a question on sharpness/pixel peeping

[ebon_wing]

let's say you're a pro and you've got top of the line equipment. are your pictures expected to be tack sharp when viewed at the original size? surely not when you're viewing at 200%...or is it? i will never, ever put food on the table with photography (unless i sell off my stuff) but i'm just wondering what sort of standards the pros are held to.

[Robert_Lay]

Well, I don't qualify as a pro or even as a pro wannabee, but I can suggest some good references on sharpness.

Start with Roger Clarke's web site, as follows:
http://www.clarkvision.com/imagedetail/scandetail.html

And here's a tip - look into the Sharpness settings used in the various Picture Styles of your camera. One of those Picture Styles is in use in your camera right now. The difference between pictures taken with the Sharpness setting at its low point and with it at its high point is remarkable.

And here's a tip for deciding whether your pictures are as sharp as they should be - at 200% the pixels will be visible on the screen (not in prints), and if the detail is crumbling in the sharpest region of the image before you get to 200%, something is wrong. For prints you should be able to look at a 400 dpi print with the naked eye without seeing any crumbling of detail in the sharpest areas of the print.

One last pointer. Do not confuse OOF and DOF problems with Image Quality - those are all technical issues over which you have artistic control. The problem areas where your mistakes cannot be forgiven are in blur or softness due to bad focusing and blur due to motion.

[cdifoto]

I expect my images to be printable.

[Meaty0]

let's say you're a pro and you've got top of the line equipment. are your pictures expected to be tack sharp when viewed at the original size? surely not when you're viewing at 200%...or is it? i will never, ever put food on the table with photography (unless i sell off my stuff) but i'm just wondering what sort of standards the pros are held to.


There's more to a good photo than sharpness. Many of the greatest photographers use "average" equipment and many of the greatest photographs have some degree of softness to them.