me up with your side commentary. Caffeine puts me on highs speed too! Thanks for sharing your knowledge.
Thanks so much for checking out the video! Glad you enjoyed it:)
That sunset Timelapse towards the end was incredible!! Would love to see a video on that technique one of these days. Really awesome!
Unless I did not pay enough attention and missed it, another reason for lack of sharpness when shooting on tripod can be the camera's image stabilisation.
Depending on circumstances, it can help to either turn it off, or turn it on.
Especially when you use longer exposure times.
@@LaposMovies Good point. And also when using longer lenses.
When image stabilisation most clearly ruined a shot for me, was when I was using a long lens at night (so also a longer exposure).
I turned it off and the image became nice and sharp.
When it's a bit windy however and you're on softer ground, sometimes it can be better to turn image stabilisation on instead!
So it pays to try it out and experiment.
Thanks. All my questions answered in this comment 🙏
Best to turn off.
It looks like it also depends on camera+lens. I saw testing of this and there was no difference on their setup.
They did not test on huge telephoto though.
Anyway better test on what you have.
One that has caught me several times is the OIS on Fuji. I switch it off to use the tripod, and thats fine for me, BUT I forget to switch it back on when I take it off the tripod , and then shoot thinking its on, and you can get very soft images, in low light conditions .
Using back focus button is definitely the first thing you should do for your camera. Also setting up and doing a focus check on each lens is very important. There is a reason they include an in body focus adjustment on most dslr's. Even though that lens may be brand new from the factory, doesnt mean its focus is dead on. It can be different on every camera body you use. Problems of back focus or front focus issues can be a real thing. I have a nikkor 200-500 f5.6 that was back focusing and once I adjusted it, I stopped getting soft pictures. Also keep in mind that if hand holding, its best not to use a shutter speed slower than the focal length of the lens.
I really like doing focus checks on my lenses. It is surprisng how out they can be and it's nice to know your lens is dialed in to your camera.
Does this also apply to system camera’s. I use Fuji x system. Having problems with proper focusing and sharpness.
Look in your camera menu to see if you can find a folder for focus adjustment. Then you can either buy a focus target kit or make one yourself using yardsticks or metric rulers. Its easy to do. You have the camera focus on the target and take a shot. Then look at the scale or yardsticks to see where the camera actually focused. It can either front or back focus. Then you adjust the focus in the settings in the camera. Do a YT check for your camera and see what you can find.
It’s a system camera, so no mirror. I’m not sure if all these testing options are possible. I’ll check. Would this be considered “calibration” or “calibrating”?
Should you turn off IBIS and lens stabilization when using a monopol or tripod?
Hi Mark, one thing should be addressed is that DSLR cameras, not Mirrorless or Canon 5DSR, all have an anti-alias filter that will introduce a blur to every image, sharpening must be applied. Some sharpening might be done automatically when shooting in JPEG, but RAW images will need sharpening in various amounts, depending on size of enlargement.
OMG hand over shoulder trick just blew my mind. Never heard of that stability trick before. Thanks!
Great tips Mark. I would add that hanging your camera bag on the bottom hook of a tripod center shaft provides more stability to the tripod for long exposures if there is not a lot of wind that can move the bag. Thank you for the video!
If your photos aren't as sharp as you think they should be, wideangle edge distortion in the corners of the picture area can't be cured except by using a better lens! Canon still continues to release expensive and _soft_ wideangles in the 16-35mm and 24-70mm zoom range. Prime lenses are better... and zooms get softer at their _longer_ end than their wider end, generally, across the _entire_ picture area, not just the edges!
You missed one important thing. Setup your camera for back button focus and use it long enough to become accustom to it. This feature will help you in making a conscious effort to nail the focus and will prevent your accidentally refocusing. If you use it long enough back button focus will become second nature. Then going back to the old shutter button focus will feel annoyingly awkward.
Massive game changer...
Can someone please explain back button focus for me?
