I have been taking photos for a long time and I always like learning a new technique. The fact of how easy this was to understand and not overwhelming is a serious talent. Thank you for sharing your knowledge with thw world!
I've always been too careful about maintaining the right ISO because I thought the presence of noise would make or break my photos, so I ended up sacrificing a good shutter speed/ aperture for that, and thus ended up wondering why my photos came out blurry or not correctly exposed. thank you so much for this super helpful video!
@@smarthousetech8593 I will say, this is easier to make look intentional with a full frame sensor camera than a crop sensor or mobile level sensor. You can push a full frame to 12,500 and have perfectly acceptable photos. My old Nikon D7100 was great, but looked really rough above 3,200.
@@smarthousetech8593 Yes I sometimes like a bit of noise in my favourite mode Black/White, it gives it a bit of atmosphere, especial military enactments,& dress.
Thank you. Many years ago I shot everything manually and was totally familiar with my camera. Many years later I got a new camera and got lazy, using auto for everything. You helped me get back on track.
Your conceptualization of photography is refreshing and concise Pat. The clarity of your presentation fits with your lifestyle and daily goals. I admire you for that!
You're an amazing teacher. I have been in photography for a couple decades....(with a hiatus somewhere in there). I too, was over-cautious with ISO settings fearing noise. No longer! You're absolutely right....sharpness over noise is best. It's a GAME CHANGER with moving targets (macros). I have MORE keepers now. THANK YOU!
In the film days we focus manually using hyperfocal focus/distance and depth of field for tack sharp imagery. I am doing the same technique doing focus compensation taking advantage of limitless digital shots.
@@patkay If you are using a full frame lens on a crop sensor would you have to take that into consideration? a 70-200 on nikon is a 105-300 so does it mean shutter speed have to be 1/320, or 1/640, or 1/1000 for 3 times????
@@MissHitAllTheTime If using a full frame lens on a smaller sensor, it works sort of like using a full frame sensor but with cropping. I’d say yes, you need shutter speeds according to the smaller sensor equivalent, just as you would if you crop a full frame image.
Something to add when shooting at the minimum shutter speed, is to shoot on burst. For sony with IBIS, I usually go a little below your recommended. For instance I will shoot at a minimum 1/15th on my 20mm at do a 3-4 shot burst. 2-4 shots are usually unusable, so I would never trust this on single shot.
I have been limited by this since I got a DSLR. I always prioritized low ISO over everything (trying to avoid noise), not realizing that my kit lens at 1/5 ~ 3.5 ~ 200 would never be sharp. A great tip to add to this video is to buy a lens that opens wide enough to allow for proper exposure at higher shutter speeds.
I have my kit lens I use for general photography but if I'm doing anything like studio I switch to my 50mm f1.8 - it's manual which is fine, and my camera is a crop sensor so the nifty 50 has an effective focal length of 80mm but that is also fine 'cos every shot I make with that lens is super crispy.
Yeah I’m a complete noob but when I saw some guides and lens reviews it seemed like on canon RP up to like 800-900 is basically no loss in sharpness really. Or so it’s seems.
Man thx for this tip. I never realized why some of my photos were still blurry when shooting wide open at 1.8f (old camera body) even though I was dead on the eyes for focus but was still somewhat out of "focus". It's so minimal but very noticeable at the same time and it's very distracting. I'm a dad and primarily using my old D5000 to shoot my son. I'm shooting indoors a lot so low light is what it is.. heard great things about this Nikkor budget prime lense but was getting blurry photos, now I know why.
shooting at the widest aperture is never the best thing to do if you want sharp images. the sharpest point a lens will be is generally between f8 and f16
THANK YOU for this! by far the best description I’ve come across since getting my first DSLR this year. Subscribed and cannot wait to watch more of your content.
Wow, what a brilliant tutorial, I wish I had come across you sooner. Clearly spoken and totally understood your teaching and where you are coming from. I think I have found my full time teacher.
Love your videos! I also think it would be helpful for most of us as visual learners, if you showed these great nuggets of information as you apply them on your camera!!
For still objects, it's simple. A tripod solves most of the problem. It allows you to use the lower ISO, longer shutter speed, and whatever aperture size is called for. A good tripod goes a long way and it's not an item any serious landscape or studio (and might be other) photographers would spare. Just don't be lazy ;)
sigh.. a tripod isn't helping me at all. My photos are all fuzzy and grainy. Total noob here tho. I have NO idea what Pat is talking about. 55mm what? 200 mm what? I have a lot of respect for those of you who have managed to cram all of this data on how to take decent photos into your brains. Impressive. Welp, back to re-reading the confusing and nonsensical digital camera manual I guess.
@@APG-CodeWarrior try stabilising your tripod by setting it on firm surface. many tripods have a hook for hanging heavy things which also helps. use remote to trigger the shutter. lastly, wait til the wind calms. no reason you can't get a sharp picture ;)
I was a professional photographer before. You have really brought out some good points. Very helpful to new photographers. I’m many tines thinking about what I’m shooting & is depth of field important vs the shutter speed. Thanks for your video.
Your video was tactfully sharp with all of your explanations. You are a really easy teacher to learn from. Thanks so much for your video. Have a wonderful day.
What happens when using a zoom lens, for example, 24-70? Do you do your calculations based on the most extended focal length of the lens? Or whatever focal length using at that particular time? For example, I’m zoomed in to 35mm. Do I do 3x the length you’re at? OR 3x the total focal length of the lens (70mm). No one has clarified this principle for zoom lenses.
