Yes, it's possible to sharpen images digitally post-shoot, but it's always best to get the sharpest shot up front, before your photo is even developed.
It's really quite easy to improve the sharpness of your daily shots - just consider these concepts! 1) Use a Tripod, if at all possible Tripods are by far the best method of ensuring image sharpness right in the camera.
The platform created by your tripod stabilizes the camera such that camera shake due to human interference is not an issue, regardless of the level of light available to you, and thus the length of your exposure.
As a rule of thumb, a tripod should be used for all exposures longer than 1/30th of a second (e.
g.
1/15th of a second or longer is too slow for you to get a crisp shot from handholding - increase your ISO to see if you can get a quicker exposure).
There are many types of tripods available - see my article on Tripods for more information.
If you are able to use a tripod then the only shake you have to worry about now is subject shake - flowers moving in the wind, people moving or blinking, etc.
2) Use a Proper Handholding Posture when a tripod is not practical When tripods are not practical or if you don't have access to one, you should assume the proper handholding posture to minimize camera shake.
This method of stabilizing your camera will never be as good as the use of a tripod, but it's not bad - it all depends on whether you have a steady hand when the pressure is on! a) Hold the camera with both hands such that your right hand has a finger on the shutter release button, and your left hand cradles the camera body (not the lens - it's OK to rest your fingers against the lens, but be sure you don't interfere with auto focus).
b) Press your elbows tightly against your torso and raise the camera to eye level (for SLR) or so that you can see the LCD (digital P&S), but never hold the camera with extended arms as this increases shake.
c) Stabilize your body against a solid object if you can - a wall or lamp post will do.
d) Use the focus lock feature by depressing the shutter release button half way; once the focus is locked, take a deep breath, and depress the button fully to take your shot while exhaling.
3) Use Image Stabilization (IS) or Vibration Reduction (VR) Lenses Some lenses for SLR cameras include built-in methods of reducing camera shake.
If you have such a lens, make sure you enable IS or VR when shooting hand-held.
This technology reduces the effects of camera motion on image sharpness by countering the slight lens movements that result in a blurry image.
In general, these lenses allow you to hand-hold a camera at a full stop increase over non-IS or non-VR lenses.
These lenses are much more expensive than regular lenses, but if you find yourself hand-holding most of your shots with blurry results, it might be worth the investment.
See my article on lens characteristics for more information.
4) Increase your shutter speed The faster your shutter speed, the less apparent camera shake will be.
Obviously, if the shutter is left open for 4 seconds then the slightest movement will result in a soft image, even the movement of the shutter release button! Conversely, if the shutter speed is 1/2000th of a seoncd then hardly any movement will result in image blur.
As a guideline, at ISO 100, you should restrict your handheld shots to the reciprocal of your lens focal length.
For example, with a 60mm lens, you should not hand-hold any shots that require a slower shutter speed than 1/60th second.
(Of course, with an image-stabilized lens, that rule becomes 1/30th second.
) If you are stuck handholding your camera at shutter speeds that are slower than the reciprocal, then you should use flash or increase your ISO setting.
The lower the ISO setting, the lower the noise, so it's always best to stick with ISO 100; however, to reduce camera shake, it may be worth the trade-off to raise the ISO to 200, 400, or even higher.
It all depends on your camera and how much noise it introduces at certain ISO levels.
Some cameras are better than others, but some photographers have steadier hands than others! 5) Check your AF (auto-focus) sensors to confirm area of highest focus When using auto-focus mode, most cameras confirm with tiny red lights which part of the image is in sharpest focus before taking the shot.
Be sure your camera has the same subject in mind that you do, or else your main subject may not be emphasized the way you had imagined.
If the sensor picking up the area of focused is not hitting the area you want, it's best to set it manually.
You can do this by disabling auto-focus, or by recomposing your scene such that the correct area is selected, depressing the shutter release button half way to keep the exposure locked, and returning to your original composition.
6) Use continuous shooting mode By taking two or more shots of the same scene in rapid succession (by keeping the shutter release button depressed), you remove the effect that pressing the shutter release button can have on camera shake.
In other words, your second shot (and any subsequent shots, until you release the button) will not experience any shake due to vibration of the shutter release since the first shot took the brunt of it.
7) Use moderate apertures The rule here is that your lens does its best focusing when set to two stops smaller than its widest aperture.
For example, if your lens' widest aperture is f/2.
8, then it will produce the sharpest images (not at f/4) at f/5.
6.
Even high quality lenses with aspheric and low-dispersion glass elements may not produce their sharpest images at their widest apertures.