Is this typical D30 lens quality?

[sasc]

http://www.pbase.com/sasc/tests

I have put up some actual size (crops) of photos taken with the 50mmf1.4, 28-135IS and the 75-300 IS lenses.
I know they arent known for high quality except the 50mm. I used a tripod because I cant get them this sharp hand held. I also have to have camera set to +2/3 EV.

I picked the best out of a lot of shots. It seems a lot are out of focus even with tripod and autofocus on.
Am I expecting too much from this camera? It seems I can only do slight USM without the image falling apart.

A lot of these photos are around 300kb to try not to get any artifacts showing.

[CanonRock]

The test images you've shown are typical since they are straight Jpeg. Those from the 50mm f1.4 are very good. Mine is in a FedEx truck right now so I can't wait to get it either.

I was a straight Jpeg shooter before and with Pekka's help, I have invested some effort in shooting RAW and use a similar workflow that Pekka developed.

I think most D30 users will agree with me that if you want to get the most out of the D30, you have to shoot RAW.

Then I use Pekka's workflow (see his workflow page):
1)Convert RAW to 16bits LinearTiff using Canon Raw Converter.
2)Use Pekka's LinearSharpen1 action with Fred's ICC Profile.

You must have PhotoShop6 to work with 16bits TIFF.

How much improvement do I get from this workflow compared to standard Jpeg?
Let says my original jpegs looked like your 70-300IS using my Tokina 24-200, but after shooting RAW and using the new workflow, I can get close up that look like yours original Jpeg with the 50mm f1.4 @f8.0. I couldn't believe it the first time I saw the improvement from Jpeg to 16bits LinearTiff workflow. I can't wait to see how much improvement I can get from my 50mm f1.4 at wide open.

Try taking some test pics of the same lens/subject/settings with Jpeg and RAW and do comparision. Post the RAW somewhere where I can download it to see if I can help you to improve it.



-TN
San Jose

[mrbobco]

hi...

they do look typical for jpegs...in the 4 months i've had my d-30 i took literally thousands of jpegs (just to get accustomed to the camera)

i agree with canonrock...if you want to get the most out of the camera...you should shoot raw (although it is a pain if you are just taking candids or just trying to learn what works for the camera and you...it's not necessary to be processing hundreds of pictures when you're just trying to get accustomed to the camera)

i'm a little concered about needing to have everything adjusted 2/3 stop tho...when i first had my d-30, i believed i had to have it stopped down 2/3 also...but once i started reading more info on this forum, i realized that i needed to compose and pay better attention to exposure...even with the 550 ex, the majority of my early pictures suffered from exposure problems...i'm sure you already are using center weighted metering, using the center focus point only, etc...have you tried setting the fel button for focus lock...and pressing the shutter button halfway for exposure? (custom function 2; setting 3) i've had pretty good luck with it...

i owned the 28-135...so i understand the questions you are having...once i bought the 28-70L...i noticed a appreciable difference in clarity and depth...(and at the time i thought the 28-135 was plenty clear) either way...the L glass is worth every penny...

nice job on the web site, btw...it was easy to download and see each picture...

to reiterate...i agree with canonrock...i think you've got the hang of the camera...now you could start using raw mode, fred miranda's icc linear profile, and pekka's linear sharpen 1...you'll notice a big difference! it's worth the minute or so it takes to apply, etc...

bob

[sasc]

Thanks everyone. I have done some raw but havent tried any printing yet. I have Pekka and Freds actions and do generally use the spot or center weighted. Reading some more I will try the parameters on contrast low, sharp low, and saturation normal or high and see what that does.

I cant figure why optimised for the web tend to have so many jaggies on straight lines unless it is the different proportion of the camera output compared to other cameras that match the screen size more. Is this feasable?

I definately have to have the camera set on EV+2/3 or 1 or I get super dark photos. I think I will have to send it in for that. What a pain.