Wow, use ISO last like a gain control was huge. Makes me wonder how much more I missed in my "Basic Photography Training" You are so clear and precise I hope you have a course available. "Looking Now"
Absolutely thrilled to bits to finally have a clearer idea of how to set optimum camera settings for sharpness. I have listened to many experts including Serge Ramelli and Tim Shields. But your simple presentation in this video is perfect AND SIMPLE to understand and remember. Setting the ISO last is not something I have been doing! So thank you for this.
Definitely subscribing to watch more of your videos. I traded my camera for a canon 5d and suddenly I feel like I have no clue what I’m doing in terms of setting my shutter and aperture. This video helped.
As far as gear goes. My favorite picture of all time was taken on a Nikon D50 with a older 50mm AF lens in the dreaded mid day sunlight. This is a $100 set up. The picture came out razor sharp. My point more important than spending money on expensive gear is get to know your current camera and learn it's strengths and weaknesses. For example this same D50 I wouldn't take it out at night because it's limited by it's ISO but mid day in sunlight? It's money all day. All of my cameras have their own strengths and weaknesses. The D5000, D3200, D700, D7100, D3, Canon 5D mark 2 all of them can provide what you're looking for. My daily driver the camera I carry around is the Nikon D5300 @ 24 MP It's compact and all I'll ever need. I like not worry about damaging a 5k camera at the beach. I slapped a 50mm 1.8 DX Prime on it. My advice is to learn to shoot in bad lighting first like I did. ahand held no tripod challenge yourself. That way Day time or portrait photography is a piece of cake. Or you can go out and spend 8k on an expensive mirrorless camera and let it cut your meat for you but what's the fun in that?
Thank you for the video. Question: when you are shooting a family (example 4 people) do you use single point focus or auto focus? What do you aim at? Because there are multiple ‘eyes’ in this situation?
Speaking personally, I use single point and lock onto someone who's the most central of the group. I also close down my aperture a bit, usually at least f4. Between the two, I get very good results with a balanced focus of the family.
Pat this was such an amazingly well done tutorial on understanding the basics of Sharpness or achieving sharpness in ALL cameras. Your explanations were spot on and I can't wait to follow you as you produce more videos for the TH-cam community!!!!
You are awesome! Theres so much awesome information here. Your content (at least this video) isn't a sell, just phenomenal information from one artist to another. Thank You.
Such a fresh point of view and very helpful... We subscribed, but frustrated that many times the only way to find educated professional photographers willing to share their skill is by the luck of a random you tube recommendation.
This is very good teaching, many years ago, they never teach us like this way, you have to shoot many frames as possible specially with films to getting the way you wanted, and hope you’re getting right,, today any body can take a good pictures,, I have seen many video of people just holding the camera and shoot. Thanks for sharing!
Something not mentioned here, is whether or not you are panning your camera with a subject or remaining stationary and 'trapping' a subject moving in your frame. The PLETHORA of continuous focus modes on modern cameras makes these tasks super confusing, so I personally prefer the method I always used with film and that is to pre set a focus trap for any moving subject whether or not im stationary or panning. This only works for subjects moving in a horizontal trajectory - unless you of course set a wide enough depth of field with a high apature number in order to "trap" subjects moving towards or away from you. I find focus trapping infinitely more useful a method in situations like street photography or weddings, where I can pre set a focus distance and then not worry at all about things being in focus - I just need to know at what distances my subjects will be in focus, get in position, lift my camera and shoot. Its way less stressful and I can just concentrate on light and composition.
Outstandingly good presentation. Plus a bonus of a Fellow Aussie. Thank you for giving me a new focus point within my photography. ( gee. That sounded pretty good ehh). You really make a tutorial a pleasure to watch. I’ll be back .stay safe.
Good tips. I will add, use a great tripod and remote or timed shutter release. Set up a back button to focus. Lock the mirror. Use great glass and expose correctly. If in doubt, ETTR (slightly over expose) because they're will be less noise if you bring light down vs. trying to brighten a photo. Of course ALWAYS shoot RAW or Raw+JPEG at the highest quality setting. Pay attention to your white balance as well and adjust for the conditions e.g. sunrise vs daylight vs inside light, etc. For several reasons it is a best practice to focus your cameras exposure meter on the blue sky or the color green if shooting things like flowers. Exposure bracketing and focus stacking are some other techniques that the pro's use. I'm almost finished with a great book called Understanding Exposure and I realize how much there is to learn. Don't think it's just a few of these tips and you are all set. This poster has years of experience- still his tips have merit but there is still much more to it.
@@MOAB-UT yea well it matters to me. you referred to 'the poster' in an ambiguous fashion. as an aside, i don't need the tips; i've been shooting for over 40 years.
@@daktarioskarvannederhosen2568 You are right then. For what it's worth I was referring to the OP and not myself. I have been doing many things for a long time- not quite 40 years but I still like to learn from others. Also technology changes. I am open to learn. If on the other hand you know everything, good for you.
@@MOAB-UT your original mentioning of 'the poster' consists of no 'OP' other than your self (since you are the originator of this thread). the person or entity posting video to youtube is not typically referred to as 'the poster' (where that phrase, within its linguistic contextuality, strongly deductively implies a reference to a textual post. hence my original request for clarification as to whom you were referring to, met with your very american self-righteous reply to the effect that it doesn't matter (apparently you determine what matters to others atop your inefficient grammar).