@@deborahtroeller6237 You map focus to a button, usually by your thumb. This way shutter and focus are now decoupled and you control either or both at will. As opposed to shutter button always forcing refocus AND shutter action. In situations with movement, you just hold the focus button when you want continuous focus to be active. When focus is right and you don't wanna have redo it, take as many pictures you want until you want to refocus. You get more control.
I do something similar, I try holding the button after I get my image in focus and that usually works unless there's movement of course. What I don't understand is how to "setup for back button focus". Another contributor here used the phrase "map focus to a button" to decouple the shutter and the focus but HOW do you do that???
Okay thanks, you said "map focus to a button" but HOW do you do that??? I have no idea what that means??? Map focus?
I stumbled over all of those problems when I got into night photography. I thought I just had a crappy camera when my night shots came out grainy. I was absolutely giddy when I figured out that trading iso for exposure time gave me gorgeous night photos. If I forgot to set the 2 second timer, I'd delete the photo without even looking at it. One other tip I learned was that wind can have an effect too on long exposure shots that isn't remedied by a timer. What helps in that case is having a weight bag to dangle from the bottom of the tripod. My best tripod actually has a hook, specifically for this use. Anything from a 2 pound jogging weight to 10 pounds or so in a sturdy grocery bag, depending on the strength of the wind and the sturdiness of the tripod. Err on the side of light if you need to do a lot of walking with it.
Great video and extremely useful tips. Thanks for sharing, Mark. I would like to add two tips that I try to follow as well.
1. Make sure that image stabilization is turned off if I am using a tripod. Some lenses act a bit "jittery" if stabilzation is turned on while on a tripod. If you are on a tripod, you don't need stabilization...if you do, you need a new tripod.
2. If I am shooting a scene with plants or leaves on trees etc. and it is windy, then I need to have a higher shutter speed to move any wind induced movement in the scene itself. I learned this tip from a great photographic educator named Mark Denney in a previous video. 😁 Thanks again Mark!
Just started with photography courses and viewing your videos really add a lot more knopwledge in practice mode. Enjoy hearing with your style of approach.
One that you didn't mention is turning off image stabilization when using a tripod. It is always looking for movement and can miss calculate what it thinks is movements. Thus correcting for something that isn't needed. Softening the image. For me, it is just a matter of remembering all the little things you mentioned b4 firing of a shot. I'm not 30 anymore and have only been serious about photography for the last 3 years. So, the old mental muscle memory isn't locked in yet. LOL!! Great stuff as always Mark!!
Man, im so happy i found this video. 11 minutes of some excellent advice. Thanks so much!!
Clearly a weakness in my photography I must say - what I sort of missed (and seems to be my particular problem) is respecting the depht of field of your lense as your photo might need a range of sharpness which has a lot to do with the size of your lense, the aperture setting and distance. For DSLR shooters to bring up the mirror ahead of taking the picture is another point that might have been pointed out more clearly. But May be I’m the last one shooting with outdated gear.
No such thing as "outdated gear". Your gear is just as good as the day you bought it. If it does what you need it to do, it isn't outdated.
Tried that technique of one hand on the other shoulder and resting camera on elbow and I love it. My hands are a little shaky but I tried this indoors and I could get at least a 1 second exposure without having much blur
Thank you Mark. I am having an issue with a lens and will make sure I have incorporated your suggestions!
Great video. Also, if you are taking some night shots of stars or the moon, enable mirror lock up and the delay to prevent shakiness. Also, disable autofocus for that as well so the camera is not "hunting" to focus on something.
"I never ever use the strap when the camera is on the tripod" then we have a plot twist at 8:30 😂
I really enjoy the drama you put in when making a particular point. Keep the good work!
It could be that you use your tee-shirt to wipe your glass...
I really appreciate the reenactments, especially the shoulder strap swinging in the wind.
