Tips to take less blurry pictures?

Nebell

2[H]4U
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Jul 20, 2015
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I have image stabilization on both my camera and the lens.

So when I can't seem to take a sharp picture, I try to make the shutter faster. It does make the picture a lot darker. So I bump ISO but it introduces noise, which annoys me as I'm a pixel peeper.
I set f-stop to 4 (the lowest I can) but this often doesn't introduce enough light to compensate for the fast shutter speed and sometimes I just want that bokeh (or not, this creates an even bigger problem).
Also, exposure wheel (the one with +3 and all the way to - 3) sometimes does nothing? Is it a bug with the camera? I was using aperture mode I think. Sometimes works, sometimes doesn't but I don't remember which mode (but not auto as I barely used that mode).

So what are my options here? Use flash? Tripod? Or live with high iso?
Or am I doing something wrong?
From my understanding, faster shutter makes less blur. But I also noticed that higher iso also helps with blur while introducing noise.
I've tried to take pictures of both static objects and a domestic rabbit and while I often failed to get enough sharpness by shooting static object, trying to get a sharp photo of the rabbit was an epic fail every freaking time because it moves constantly (both without tripod).

The camera in question is Sony A7R III + Sony FE 24-105 F/4 G OSS
 
1. RTFM
2. Read through this thread; a lot of useful information is provided there on the issues that you are experiencing right now. Pay special attention to posts made by users like UnknownSouljer or IdiotInCharge.
3. Buy this book. And read it cover to cover without skipping a single page and follow along with your camera.
4. Read the book again.
5. Your EV dial works just fine, look at the exif info for each image if you think it's not working. Also, make sure you didn't turn bracketing on by accident. Refer to point 1 if you're not sure if it's On or Off.
6. Post the image of the rabbit with the exif info to get more immediate suggestions.
7. Look up 'Exposure triangle', read about it, and try to understand it. Practice, practice, practice.
8. Read the book again. I'm not kidding.

FYI, F/4 is the largest aperture for that lens, not lowest/smallest. You have that reversed. Shutter speed doesn't affect bokeh, refer to points 3, 4, and 8 for more information.
 
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f/4 lens + low-light + hend-held -> you gon get noise.

Look up methods for applying noise reduction to RAW files, look up ways to add light, and look up faster lenses- Sony's 50/1.8 FE isn't terrible, neither is the 28/2 FE.
 
I think that the issue is already covered in this thread, but to be clear, this is an exposure triangle knowledge issue. And not to be a jerk, something you said you knew.
This is where the rubber meets the road and you really have to understand how this all works to get the results you want. And generally you'll begin to understand that the exposure triangle is all about making compromises and figuring out what are the compromises you can live with.
Even if you could shoot outdoors all day, every day, during noon-time with maximum sunlight: you'll always face some sort of issue. As even in that case, you might want a slow shutter speed with wide open aperture for artistic reasons (like say you want to have blurry clouds or moving water). Or perhaps you have a really fast lens, a lens that you want to shoot wide open at f/0.95 and it's too bright even at ISO 100 and 1/8000th. There is no lighting situation that is ideal of every type of shot. Most of it can be overcome with knowledge. Some with equipment. But every time it's about understanding the compromises and how these choices affect your result.
 
Others touched on this, but higher f-stops will get you sharper pictures if you can keep the camera still, if the scene is relatively still. A tripod does help a ton.

For motion, yeah, you want the fastest shutter speed possible.

You can process some effects of a high ISO out. High ISO still reduces sharpness, but it does give you more f-stop/shutter speed to play with.



Oh and one more thing. Since it's a Sony, your camera might have a "multi shot auto ISO" mode that takes a bunch of shots in a row and merges them together. Now you have to keep the camera still for this (either set down on a surface or on a tripod), but this should theoretically get you really sharp images, even in bad lighting.
http://docs.esupport.sony.com/dvimag/ILCE6000_guide/en/contents/TP0000226588.html
 
Good tips.

I just bought a couple of books (the suggested one but 4th edition and A7R III guide). I have also applied to some photography classes a few days ago but might have to wait a bit on those.

A tripod makes my photos sharp, but I can't always use it.

I do think I have good enough *basic* knowledge of exposure triangle. I shot some slow shutter - blurry water photos a few days ago at the kitchen sink, lol. BTW really slow shutter (like 10+ sec) is basically only for very dark situations like night sky photography?

I also forgot to mention that blur issues is what I'm having inside the house, outside photos look fine even when shot handheld (auto lightning but I read it's ok to use and didn't notice any difference from switching to manual lightning - fluorescent).

I won't be getting new lenses though, these two have cost enough ;)
 
And not to be a jerk...
I'm a lot less diplomatic than you ;)

Good tips.

I just bought a couple of books (the suggested one but 4th edition and A7R III guide). I have also applied to some photography classes a few days ago but might have to wait a bit on those.

That's great.

