Mini-debate "Do photos have to be pin sharp"

[CanonChrissy]

What does everyone think?

• How sharp does your point of focus have to be?
• When is it important?
• When is it less important?
• Would you judge an image on its sharpness?

Just a few pointers for starters.....

[fuzzyedges]

1) Portrait, macro sharp  Landscape, abstract could be off abit 

2} Portrait and macro 

3) Landscape, abstract 

4) Yes if it was failing to live up to expectations No if it was obviously intended

[CanonChrissy]

Haha thats pretty cut and dry.....

[JHFoto]

I think if you are uploading an image to this forum or anywhere that it gets a public viewing you should try and get it right. Yes I would judge an image on its sharpness and clarity.

[Craftysnapper]

Unless it is intentional as in artistic intent then yes it should be sharp at the point of focus and there is alwas a sharpest point of focus alandscape fore ground or background can be out of focus as can a portrait (you usually want the eyes sharp) but where ever the focus point is should be sharp. If it is not it is more than likely slopy technique caused by camera shake or or to slow a shutter speed causing subject movement. I see to many people pictures where camera shake has rendered them fuzzy..you did ask Chrissy. 

[Black Pearl]

You need to decide for yourself how sharp you expect your images to be for their intended use because the requirements for an image down sampled for online use is entirely different to one that will be printed a few feet across and everyone sees them differently. Also its worth noting that sharpness can be affected not only by the accuracy of the focus but also by choice of lens, choice of aperture, shutter speed, ISO, subject movement, camera movement, the type of sensor, the size of the sensor, the number of pixels, the size of the pixels, file type, processing workflow, output size and output medium.....and likely a few others too.

I can take a DNG file that isn't particularly sharp for any number of reasons, capture sharpen it, creative sharpen it and finally output sharpen it having down sampled it for web use and the result on screen will be dazzling. That same file even with correct three stage sharpening may not be suitable for a full resolution print.

What I will say as absolute sharpness isn't one of my main goals, I like a sharp image and I do tend to follow the rules to ensure one but I don't get all beat up about it and will/have shared pictures where to content can carry a less than perfect technique. 

 

One of the most important stages to a sharp image is output sharpening and if you are unsure what this is or how to apply it correct then I would recommend a few tutorial.

[FUJI]

Dear Sirs,

I took an out of focus photograph of a pencil today which was sharp......does this mean that I took a sharp pencil?

yours truly. 

FUJI

[CanonChrissy]

This is the kind of debate I'm after. No right or wrong answers.

Unless it is intentional as in artistic intent then yes it should be sharp at the point of focus and there is alwas a sharpest point of focus alandscape fore ground or background can be out of focus as can a portrait (you usually want the eyes sharp) but where ever the focus point is should be sharp. If it is not it is more than likely slopy technique caused by camera shake or or to slow a shutter speed causing subject movement. I see to many people pictures where camera shake has rendered them fuzzy..you did ask Chrissy. 

yes...and I like your comments

Dear Sirs,

I took an out of focus photograph of a pencil today which was sharp......does this mean that I took a sharp pencil?

yours truly. 

FUJI

just get to the point fuji!

 

[Guest]

How sharp does your point of focus have to be?  very if its a portrait or product shot less so if its an ahhh moment shot of a life event (first steps, first bike ride etc)
When is it important? if you are going to blow up large or need it for publication 
When is it less important? if its a personal memory shot or only going to be printed 6x4
Would you judge an image on its sharpness? I judge all images on the emotional reaction first, if I was paying for or charging for an image I would expect a higher standard

[CanonChrissy]

My questions were as a starter....to provoke conversation. I dont necessarily want them answered but more peoples thoughts and comments

[ChrisLumix]

What does everyone think?

• How sharp does your point of focus have to be?
• When is it important?
• When is it less important?
• Would you judge an image on its sharpness?

Just a few pointers for starters.....

I'll answer without seeing other replies first...