Canon shooter here. Ironically, I am strongly starting to suspect that f/5.6 is giving me better results than f/8, which is generally the go-to aperture for best optical performance. (The general rule of thumb in the industry is, *_always_* use f/8 _unless_ you have a specific reason not to - such as requiring more - or less - depth of field than f/8 can provide.)
Seriously thank you for explaining everything in a simple way and keeping it dumbed down for some of us beginners
AFC vs AFS would not be an issue for missed focus if you use back button focus --- unless, of course, you FAIL to release the button when desired focus is acquired.
I found one additional factor that you didn't mention that has adversely affected my sharpness. I used to use a 70-300 telephoto lens that cost less than $500, Eventually, I upgraded to a telephoto lens that cost well over $1,000. At all the same settings and shooting techniques, the expensive lens produced sharper results. So lenses do have quality differences that can't be offset by any of your tips.
That having been said, within the confines of a specific lens and auto focus activated with half press of the shutter release, all your tips are spot on and EXCELLENT..
Love the shutter delay suggestion. This is the first time I have heard someone mention that.
Very nice video, I have learned a few techniques from watching this the hand on shoulder technique and the 10 second delay were my favorite takes thanks again I will be subscribing to your page. Keep them coming.
Hello from France, Mark ! Excellent summary but it lacks the shutter shock which depends on the camera and the lens.
I loved this video. Did not notice you were going fast and then when you intentionally slowed down, it did seem more natural. I’ve never seen your videos before but I’ll look for more as I enjoyed the content and delivery (in both speeds ;)). Thanks for the educational info!
Well done video Mark, I would add one thing which happened to me a lot. You need to turn off your lens IS when taking longer exposures on a tripod. What's your take on that? Thanks for the video, well done, A+
Shamefully, I never could get my Manual mode pictures to come out as well as Auto mode. Another video recommended that your shutter speed should be twice that of your focal length rather than "about" that of your focal length. So at 55mm I was using a shutter speed of 1/125@f/4.5, shooting a still life. I noticed that in Auto the shutter speed was 1/60 for my 55mm which is as you recommend about the focal length of my lens. So, I tried that method, 1/60@4.5 and the picture was markedly better. It wasn't quite as good as the Auto, which had a lot of contrast and great color. I found that Auto was using Auto WB instead of Preset and Auto picture control rather than Neutral. I changed those settings on my D7500 and the pictures look great. I know these setting won't work in all settings but now I have a place to start.
One technique I use when I'm shooting at the limit of handheld, and don't have a tripod, is to use a wall, a tree, a post, or some solid fixed object to brace myself and the camera against (as long as you can still get your framing.) That works really well to extend the limits of handheld shots.
Your explanations were exceedingly easy to understand. I've watched quite a few videos on these issues, only to feel confused, and frustrated. No reaching for two Advil this time. Thank you!
Excellent video Mark. Several items I will incorporate, so high value. Thanks!
I also like using 10s shutter delay for long exposure photos using a tripod. I also set the mirror up when I am using DSLRs. I believe Mark was taking into consideration only mirrorless cameras. They obviously do not need that. As I was watching the part where Mark advises the use of AF-S/AF-C for auto-focus, I checked my D7200 and solved a problem: I find it so annoying when I press the shutter and the camera refuses to take the shot. I found out that you not only have to choose the focus mode (AF-C) but also the "release" option so your camera will take the shot even if it is out of focus. I'll have to be more careful from now on, but I prefer this way. Very useful video. Thank you.
one more piece of advice which I use and I have to force myself to remember, 'wear your glasses for close inspection work on playback', man has that tripped me up on more than one occasion. great vid.
With stationary subjects and on a tripod I use Life View. Then zoom in 10x on the part that matters and manual focus.
Nice video!
Great tips! The hand on shoulder stabilization I’ve never heard of…brilliant! Liked and subscribed. 😉
Nice! Turns out I've learned some of these organically. Good to have them confirmed. The 1 over focal length is a new one to me and excellent information!