One thing you didn't mention in achieving sharpness, is to set the aperture to the lens's sweet spot, which is somewhere in the middle and so avoid using the lens wide open or closed down. Of course, if you need the speed of the lens for low light then this may be unavoidable.
yeah usually between f8 and f16 will be the sharpest apertures you can get. but all of this really depends on the shot youre trying to get. sharpness isnt an inherent feature to a great photo. ive won thousands of dollars and got tons of commercial contracts shooting fashion with a slow shutter speed while using off camera flash. theres no tip to achieve sharp photos everytime because the conditions of every image is different
As a photographer, if I may add, I think camera handling is important too. When I was a new photographer, I often have blur photos even on good camera settings. I discovered that my handling is not good ang my hands are shaky. 😊
@@MOAB-UT Yes. But not all the time you carry a tripod. Handling is really important. It means even if i shoot 1/200 of a second, I can still get not perfectly sharp pics if my handling is not good
@@ArtandLes I hear you and I get it. But if you generally have shaky hands it's probably worth the extra effort to carry along a tripod a sturdy one is best with four legs but any tripod is better than no tripod and hang something underneath it that partially sits on the ground so that it can keep it even more steady. To your main point I agree proper handling of the camera elbows in hands close to chest is very important when you can't use a tripod.
@@MOAB-UT yes. As i've said on my first comment, I solved the issue by proper camera handling. I only need tripod on landscapes and night photography. When I was a beginner even 1/200 i still get imperfect shots. Proper handling makes a difference. 😊👍
THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! I watched soo many videos and THIS ONE made me understand it easier cause this shit is overwhelmingly confusing trying to figure out the perfect formula for each setting.
Oh my word this 11:46 minute video has truly been time well spent. I’m a wildlife artist and work from my own reference images. However the photography part has always been the more difficult aspect of my profession, but you’ve made everything seem crystal clear. Time to put your tips into practice 👍🏻 Thank you for sharing xXx
I've been shooting for quite some years now and I believe this video needs to be re-watched by beginners quite a few times. I've banged my head against the wall for months trying to figure out why in different scenarios my images are not as sharp as I want them to be and you have literally listed some of the very fundamental reasons why images are not as sharp as people would like them to be. Obviously not going as much in depth as you could because it would make the video half an hour but these really are the key reasons :)
Thank you so much!!!🙏🏽 you have been more informative than any professors I have ever had. I appreciate how you take your time to break it down detail but detail. Thank you!🙏🏽
Simply stabilizing the camera by using a tripod or monopod can help as well. Where possible one of these should be used. Sharpness can be dialed up, in body, on many mid range cameras.
Hey, you really helped me out in this video, a lot. You do a pretty good job teaching and making your video easy to understand. Keep it up, cause I can see you with at least 100k subs by end of summer, your channel is really up to par and professional.
What often gets overlooked and for many years I didn't appreciate the importance of, is the quality of light. You can have the best lens but if the direction of light is off, such as with an on camera forward facing flash, you won't see any texture and it naturally doesn't look sharp. There's a lot to be said for side lighting if you want to show off how good your L lens is. And also an off camera flash allows you to freeze the action for maximum sharpness.
Rule of thirds noted. And this has just helped me nailed sharpness. Cos I am buying no new lenses until I get the basics right and I shoot in FF these days.
I used to have a Nikon D80 and I would say that the ISO was much more of an issue for me on that camera. Photos would look so noisy and the loss in dynamic range was quite dramatic too. Newer cameras are far better at higher ISOs but on older ones it was much more of an issue to balance the grain and softness from the ISO and the blurriness of a longer exposure.
@@omgtyshotthat What do you mean the best? ISO 100 was definitely the best (as on most cameras). Anything above 400 was noticeably noisy and above 800 it got bad imo. The highest I shot was 1000 and it was fine for producing interesting pictures but in terms of sharpness, any fine detail was gone.
First time watching you. Really impressed how you explained the basics of photography. Definitely i’m subscribing your channel, I’ll go right now and check more content! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
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6D Mark II here + 50mm 1.8 ... Pretty good video mate. PS: I loooove that accent and color of your voice Greetings from Serbia 🇷🇸
Many, mny thanks. You are so on point. This straight to the facts and relative short video could have save me and will save many others hours of pain and suffering in understanding why it is not sharp as expected.
Thank you so much for this video. It is the best video I have seen on this subject matter. You presented it in a simple concise way, Making it so much easier to understand.
You have to admit though, the newer mirrorless cameras are making getting a sharp image a lot easier with their improved autofocus and subject tracking.
for sure; the newer cameras definitely make the whole focus thing easier, leaving you to concentrate on other things. i honestly don't even use cameras without Sony's new general subject tracking stuff now because it's that good
Absolutely fantastic video. Thanks Pat! Like so many others ISO noise always freaked me out. Shutter speed is now king, followed by aperture. QUESTION: what camera did you shoot this video on? Eye tracking is great!
I’m just starting photography with an RP and USM 24-105mm and I feel like mastering shutter speed, aperture, plus where to focus is very hard to master and makes big difference. Also learning angles and lightning. Probs oh makes or breaks 😢
I think my 5DSR is an exception to this rule. I get that little bit unsharpness pretty much no matter what unless it's on tripod, with no wind, and no vibration in the ground, and with a remote.. heard it has to do with the very high megapixel count on a standard full frame sensor, in combination with a physical shutter.
Thank you for these tips. I own a full-size dSLR Sony A7iii with the 24-105mm kit lens -- played around enough with it that I can get extremely sharp images in Aperture-priority mode with the largest aperture that the kit lens affords. My 'expertise' on settings for tracking a moving subject on the other hand is a work in progress. Mainly I need to know if you can suggest a good setting for tracking a subject while using a timer? also have a remote control to trigger the camera.