1. Now RTFM!
2. Actually read the book I linked above (if it's 4th edition, that's fine... it's also fine if it's 50th edition). READ IT. Don't just thumb through it looking at the pictures and skimming a few foot notes with "oh yeah, I know this".. because you clearly don't.
3. Read your camera guide
4. Read the book again. And again, don't skip any pages. After shooting for 10 plus years, I still go through that book every so often. The book, just like any tool, is only useful if you actually use it. It's great that you have it, but if it's just collecting the dust on your shelf then you just wasted your money on it.

BTW really slow shutter (like 10+ sec) is basically only for very dark situations like night sky photography?
Short answer: No
Slightly longer answer: Shutter speed, aperture, ISO are things you control to get the result you desire. It comes down to your artistic style, and how you control the light is up to you. This is something you will learn over the next few years (assuming you will actually take the time to learn your camera this time, instead of declaring it outdated and telling people that you've outgrown it again)

I also forgot to mention that blur issues is what I'm having inside the house, outside photos look fine even when shot handheld (auto lightning but I read it's ok to use and didn't notice any difference from switching to manual lightning - fluorescent).
Refer to your user manual... also, read the book we've mentioned.
 
Stolen shamelessly. You need to get a handle on shutter speed, everything else flows from that.

You base your shutter speed on a balance of camera movement, subject movement, and background movement.

stock-vector-camera-shutter-speed-guide-symbol-icon-pictogram-377276638.jpg
 
The way I expressed few times before is something I will blame on my English. It's my 3rd language and doesn't always come out the way I mean it.
When I said that I outgrew my old D3200, I didn't mean that I've become too good for it. I meant that I have had it for a long time and got tired of it.

I don't think I ever claimed that I knew a lot about photography. More that I love taking pictures.
And I do understand the basics of the triangle. I know slow shutter makes subjects blurry and fast freezes them. I was shooting at 1/1000 and still getting blur (and even different faster/slower shutter speed than that). This is what got me asking here. Shooting faster than that forced me into higher ISO and then I got noise.

I haven't done any serious shooting with it yet as there is a lot to read on.
 
I finally found some time to shoot.
I shot manually only and uncompressed RAW. I also used a polarizing filter because it was very sunny outside (except the first indoor pic) and these pictures were edited in Lightroom. Do tell if I'm using too much color, I tend to boost color a lot since my preference is not 100% realism.
I could not use slower shutter than 2 seconds, and even 2 seconds shutter, 50 ISO, lowest aperture and polarizing filter made my photos overexposed which was somewhat fixable in Lightroom but as you can see on some of the pictures, parts of it are insanely overexposed. Is there a way to improve this?
I am not a big fan of that 12-24 lens, but I do like 24-105. I also think there are some bugs with the camera. Sometimes nothing happens even when I go from 50 ISO to around 105k. No change in the exposure on the screen. All settings on manual. Perhaps there's a firmware I could update.

Here are some of the pictures and I welcome criticism:
There are quite a few pictures so they might take some time to load and some have blur but I included them on purpose.

dunmg.jpg




e19dus.jpg




28klulf.jpg



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2vbkmsg.jpg




sbmtew.jpg




4rwaqx.jpg




2s128ol.jpg




r7ll05.jpg




nzom06.jpg




25ewiud.jpg




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afbxwn.jpg
 
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Also, still reading the book. I'm on page 45 or so. It's a pretty good book and well written.
The last 3 pictures were taken about a week ago.
 
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Is there any particular reason why you're trying to shoot with such a slow shutter speed? If the goal is to get glassy water or blurry clouds, then that is only achievable with additional equipment. For that you'll need to look into Neutral Density Filters. I'd probably recommend a 6 and/or 10 stop if you plan to do a lot of that type of photography during midday hours.

===

You may not see an apparent change on the screen for two reasons: one you're in some form of semi-automatic mode. If you're in either Aperture Priority or Shutter priority then the camera will compensate in order to get the exposure back to it's calculated 18% grey. As an added note, that also changes depending on what metering mode is selected. Or two, on specifically Sony cameras is you have turned off Live View Preview. But I tend to think that's a more difficult setting to accidentally change. You likely have the former problem.

===

Ultra Wide angle lenses have to be practiced with to get the most out of them. Generally new users can't find ways to make the image look interesting as most will stand back and try to just cram a bunch of things in the frame. When really the ideal is to get points of interest in the fore, mid, and background which creates more depth and visual interest.

There of course isn't any other lenses that can replicate what an ultra wide angle lens can do. Yes it has "distortion" but the idea is to use that distortion in your favor.
 
Is there any particular reason why you're trying to shoot with such a slow shutter speed? If the goal is to get glassy water or blurry clouds, then that is only achievable with additional equipment. For that you'll need to look into Neutral Density Filters. I'd probably recommend a 6 and/or 10 stop if you plan to do a lot of that type of photography during midday hours.

===

You may not see an apparent change on the screen for two reasons: one you're in some form of semi-automatic mode. If you're in either Aperture Priority or Shutter priority then the camera will compensate in order to get the exposure back to it's calculated 18% grey. As an added note, that also changes depending on what metering mode is selected. Or two, on specifically Sony cameras is you have turned off Live View Preview. But I tend to think that's a more difficult setting to accidentally change. You likely have the former problem.