I use a wire release twice per year: 1) For Fireworks (can't be waiting 2 seconds per photo there) and 2) for milkyway photos because my camera does not have an advanced built-in intervalometer. But yeah, I almost never use it any other time. For me from this list of possible options, my biggest is I'm almost always going hand-held and I have weak arms. That new holding the shoulder to make a platform trick might come in handy. Will look forward to trying that, at least it seems a lot more stable than tucking in my elbows sitting here on the couch. Thanks for that.
Great stuff Mark. I always tell novices that their first investment is not a 2nd lens, but rather a good sturdy tripod. And I fully agree with the self-timer delay idea. 100%. And the other thing I recommend is learning how to use the magnify function for the LCD screen to look at the image before they move on! Nine times out of 10, novices think the image looks great and sharp and then realize it did look nice and sharp on a small screen, but.... It doesn't hurt to go into full manual mode and try your luck at some manual focusing too.
Thanks, this was very helpful. I never knew about the f-stop, going one stop up from the lowest setting. I will have to try that. great video
This was a very helpful list, explained in a straight-forward manner. Thank you!
Thank you so so so much. I feel like this isn't talked about enough, and this is super helpful!!!
I am so grateful to God I found this video. I've been learning photography and camera shake, shaky hands have been my biggest problem and after following your advice...I'm taking way sharper pictures
One that used to trip me up was leaving image stabilisation on when my camera was mounted on a tripod. Fell for that one a few times. All the best Russ
Mark, truly appreciate the video content... as always crisp delivery of the content without much ado! The AFC vs AFS and the lens' sharpness are the things that hadn't crossed my mind, thanks for this wonderful video!
Great to hear you enjoyed it!
Thanks! That was very educational. I didn't realize about the small aperture diffraction issue.
Very helpful, even though I've been taking photos for decades. Loved the hand on shoulder hack. Never heard this before. It's a game changer. Will use the delayed shutter for landscapes, for sure. Thanks!
Can the choice of shutter type (meca, elec, 1st curtain ...) affect affect your photo, and which one do you use ?
Fantastic work, Mark!
Great video sir, it answered a question I have had for quite some time as well as others I had not even thought of while using my camera.
Wonderful advice, as usual. I suggest another tip to consider - turn off stabilization when using a tripod.
Good general advise here Mark and in particular I like the one using the 2 second delay on a tripod. subbed you and hi from UK
Hi Mark, I just wanted to say that I found this video to be very helpful to me. Also I find your style of teaching to be very easy to understand. Thank you. 👍👍
Great video. One of the best, down-to-earth, informative videos I've seen. Thank you! Joe.
Mark , great info your brother hooked me up to your channel. Love it and will be checking fir more tutorials! Great work !
Thank you for sharing. I found out I was in autofocus continuous. I am going back out today to get more photographs
I just found you today, and I appreciate your guidance Mark!
I used to tie my lens cap to my camera and that had the same problem as the strap. It's incredible how much vibration can be sent through your entire setup just from a tiny piece of plastic tapping the leg of your tripod. If I was zoomed in far enough my subject could leave the frame entirely, let alone add motion blur to the image.
You did good explanation with this area of details. For action/sports it can apply. There are other methods and factors that interweave or overlap to affect results as well. Much revolves around the subject as well. SS 1/500 to stop things, spot focus, f-stop/DoF, use a strong/heavy tripod or tripod with sandbags, in addition to the focus modes and the back button as focus with the front button as shutter only. Studio and Landscape genre's use SS and Tripod always. Using a larger F-stop will affect your AF's ability to focus quickly. Low light will affect a great many cameras to find focus quickly as well. Lastly flash. Flash sync speeds drive SS, and then removes a control from use in this respect so other items must be relied upon to help get sharp pics. Also be sure your camera has enough power to drive your lens(es) esp if they have motors in them. It takes real juice to drive a lens and AF quickly in sports or wildlife scenarios.