p.1 #1 · D750 images not quite as sharp as I expect
First of all, I'm not trying to start a fanboy war nor am I looking for something negative. I have used FF slr's in the past, both with fast primes and zooms (5D3) so I know what to expect. I also have a 24mp a6000 which I use so I also know what the difference is between a 20mp and 24mp picture.
I own a D750 with 50/1.8, 70-20/F4 and 24-120/F4. I love the camera for its operation and ISO performance, but somehow images I get from either lens is not as sharp as what I was used to with my 5D3. I did some tuning of the AF system, using the camera on a tripd and comparing live view shots with PDAF and then tweaking the setting. So I'm pretty sure that there's no front/back focussing (esp not with the prime).
Still, I find all my images always seem to lack a bit of sharpness. This is with either JPG or (sharpened) RAWs. They look 'ok', but when comparing similar images at similar apertures with the 5D3 I used to have, the difference is very clear.
focus on the right eye. It looks ok, but when looking at 100%, you can definitely see the whiskers are not really that sharp. I take a lot of similar snaps of my kids and when browsing through some from the 5D3 + 24105L, the difference is really striking!
Since I have this with all lenses, and AF tuning should be ok (I also tested without AF tune btw), could there be an issue with my sensor/camera? I can't find any issues related to this with the D750 but maybe I'm just unlucky?
p.1 #2 · D750 images not quite as sharp as I expect
That looks like there's zero sharpening applied in post and/or too much noise reduction applied. I can't find any noise at all from the sensor or sharpening....
Regardless, I never dive into the technical stuff and that looks sharp enough to me.
p.1 #4 · D750 images not quite as sharp as I expect
EXIF should be there, this is a straight out of camera JPG. I'll post the .NEF file too (check original post). Mind, I tend to get a bit obsessive over sharpness It's just that compared to my 5D3 shots, the D750 ones seem less sharp with same conditions/apertures/focal lengths...
In this case :
ISO200
manual mode
F1.8
1/125sec
no flash
p.1 #5 · D750 images not quite as sharp as I expect
That looks pretty sharp to me for 24MP F1.8 through a $200 lens. It also looks like it should sharpen up really well - Nikon's default sharpening is very conservative. Your sample was shot at 1/125 second, so you are probably OK, but if you don't have really steady hands and a still subject, that is a little low on the shutter speed as well so it's possible it could be slightly sharper with a higher shutter speed.
You mention you are comparing it to shots with the 24-105L, so you are comparing F1.8 with at least F4, which isn't apples to apples. The 24-105L is also 5 times the cost and has image stabilization. The higher DOF is going to have a lot more in focus. Shoot the 50/1.8 at F4 and turn off IS on the 24-105/4 L if you want a more objective comparison.
Also keep in mind any AF fine tune value you enter is only at that specific focal length (no issue on a prime) AND that specific subject distance. As soon as you change one or the other, you *may* need a different AF fine tune value, unless your camera front/back focuses with that particular lens the same amount at every combination of focal length and subject distance.
You could try some controlled tests on a tripod as well - compare live view (CDAF) results to viewfinder (PDAF) results on a static subject for a quick & dirty check.
p.1 #6 · D750 images not quite as sharp as I expect
Canada, to be clear, I'm comparing shots I took with the 5D3+24105L (not the sample I posted) with the Nikon D750+24120 at same aperture/ISO/shutter speed.
(remove the first h from the link, otherwise large jpg's were posted)
Of course, after using Canon for over 10yrs I'm very used to the way pictures come out and which sharpness to apply in LR when importing (I ususally had it at 25/1.0/25 (so default). Always interested to see what sharpness settings I should be using when importing Nikon raw files (currently using 50/1.0/0/30 as default)
p.1 #10 · D750 images not quite as sharp as I expect
Yeah Anyway, been experimenting a bit with the sharpening settings in lightroom and it seems the 'detail' slider has a massive effect on the Nikon files as far as I can tell. Anyone care to share their sharpness defaults?
p.1 #11 · D750 images not quite as sharp as I expect
In ACR my default for the D750 is 60 / 1.2 / 45 / 45 at low ISO with luminosity and color settings of 10. I also apply some sharpening in PP and then again for the specific output, print or web.
(remove the first h from the link, otherwise large jpg's were posted)
Of course, after using Canon for over 10yrs I'm very used to the way pictures come out and which sharpness to apply in LR when importing (I ususally had it at 25/1.0/25 (so default). Always interested to see what sharpness settings I should be using when importing Nikon raw files (currently using 50/1.0/0/30 as default)
Precise focus appears a bit different between the two - the D750 image appears front-focused relative to the 5DM3 image. Eyelashes sharper on the 5DM3, chin sharper on the D750. To evaluate sharpening techniques independent of focusing I would take some LV-focused shots of both of a static subject and then work from there.
p.1 #14 · D750 images not quite as sharp as I expect
Honestly when I used canon bodies I noticed that it seemed that the aa filters on canon maybe weaker than Nikon. I have no scientific proof but image to image canon seemed sharper out of the box. I know some may disagree just am observation
p.1 #15 · D750 images not quite as sharp as I expect
lapino wrote:
Canada, to be clear, I'm comparing shots I took with the 5D3+24105L (not the sample I posted) with the Nikon D750+24120 at same aperture/ISO/shutter speed.
Oh ok. What confused me was you said "I take a lot of similar snaps of my kids and when browsing through some from the 5D3 + 24105L, the difference is really striking!" right after posting a F1.8 sample.
I can't see the EXIF for the Canon shot, but it looks like the 24-120 front focused a little bit in that particular shot. I'm on a crappy monitor right now though.
p.1 #16 · D750 images not quite as sharp as I expect
The 5D3 shot does look very sharp but handheld, narrow dof and in low-ish light there are a lot of variables. Which focus points did you use on each?
For someone obsessive about sharpness the 50/1.8 and 24-120/F4 are decent but not amazing performers, look at the Sigma 50mm 1.4 art and Nikon 85mm 1.8G.
p.1 #18 · D750 images not quite as sharp as I expect
snapsy wrote:
Precise focus appears a bit different between the two - the D750 image appears front-focused relative to the 5DM3 image. Eyelashes sharper on the 5DM3, chin sharper on the D750. To evaluate sharpening techniques independent of focusing I would take some LV-focused shots of both of a static subject and then work from there.
I don't think it's front focused, I think it's lack of sharpening.
When I made the jump above 12mp, ALL of my pictures looked like they had a "haze" to them like OP's D750 images.... until I realized I needed to ramp up my sharpening.
p.1 #19 · D750 images not quite as sharp as I expect
I would say the mirror slap or some other vibration effects related to shutter actuation are pretty strong on the D750, so it's probably more prone to certain vibration-related minor blurring of images than some other cameras like the D810.
Per-pixel sharpness is highly dependent on the lens too.
FWIW I don't see the D750 as significantly sharper or softer per-pixel than any other cameras I've used in a similar megapixel range.
p.1 #20 · D750 images not quite as sharp as I expect
See if you can sharpen the D750 image to get what you see in the Canon. Nikon's sharpening algorithms are notoriously weak, and Canon's are notoriously very strong, especially at default.
It's just that compared to my 5D3 shots, the D750 ones seem less sharp with same conditions/apertures/focal lengths...