How do I get sharper pictures?

Whether it's front-to-back sharpness or depth of field effects, discover the camera settings and techniques you need for optimum definition

calpel-sharp pictures aren't just the result of holding the camera steady when you take a picture (although that plays a significant part). Your choice of shutter speed and aperture, the quality of the lens and how accurately it's focused, and the amount of sharpening that's applied - either in-camera or with software- all contribute to the sharpness of your images. Supporting the camera while you take a shot is key though. The rule of thumb for hand held shooting is to make sure that the shutter speed is equivalent to or faster than the focal length of the

lens, expressed as 1/focallength. So if you're shooting with a 100mm lens you should be able to get sharp shots at 1/100 sec or faster; switch to a 20mm wide-angle lens and you should get away with 1/20 sec This rule only holds for full-frame D-SLRs such as the EOS 5D. Because the sensors in the majority of Canon D-SLRs are smaller than full-frame, the angle of view (what the lens 'sees') is narrower- and consequently, the effects of camera shake are magnified. As a result, the exposure needs to be shorter, so by multiplying the focal length by x1.6 (the sensor's 'crop factor'), you get the full-frame equivalent focal length that can be used to work out the safe shutter speed. For instance, a 50 mm lens effectively becomes an 80mm focal length on a 600D (50 mm x 1.6), meaning that you shouldn't let the minimum shutter speed drop below 1/80 sec for handheld shots.

No great shakes
While some photographers can take shake-free pictures at speeds slower than recommended, others struggle with exposures that are twice as fast. Canon's Image Stabilization (IS) lenses can help here. They improve the chances of getting sharp pictures by adjusting an element within the lens to counteract the effects of movement. But while IS often makes

What it takes to get a sharp picture

1 Aperture
Narrow apertures enable youtoincreasethe depth of field in an image - press the Depth of Field preview button to check what's sharp.

3 Support
A sturdy tripod and head will provide a stable base for the camera.

4 150
Low ISOs give the most detail-rich pictures, but you may need to up the ISO in order to use smaller apertures and/ or faster shutter speeds.

2 Focus
With landscapes, focus around a third of the way into the scene in order to maximise front-to-back sharpness. Use Live View to magnify an area, and then fine-tune with manual focus.

5 Contrast
High-contrast subjects and scenes look sharper than low-contrast ones.

the difference between a sharp picture and a soft one, it can't work miracles. The shutter speed still needs to be fast enough to freeze the movement of an active subject. When light levels drop and shutter speeds get slower, you'll need a tripod to keep the camera solid. And even when there's plenty of light, a tripod enables you to use low ISO settings for smooth, noise-free shots, as well as giving you freedom over the choice of aperture. The aperture setting itself has a role to play in sharpness, as the choice of

aperture affects the depth of field in an image: the more of this there is, the more of an image from front to back will appear sharp. Narrow apertures (with high f-numbers such as f/16 and f/22), create greater depth of field, while wide apertures (with low values such as f/2.8 and f/4) offer a shallower depth of field. Dialling in a lens's narrowest aperture setting doesn't lead to the sharpest results though. Not only will shutter speeds be at their slowest, but due to an optical effect called diffraction, images can actually appear softer. The 'sweet ..,_

"Dialling in a lens's narrowest aperture setting doesn't lead to the sharpest resu Its though ..."

STEP BY STEP

How to check for sharpness

Use Live View, or zoom in during image playback, to check that the area you want is sharp

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Activate Live View

Live View is handy when the camera 's on a tripod , as it makes it easier to focus. Press the START/STOP button or the button with the camera icon (depending on the model).

Highlight
Move the white rectangle over the area you want to focus on using the control dials or thumbstick. This indicates the area that will be magnified in the next step.

Magnify
The majority of Canon D-SLRs have two buttons at the top of the thumb rest with magnifying glass symbols. Tap '+'to zoom into the image during Live View, or image playback.

Manual focus
Pressing'+' once magnifies the image x5, and pressing it again takes it up to xlO. With your lens set to MF (Manual Focus) gently turning the focus ring to fine-tune the focus.
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Although you might be capable of getting acceptably sharp images when shooting with your camera handheld at fairly fast shutter speeds, it's only by zooming in to view them at 100% on your camera's LCD screen or your computer (when it's too late to re-shoot of course) that you can really see if they're bitingly sharp. We've shot this sequence to illustrate the difference a rock-solid tripod makes.

, Tripod technique
Even shots that are taken with the aid of a tripod can appear soft if the tripod's not set up and adjusted correctly. For a start, you should avoid raising the centre column where possible -this essentially turns the tripod into a less substantial monopod. Ideally, you should raise the camera to your eye level by extending the legs alone. Once the camera is locked on the tripod and you're ready to take the shot, you shouldn't touch it. Instead, fire the shutter using the camera's self-timer or, if timing is critical, using a remote release. You should activate the mirror lock-up for exposures of 1/15 sec or slower too, as this will stop the vibrations caused by the mirror slapping up and down inside the camera from being transferred to the picture.

Mirror lockup

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Accurate focus point

Getting the right parts of a picture in focus is essential to creating an overall impression of sharpness. Focus is critical when you're photographing close-ups where depth of field (the area that appears sharp) can be measured in millimetres, or when you're using wide-open apertures, such as f/2.8 or f/4. Manually selecting a focus point to match the most important features in the photograph is key to good results here.

Reduce camera shake caused by mirror shock lmi!JHelp

Mirror lock-up
This usually a Custom Function, although it's found in the main shooting menu on the SD Mk Ill.

Self-timer
Activate this by pressing the Drive button and turning the control dial.

Choosing an AF point enables you to keep off-centre subjects sharp, without having to recompose

Generally, prime lenses (ones with a fixed focal length) deliver sharper images than zooms, with macro lenses particularly well-tuned to bring out the finest details. To get the best from any lens though, try to select apertures from the middle of the range and avoid placing the subject too close to the edge of the frame, as a lens is sharper towards its centre than at the edges. spot' of sharpness for a lens is usually in the aperture mid-range, around f/8-f/11. Naturally, pin-sharp pictures can only be captured if a lens is focused with precision. it's faster to use the camera's autofocus system to get things crisp than to rely on manual focusing, though you'll need to select the autofocus mode that's appropriate to the subject or scene you're photographing. For static subjects. choose One-Shot AF- this will only let you take a shot when a part of the image is detected to be in focus. Shooting a moving subject? Then switch to AI Servo AF, which continuously adjusts the focus as the subject moves. You also need to make sure the autofocus system picks out the part of the scene that you want to be in focus . To do this, you'll need to highlight the area using one of the AF points in the viewfinder. it's better to do this yourself rather than letting the camera pick the point(s) of focus. as it will often latch on to the closest thing to the camera; if you're taking a portrait, this may mean all the detail of your subject's nose is rendered sharp, instead of their eyes!

No tripod? Try bracing your lens against a solid object for sharper images than you'd get by handholding