Thanks for the breakdown. I am always getting soft shots, and l am sure it is me lol. I mostly shoot wildlife, so things are fairly difficult to contend with most of the time. I have invested in a couple of nice lenses now and have definitely seen an improvement.
Very helpful, but one question. Instead of switching between single focus and continuous focus, why don't I just set to continuous focus even for landscape or other non-moving subjects. Since my subject isn't moving, the continuous focus will not change. Is there some downside to this approach? Great video by the way.
in modern cameras, there's actually zero downside to doing this and it's actually what i do 90% of the time. the only reason why i suggest the traditional way is that some older cameras have a hard time locking on in general and it can be frustrating having your focus hunt so much for every photo you take. but if your camera doesn't do that, then go for it!
Actually there is a big downside. You won't be able to RECOMPOSE your shot which is what nearly ALL pro's do. For example if you set a back button for focus (never the same as the shutter- bad), then you can aim at the landscape, get focus, release and recompose the shot (frame the first shot (focus) then move your camera around to reposition and get the ideal shot. You must NOT move the camera forward or back- side to side and up and down is fine.) If you are set to continual focus, it will re-adjust to the landscape which "could" easily put your main subject out of focus. It's very easy to change this setting. Do it 100 times for practice and you will own it- promise!
@@MOAB-UTI’ve read many TH-cam explanations trying to explain the same thing, but yours actually made sense to me. Thank you so much for your insight, this is way better than trying to manually set the focus area using the camera’s d-pad.
@@Taigrr854 Glad to help. I use a tripod and remote relase (cable/button.) If you don't have that you can set up a delayed shutter so you press and a second or two later, it snaps- a brief delay. That way your finger pushing does not cause much blur. With a slow shutter speed (e.g., lower light or going for a cool light trail effect or night photography), you will almost always get blur if you push on the camera without using delayed release mode or cable release. I also take several pics, especially on images I really want to nail down. No matter how good you think you did, when you go to edit, any issue can have issues. Even wind, light, shadows, etc., can make a well set up picture look less then perfect. It's amazing to me however how hand-held cell phones seem to nail every shot.
This video was very helpful. Can you recommend a good program to remove noise? I couldn't figure out what happened but thanks to your video I think it was the ISO was way too high. I wasn't shooting manual so there was that also 😸 thank you for your videos they're so good and have been so helpful!!! Photography is Beautiful by the way!
depends on which camera youve got. aps-c and smaller you shouldnt go above 1600, full frame you should be good with 3200 and lower. higher and youll start to see colour noise
Hi Pat, I'm a great fan of your videos - so thank you & I'm grateful for what I learn from you. Just wondered about the auto focussing with these settings. Some of photos on these photos were slightly out of focus for landscape photography. Should I resort to manual focus on infinity for landscape shoots. Thank you & keep up the great work 😊
I have been taking photos for a long time and I always like learning a new technique. The fact of how easy this was to understand and not overwhelming is a serious talent. Thank you for sharing your knowledge with thw world!
I've always been too careful about maintaining the right ISO because I thought the presence of noise would make or break my photos, so I ended up sacrificing a good shutter speed/ aperture for that, and thus ended up wondering why my photos came out blurry or not correctly exposed. thank you so much for this super helpful video!
Yeah sometimes a nice film grain look can add something to a photo
@@smarthousetech8593 I will say, this is easier to make look intentional with a full frame sensor camera than a crop sensor or mobile level sensor. You can push a full frame to 12,500 and have perfectly acceptable photos. My old Nikon D7100 was great, but looked really rough above 3,200.
@@smarthousetech8593 Yes I sometimes like a bit of noise in my favourite mode Black/White, it gives it a bit of atmosphere, especial military enactments,& dress.
Same here!
Thanks just starting photography and I need tips thanks so much
Thank you. Many years ago I shot everything manually and was totally familiar with my camera. Many years later I got a new camera and got lazy, using auto for everything. You helped me get back on track.
Your conceptualization of photography is refreshing and concise Pat. The clarity of your presentation fits with your lifestyle and daily goals. I admire you for that!
thank you for the kind words! :)
You're an amazing teacher.
I have been in photography for a couple decades....(with a hiatus somewhere in there). I too, was over-cautious with ISO settings fearing noise.
No longer! You're absolutely right....sharpness over noise is best. It's a GAME CHANGER with moving targets (macros). I have MORE keepers now. THANK YOU!
The clearest understanding of the photographic process I have ever gotten from a tutorial video. Very, very helpful. Thank you.
Yo, I used this camera for like a year, and honestly, it never let me down! 💯
It’s not the fanciest out there, but for small channels? Perfect!
In the film days we focus manually using hyperfocal focus/distance and depth of field for tack sharp imagery. I am doing the same technique doing focus compensation taking advantage of limitless digital shots.
Thanks for this! Just what I needed to intentionally make my photos as sharp as I'd like, which I've been struggling with a bit.
hopefully the tips help! cheers for watching :)
@@patkay If you are using a full frame lens on a crop sensor would you have to take that into consideration? a 70-200 on nikon is a 105-300 so does it mean shutter speed have to be 1/320, or 1/640, or 1/1000 for 3 times????
@@MissHitAllTheTime If using a full frame lens on a smaller sensor, it works sort of like using a full frame sensor but with cropping. I’d say yes, you need shutter speeds according to the smaller sensor equivalent, just as you would if you crop a full frame image.