1. I think FOCUS is different from SHARPNESS, and point of focus has to be correct. So, for example, a portrait need not (I'd even say SHOULD NOT!) be pin sharp, but the eyes really ought to be the most "in focus" (usually)

2. I think that's a too open-ended question. But as simply generalisations - things like textures should be sharp, landscapes usually (not always), architecture (ditto). People, animals flowers need to be in focus but not absolutely pin sharp (usually - fuzzy's steampunks need sharpness for those costumes )

3. I think I just inadvertently answered that! Portraiture generally, unless capturing 'grizzled character'.

4, I've seen far too many over-sharpened images and I would certainly mark those down, as much as I would mark down images that were unnecessarily soft (SOFT, not areas out of focus, i.e. bokeh).   

I think the modern photographic world - i.e. users not experts or professionals - obsesses about sharpness, and it's so not necessary. 

[colinb]

You see things sharp and if you don't. you would buy glasses to correct your vision. Seeing a blurred photo can often be confusing but your brain will often compensate for - and work out what it is you are eeing.

Using blur to create an effect or 'artistic' view can often lead to an original photo but unfortunately we often just see out of focus pictures not 'art' and it is then we judge an image on its sharpness.

There is in reality a massive difference between a creative photo and one that is simply a poor crafted photograph. One takes skill the other... well not understanding how your camera works and with todays multipoint focus areas you really do need to understand how to move a focus point on (or off) subject.

(and yes the S was missed deliberately) 

[FUJI]

Just how sharp do you want it?

in more ways than one.

 

FUJI

[Black Pearl]

Fuji:

I might just be slow this morning but your example isn't sharp 

[CanonChrissy]

Pin hole photography isn't very sharp either

[Craftysnapper]

The eyes have it at f1.8.

 

[CanonChrissy]

How much sharpening has been applied post shot?

[FUJI]

Fuji:

I might just be slow this morning but your example isn't sharp 

I know BP, but the that tattoo needle is,  I was being my usual self .....with a little play on words and human perceptions....

Ever tried shooting pics in a very busy tattoo studio? My shooting pal, cheekily obtained permission, I was all at sixes and sevens......not particularly a fan of tattooing.....the smell of surgical alcohol didn't help either .

 But you will get the point? 

This is just one of the round robin discussions that surface every so often on all photo forums, there is no one answer......many love, Milky Water and other long focus creations, not sharp is it?  Many portraits of beautiful ladies are deliberately softened during taking or afterwards, because, in my own experience ladies of all ages just hate sharp portraits that show every whisker and blemish.

The choice of sharpness in an image can be ours, or, as a result of poor settings as in my example above, which has now turned out to be a bit of a photographic pun.

FUJI

FUJI

Edited September 4, 2015 by FUJI

[Craftysnapper]

How much sharpening has been applied post shot?

Not much Chrissy that olympus 76mm f1.8 is tack sharp even wide open

 Heres a screen grab of  the raw file in LR with no sharpening or adjustments at all.

[fuzzyedges]

A sharp lens at 1.8 is only as sharp as the operator knows how to use it 

If an inexperienced user used it and used center point focus and focused on her neck to get it all in then the eyes probably wouldn't be sharp

  Many portraits of beautiful ladies are deliberately softened during taking or afterwards, because, in my own experience ladies of all ages just hate sharp portraits that show every whisker and blemish.

 

FUJI

I agree with this statement BUT the eyes will still be sharp even if the skin has been softened (unsharpend) Nobody wants dull fuzzy eyes (except me and I dont really want them ) 

 

Edited September 4, 2015 by fuzzyedges

[FUJI]

Yes! I should have said that even if skin is softened, eyes must be sharp.........even craggy males, require sharp eyes too. 

Window's of the Soul eyes are.

 

FUJI

[ChrisLumix]

I forgot one thing when I replied above :

Except in VERY rare circumstances, I believe that nothing should ever be sharper than the eyes + optical nerves + brain register normally. The worst cases of over-sharpening take a picture beyond what you might call 20:20 vision and even though the brain can still register this 'new' sharpness (perhaps in a different way?), it doesn't seem at all natural. I really don't like such images. And the borderline between 'tack sharp' and 'too sharp' is very very small.

[CanonChrissy]

Glad we have a nice debate going

[Guest]

"Sharpness is a bourgeois concept" HCB.

For what my view is worth it's the message the image conveys, not how well each pixel is defined. Just don't try submitting something that isn't sharp to Alamy.

[Ryewolf]

And having experimented with deliberatingly blurring or settimg it out of focus or even moving the camers , it all comes down to what you've chosen the image to be, and we as viewers don't always know that..