Something to add when shooting at the minimum shutter speed, is to shoot on burst. For sony with IBIS, I usually go a little below your recommended. For instance I will shoot at a minimum 1/15th on my 20mm at do a 3-4 shot burst. 2-4 shots are usually unusable, so I would never trust this on single shot.
I have been limited by this since I got a DSLR. I always prioritized low ISO over everything (trying to avoid noise), not realizing that my kit lens at 1/5 ~ 3.5 ~ 200 would never be sharp. A great tip to add to this video is to buy a lens that opens wide enough to allow for proper exposure at higher shutter speeds.
I have my kit lens I use for general photography but if I'm doing anything like studio I switch to my 50mm f1.8 - it's manual which is fine, and my camera is a crop sensor so the nifty 50 has an effective focal length of 80mm but that is also fine 'cos every shot I make with that lens is super crispy.
Yeah I’m a complete noob but when I saw some guides and lens reviews it seemed like on canon RP up to like 800-900 is basically no loss in sharpness really. Or so it’s seems.
1/5 at f3.5 can absolutely be sharp if you have a tripod
Thanks Pat! Please keep making these vids, I keep learning with every one!
Man thx for this tip. I never realized why some of my photos were still blurry when shooting wide open at 1.8f (old camera body) even though I was dead on the eyes for focus but was still somewhat out of "focus". It's so minimal but very noticeable at the same time and it's very distracting. I'm a dad and primarily using my old D5000 to shoot my son. I'm shooting indoors a lot so low light is what it is.. heard great things about this Nikkor budget prime lense but was getting blurry photos, now I know why.
shooting at the widest aperture is never the best thing to do if you want sharp images. the sharpest point a lens will be is generally between f8 and f16
THANK YOU for this! by far the best description I’ve come across since getting my first DSLR this year. Subscribed and cannot wait to watch more of your content.
Agree 100%, i just wasted a couple hours of differing people telling me about what to take and not HOW to take it. Thank you Pat. sincerely new sub
Wow, what a brilliant tutorial, I wish I had come across you sooner. Clearly spoken and totally understood your teaching and where you are coming from. I think I have found my full time teacher.
This really helped me,as I’ve just started photography in the last few months.Thankyou and have a great day 👍
thanks for watching!
Love your videos! I also think it would be helpful for most of us as visual learners, if you showed these great nuggets of information as you apply them on your camera!!
I agree Matt
For still objects, it's simple. A tripod solves most of the problem. It allows you to use the lower ISO, longer shutter speed, and whatever aperture size is called for. A good tripod goes a long way and it's not an item any serious landscape or studio (and might be other) photographers would spare. Just don't be lazy ;)
For most DSLR users, tripod usage is a must….or….a monopod! Good point!
I use my tripod on a regular basis
sigh.. a tripod isn't helping me at all. My photos are all fuzzy and grainy. Total noob here tho. I have NO idea what Pat is talking about. 55mm what? 200 mm what? I have a lot of respect for those of you who have managed to cram all of this data on how to take decent photos into your brains. Impressive. Welp, back to re-reading the confusing and nonsensical digital camera manual I guess.
@@APG-CodeWarrior try stabilising your tripod by setting it on firm surface. many tripods have a hook for hanging heavy things which also helps. use remote to trigger the shutter. lastly, wait til the wind calms. no reason you can't get a sharp picture ;)
I was a professional photographer before. You have really brought out some good points. Very helpful to new photographers. I’m many tines thinking about what I’m shooting & is depth of field important vs the shutter speed. Thanks for your video.
Straight to the point, easy to understand,this channel should deserve a million subscribers.
aw thank you!
Your video was tactfully sharp with all of your explanations. You are a really easy teacher to learn from. Thanks so much for your video. Have a wonderful day.
What happens when using a zoom lens, for example, 24-70? Do you do your calculations based on the most extended focal length of the lens? Or whatever focal length using at that particular time? For example, I’m zoomed in to 35mm. Do I do 3x the length you’re at? OR 3x the total focal length of the lens (70mm). No one has clarified this principle for zoom lenses.
The one you're shooting at....
Easily the best video i have watched on getting sharp images! Nice work Pat!
Wow, use ISO last like a gain control was huge. Makes me wonder how much more I missed in my "Basic Photography Training" You are so clear and precise I hope you have a course available. "Looking Now"
Just saw this video for the first time and I am impressed. I look forward to watching of Pat's work.
Absolutely thrilled to bits to finally have a clearer idea of how to set optimum camera settings for sharpness. I have listened to many experts including Serge Ramelli and Tim Shields. But your simple presentation in this video is perfect AND SIMPLE to understand and remember. Setting the ISO last is not something I have been doing! So thank you for this.
did Tim get you to buy his course-all those emails! I just bought two great books...watched his free videos though. Limited info. included.
This is such an enormous wealth of fundamentals, clearly and perfectly exemplified..highly uplifting and inspiring presentation..
Definitely subscribing to watch more of your videos. I traded my camera for a canon 5d and suddenly I feel like I have no clue what I’m doing in terms of setting my shutter and aperture. This video helped.
As far as gear goes. My favorite picture of all time was taken on a Nikon D50 with a older 50mm AF lens in the dreaded mid day sunlight. This is a $100 set up. The picture came out razor sharp. My point more important than spending money on expensive gear is get to know your current camera and learn it's strengths and weaknesses. For example this same D50 I wouldn't take it out at night because it's limited by it's ISO but mid day in sunlight? It's money all day. All of my cameras have their own strengths and weaknesses. The D5000, D3200, D700, D7100, D3, Canon 5D mark 2 all of them can provide what you're looking for. My daily driver the camera I carry around is the Nikon D5300 @ 24 MP It's compact and all I'll ever need. I like not worry about damaging a 5k camera at the beach. I slapped a 50mm 1.8 DX Prime on it. My advice is to learn to shoot in bad lighting first like I did. ahand held no tripod challenge yourself. That way Day time or portrait photography is a piece of cake. Or you can go out and spend 8k on an expensive mirrorless camera and let it cut your meat for you but what's the fun in that?
Thank you for the video. Question: when you are shooting a family (example 4 people) do you use single point focus or auto focus? What do you aim at? Because there are multiple ‘eyes’ in this situation?
Speaking personally, I use single point and lock onto someone who's the most central of the group. I also close down my aperture a bit, usually at least f4. Between the two, I get very good results with a balanced focus of the family.
Pat this was such an amazingly well done tutorial on understanding the basics of Sharpness or achieving sharpness in ALL cameras. Your explanations were spot on and I can't wait to follow you as you produce more videos for the TH-cam community!!!!
You are awesome! Theres so much awesome information here. Your content (at least this video) isn't a sell, just phenomenal information from one artist to another. Thank You.
You explained everything in a very descriptive manner and I understand it ever than before and added the little nugget of sometimes sacrificing ISO
Such a fresh point of view and very helpful... We subscribed, but frustrated that many times the only way to find educated professional photographers willing to share their skill is by the luck of a random you tube recommendation.
This is very good teaching, many years ago, they never teach us like this way, you have to shoot many frames as possible specially with films to getting the way you wanted, and hope you’re getting right,, today any body can take a good pictures,, I have seen many video of people just holding the camera and shoot. Thanks for sharing!
Something not mentioned here, is whether or not you are panning your camera with a subject or remaining stationary and 'trapping' a subject moving in your frame. The PLETHORA of continuous focus modes on modern cameras makes these tasks super confusing, so I personally prefer the method I always used with film and that is to pre set a focus trap for any moving subject whether or not im stationary or panning. This only works for subjects moving in a horizontal trajectory - unless you of course set a wide enough depth of field with a high apature number in order to "trap" subjects moving towards or away from you. I find focus trapping infinitely more useful a method in situations like street photography or weddings, where I can pre set a focus distance and then not worry at all about things being in focus - I just need to know at what distances my subjects will be in focus, get in position, lift my camera and shoot. Its way less stressful and I can just concentrate on light and composition.
Outstandingly good presentation. Plus a bonus of a Fellow Aussie. Thank you for giving me a new focus point within my photography. ( gee. That sounded pretty good ehh). You really make a tutorial a pleasure to watch. I’ll be back .stay safe.
aye a fellow aussie! cheers for watching mate
This is exactly what I needed. Very well thought out yet still authentic. Will be subscribing 🙏
I love how easy you explain things!
glad you understood it 😊
Good tips. I will add, use a great tripod and remote or timed shutter release. Set up a back button to focus. Lock the mirror. Use great glass and expose correctly. If in doubt, ETTR (slightly over expose) because they're will be less noise if you bring light down vs. trying to brighten a photo. Of course ALWAYS shoot RAW or Raw+JPEG at the highest quality setting. Pay attention to your white balance as well and adjust for the conditions e.g. sunrise vs daylight vs inside light, etc. For several reasons it is a best practice to focus your cameras exposure meter on the blue sky or the color green if shooting things like flowers. Exposure bracketing and focus stacking are some other techniques that the pro's use. I'm almost finished with a great book called Understanding Exposure and I realize how much there is to learn. Don't think it's just a few of these tips and you are all set. This poster has years of experience- still his tips have merit but there is still much more to it.
which 'poster'?
@@daktarioskarvannederhosen2568 It doesn't really matter. Just follow the tips and you'll do fine. Or don't your call.
@@MOAB-UT yea well it matters to me. you referred to 'the poster' in an ambiguous fashion.
as an aside, i don't need the tips; i've been shooting for over 40 years.
@@daktarioskarvannederhosen2568 You are right then. For what it's worth I was referring to the OP and not myself. I have been doing many things for a long time- not quite 40 years but I still like to learn from others. Also technology changes. I am open to learn. If on the other hand you know everything, good for you.
@@MOAB-UT your original mentioning of 'the poster' consists of no 'OP' other than your self (since you are the originator of this thread).
the person or entity posting video to youtube is not typically referred to as 'the poster' (where that phrase, within its linguistic contextuality, strongly deductively implies a reference to a textual post.
hence my original request for clarification as to whom you were referring to, met with your very american self-righteous reply to the effect that it doesn't matter (apparently you determine what matters to others atop your inefficient grammar).
One thing you didn't mention in achieving sharpness, is to set the aperture to the lens's sweet spot, which is somewhere in the middle and so avoid using the lens wide open or closed down. Of course, if you need the speed of the lens for low light then this may be unavoidable.
yeah usually between f8 and f16 will be the sharpest apertures you can get. but all of this really depends on the shot youre trying to get. sharpness isnt an inherent feature to a great photo. ive won thousands of dollars and got tons of commercial contracts shooting fashion with a slow shutter speed while using off camera flash. theres no tip to achieve sharp photos everytime because the conditions of every image is different
@@zip5644 where did you go to get access to these types of contests?
I was always taught to keep iso as low as possible, and with that I often sacrificed SS. Thank you for this video.
As a photographer, if I may add, I think camera handling is important too. When I was a new photographer, I often have blur photos even on good camera settings. I discovered that my handling is not good ang my hands are shaky. 😊
Tripod!
@@MOAB-UT Yes. But not all the time you carry a tripod. Handling is really important. It means even if i shoot 1/200 of a second, I can still get not perfectly sharp pics if my handling is not good
@@ArtandLes I hear you and I get it. But if you generally have shaky hands it's probably worth the extra effort to carry along a tripod a sturdy one is best with four legs but any tripod is better than no tripod and hang something underneath it that partially sits on the ground so that it can keep it even more steady. To your main point I agree proper handling of the camera elbows in hands close to chest is very important when you can't use a tripod.
@@MOAB-UT yes. As i've said on my first comment, I solved the issue by proper camera handling. I only need tripod on landscapes and night photography. When I was a beginner even 1/200 i still get imperfect shots. Proper handling makes a difference. 😊👍
@@ArtandLes Thanks.
Brilliant presentation. All you camera video presenters learn from Pat.
THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!
I watched soo many videos and THIS ONE made me understand it easier cause this shit is overwhelmingly confusing trying to figure out the perfect formula for each setting.
Oh my word this 11:46 minute video has truly been time well spent. I’m a wildlife artist and work from my own reference images. However the photography part has always been the more difficult aspect of my profession, but you’ve made everything seem crystal clear. Time to put your tips into practice 👍🏻 Thank you for sharing xXx
Outstanding video! You are pleasing to listen to and watch. This was very helpful..thank you. Clapping from Norfolk, Va.🤗
I've been shooting for quite some years now and I believe this video needs to be re-watched by beginners quite a few times.
I've banged my head against the wall for months trying to figure out why in different scenarios my images are not as sharp as I want them to be and you have literally listed some of the very fundamental reasons why images are not as sharp as people would like them to be. Obviously not going as much in depth as you could because it would make the video half an hour but these really are the key reasons :)
Pat's demeanor and persona is so endearing.
Thank you so much!!!🙏🏽 you have been more informative than any professors I have ever had. I appreciate how you take your time to break it down detail but detail. Thank you!🙏🏽
I'm new to this channel, but need a refresher. Thank you.
Simply stabilizing the camera by using a tripod or monopod can help as well. Where possible one of these should be used. Sharpness can be dialed up, in body, on many mid range cameras.
Hey, you really helped me out in this video, a lot. You do a pretty good job teaching and making your video easy to understand. Keep it up, cause I can see you with at least 100k subs by end of summer, your channel is really up to par and professional.
What often gets overlooked and for many years I didn't appreciate the importance of, is the quality of light. You can have the best lens but if the direction of light is off, such as with an on camera forward facing flash, you won't see any texture and it naturally doesn't look sharp. There's a lot to be said for side lighting if you want to show off how good your L lens is. And also an off camera flash allows you to freeze the action for maximum sharpness.
Rule of thirds noted. And this has just helped me nailed sharpness. Cos I am buying no new lenses until I get the basics right and I shoot in FF these days.
I’ll definitely be using these tips in the future.
This video is really helpful. I tried this last night especially the minimum shutter for you lens focal length. Ugggggh. So good!
Thank you so much for your knowledge, I can't wait to utilize these settings to get better photos with the Rebel t7
I used to have a Nikon D80 and I would say that the ISO was much more of an issue for me on that camera. Photos would look so noisy and the loss in dynamic range was quite dramatic too. Newer cameras are far better at higher ISOs but on older ones it was much more of an issue to balance the grain and softness from the ISO and the blurriness of a longer exposure.
Did you ever find out which was the best number
@@omgtyshotthat What do you mean the best? ISO 100 was definitely the best (as on most cameras). Anything above 400 was noticeably noisy and above 800 it got bad imo. The highest I shot was 1000 and it was fine for producing interesting pictures but in terms of sharpness, any fine detail was gone.
First time watching you. Really impressed how you explained the basics of photography. Definitely i’m subscribing your channel, I’ll go right now and check more content! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
6D Mark II here + 50mm 1.8 ... Pretty good video mate. PS: I loooove that accent and color of your voice Greetings from Serbia 🇷🇸
haha the australian accent. thanks for watching!
I have the same setup. What settings worked best for you?
easily explained. great tips. I'm going to reverse my thinking and start with the shutter and aperture first, versus the ISO.
Many, mny thanks. You are so on point. This straight to the facts and relative short video could have save me and will save many others hours of pain and suffering in understanding why it is not sharp as expected.
glad you enjoyed it!
Thank you so much for this video. It is the best video I have seen on this subject matter. You presented it in a simple concise way, Making it so much easier to understand.
You have to admit though, the newer mirrorless cameras are making getting a sharp image a lot easier with their improved autofocus and subject tracking.
for sure; the newer cameras definitely make the whole focus thing easier, leaving you to concentrate on other things. i honestly don't even use cameras without Sony's new general subject tracking stuff now because it's that good
Absolutely fantastic video. Thanks Pat! Like so many others ISO noise always freaked me out. Shutter speed is now king, followed by aperture. QUESTION: what camera did you shoot this video on? Eye tracking is great!
He had it in the details of gear used: Sony NEW Alpha 7S III
Thanks so much for the tips. I have a Canon 80D, and I would LOVE to learn how to keep the "Eye" Subject Auto Focus on? How do I do that? thank you
I just learned more from this video Than I have from the last 20, I have watched. Thank you, nicely done. New subscriber here.
Thank you for the information and providing it in an easy to understand way.
my pleasure! thanks for watching :)
Your explanation is SO GOOD!! Really easy to follow! I will be using it for my food photography! Thank you!! I appreciate this!!
Brilliant video! Thank you. I have also been tied to a fairly fixed ISO and reluctant to increase it, so that my shutter speed is appropriate! 🙏
I have a d3500 and I do a lot of outdoor sports for my kids. I currently use the kit lens. What other lens would you recommend as an upgrade?
great video and thank you for not over explaining or complicating things - very well done!
I’m just starting photography with an RP and USM 24-105mm and I feel like mastering shutter speed, aperture, plus where to focus is very hard to master and makes big difference. Also learning angles and lightning. Probs oh makes or breaks 😢
lighting is the most important part of photography. shit light = shit images
Great video. What about when you are using a tripod for stills?
I think my 5DSR is an exception to this rule. I get that little bit unsharpness pretty much no matter what unless it's on tripod, with no wind, and no vibration in the ground, and with a remote.. heard it has to do with the very high megapixel count on a standard full frame sensor, in combination with a physical shutter.
Thank you so much for your explanation. Is there the possibility of having a written part of your video?
Hello from Australia, this video was ever so helpful, blessings to you :)
Your video is very sharp and clean 👌🏻
Thank you for these tips. I own a full-size dSLR Sony A7iii with the 24-105mm kit lens -- played around enough with it that I can get extremely sharp images in Aperture-priority mode with the largest aperture that the kit lens affords. My 'expertise' on settings for tracking a moving subject on the other hand is a work in progress. Mainly I need to know if you can suggest a good setting for tracking a subject while using a timer? also have a remote control to trigger the camera.
Thanks for the breakdown. I am always getting soft shots, and l am sure it is me lol. I mostly shoot wildlife, so things are fairly difficult to contend with most of the time. I have invested in a couple of nice lenses now and have definitely seen an improvement.
Very helpful, but one question. Instead of switching between single focus and continuous focus, why don't I just set to continuous focus even for landscape or other non-moving subjects. Since my subject isn't moving, the continuous focus will not change. Is there some downside to this approach? Great video by the way.
in modern cameras, there's actually zero downside to doing this and it's actually what i do 90% of the time. the only reason why i suggest the traditional way is that some older cameras have a hard time locking on in general and it can be frustrating having your focus hunt so much for every photo you take. but if your camera doesn't do that, then go for it!
Actually there is a big downside. You won't be able to RECOMPOSE your shot which is what nearly ALL pro's do. For example if you set a back button for focus (never the same as the shutter- bad), then you can aim at the landscape, get focus, release and recompose the shot (frame the first shot (focus) then move your camera around to reposition and get the ideal shot. You must NOT move the camera forward or back- side to side and up and down is fine.) If you are set to continual focus, it will re-adjust to the landscape which "could" easily put your main subject out of focus. It's very easy to change this setting. Do it 100 times for practice and you will own it- promise!
@@MOAB-UTI’ve read many TH-cam explanations trying to explain the same thing, but yours actually made sense to me. Thank you so much for your insight, this is way better than trying to manually set the focus area using the camera’s d-pad.
@@Taigrr854 Glad to help. I use a tripod and remote relase (cable/button.) If you don't have that you can set up a delayed shutter so you press and a second or two later, it snaps- a brief delay. That way your finger pushing does not cause much blur. With a slow shutter speed (e.g., lower light or going for a cool light trail effect or night photography), you will almost always get blur if you push on the camera without using delayed release mode or cable release.
I also take several pics, especially on images I really want to nail down. No matter how good you think you did, when you go to edit, any issue can have issues. Even wind, light, shadows, etc., can make a well set up picture look less then perfect. It's amazing to me however how hand-held cell phones seem to nail every shot.
Wow!! This is the video I have been looking for! Thanks, so very much!
Excellent video subscribed so I can pick up more of your stuff. Presentation and delivery style excellent. Thank you.
Great video, you discuss a few tidbits that I haven't seen elsewhere, such as the softness of high ISO.
Thank you one of the best explanations i have seen yet.
First timer here great learning stuff keep your videos com in…. From Melbourne 👏👏👏🇦🇺
Hi. What if you are using a zoom lens and you constantly zoom in or out, would you always adjust the shutter speed depending on the zoom range?
Just getting back into photography. My boy plays soccer so your points on shutter speed is most welcome. Thanks for the vid mate.
I think it can replace a whole photography course. Thanks a lot Pat!
This video was very helpful. Can you recommend a good program to remove noise? I couldn't figure out what happened but thanks to your video I think it was the ISO was way too high. I wasn't shooting manual so there was that also 😸 thank you for your videos they're so good and have been so helpful!!! Photography is Beautiful by the way!
depends on which camera youve got. aps-c and smaller you shouldnt go above 1600, full frame you should be good with 3200 and lower. higher and youll start to see colour noise
Hi Pat, I'm a great fan of your videos - so thank you & I'm grateful for what I learn from you. Just wondered about the auto focussing with these settings. Some of photos on these photos were slightly out of focus for landscape photography. Should I resort to manual focus on infinity for landscape shoots. Thank you & keep up the great work 😊
Thank you for all of the help man! Explained everything super well :)
Great video. Your explanation is to the point and easy to understand. And most of all, I really like that hoodie.
That is sick the eye tracking focus. Focused so good on your then your hand was out of focus. Awesome INFO THANK YOU SO MUCH
Quick question does this also apply for video as well? Or do you have a video I can check out for sharp and clean video? Thanks
I got a canon 90d with a kit lens atm. I take pictures of my dogs, what settings and lens would you recommend?
Your explaination is very understanding and easy to follow. Thank you
Thank you for guiding me on the moving subjects, I'm in sports photography.
I really enjoyed this video. As a beginner this helped out a lot