===

Ultra Wide angle lenses have to be practiced with to get the most out of them. Generally new users can't find ways to make the image look interesting as most will stand back and try to just cram a bunch of things in the frame. When really the ideal is to get points of interest in the fore, mid, and background which creates more depth and visual interest.

There of course isn't any other lenses that can replicate what an ultra wide angle lens can do. Yes it has "distortion" but the idea is to use that distortion in your favor.

Damn, I was looking into ND filters when I was buying the camera but completely forgot about it and went with polarising and UV just for lens protection. Correct I was trying to shoot with a slow shutter to get that glassy water effect.
I'll watch some videos on 6 vs 10 step and buy one of them. I looked at B+W 6 step and it's not cheap, 10 step is probably even more expensive.

I'm pretty sure that I had my setting on manual the whole time. But I could have messed up some setting. It's not the first time it happened though. I need more testing. But I'm almost certain there's some bug.
Also, today when I changed lens to ultra wide, the screen was just black. Yes, I removed the lens cover and the camera was on ;)
I tried turning it off and on few times but the problem persisted. I removed the lens and attached it again and it worked. Maybe I attached it wrong, but it didn't feel like it was attached wrong. It was steady and when I detached it feel correctly attached.

I noticed there's a new firmware for my camera. Will give it a try tomorrow.
 
Damn, I was looking into ND filters when I was buying the camera but completely forgot about it and went with polarising and UV just for lens protection. Correct I was trying to shoot with a slow shutter to get that glassy water effect.
I'll watch some videos on 6 vs 10 step and buy one of them. I looked at B+W 6 step and it's not cheap, 10 step is probably even more expensive.

I've done a lot of research into NDs as well as Variable NDs (which basically the synopsis there is never buy a variable ND). I had to as basically ND filters are an absolute necessity for video work. I have looked through all the brands doing research and I have found that Tiffen's IRND filter lines are quite good. And they aren't too expensive (depending on what you think is expensive). I picked up a 6-stop and 10-stop filter both in 72mm for $100ish. And then of course I use step up rings on my other lenses and I plan to avoid lenses with larger filter diameters (with possibly a 70-200mm lens being an exception, that I'll likely not use for outdoor video purposes). In any case, B+W is also solid, but way more expensive. Generally on B+W you're paying for their coatings which make them a bit easier to clean but don't perform better from an optical quality or ND standpoint.

The other method that a lot of landscapers use is to go for rectangular glass filters (which require a filter holder and specialized adapter rings). Which get expensive quick. But if you take care of them, you buy them once and you'll be able to use them forever. Tiffen makes some of the best in that category. But some prefer Schneider or B+W.


I'm pretty sure that I had my setting on manual the whole time. But I could have messed up some setting. It's not the first time it happened though. I need more testing. But I'm almost certain there's some bug.
Also, today when I changed lens to ultra wide, the screen was just black. Yes, I removed the lens cover and the camera was on ;)
I tried turning it off and on few times but the problem persisted. I removed the lens and attached it again and it worked. Maybe I attached it wrong, but it didn't feel like it was attached wrong. It was steady and when I detached it feel correctly attached.

I noticed there's a new firmware for my camera. Will give it a try tomorrow.

It's all possible. Sometimes cameras glitch out like everything else. I've had some interesting swapping experiences on a number of different cameras that did odd things when swapping lenses.
 
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I usually find for most people, getting photos clearer is because no one seems to clean their god damn lenses. And stop shaking the damn thing everywhere ;P
 
I've done a lot of research into NDs as well as Variable NDs (which basically the synopsis there is never buy a variable ND). I had to as basically ND filters are an absolute necessity for video work. I have looked through all the brands doing research and I have found that Tiffen's IRND filter lines are quite good. And they aren't too expensive (depending on what you think is expensive). I picked up a 6-stop and 10-stop filter both in 72mm for $100ish. And then of course I use step up rings on my other lenses and I plan to avoid lenses with larger filter diameters (with possibly a 70-200mm lens being an exception, that I'll likely not use for outdoor video purposes). In any case, B+W is also solid, but way more expensive. Generally on B+W you're paying for their coatings which make them a bit easier to clean but don't perform better from an optical quality or ND standpoint.

The other method that a lot of landscapers use is to go for rectangular glass filters (which require a filter holder and specialized adapter rings). Which get expensive quick. But if you take care of them, you buy them once and you'll be able to use them forever. Tiffen makes some of the best in that category. But some prefer Schneider or B+W.




It's all possible. Sometimes cameras glitch out like everything else. I've had some interesting swapping experiences on a number of different cameras that did odd things when swapping lenses.

B+W filters cost $200 each here in Sweden, about $150 each on EU Ebay, but Tiffen is more affordable at about $85 each, in that case, I can buy both 6 and 10 stop. The reason why I like B+W is that they come in a nice square box that I can easily put away. My guess is that Tiffen also come with some kind of package that I can keep them in?
 
I usually find for most people, getting photos clearer is because no one seems to clean their god damn lenses. And stop shaking the damn thing everywhere ;P

Really? It's pretty difficult for dirty glass to cause significant problems unless they are literally caked. Especially if it's only out the objective (outer) lens. Generally specs appear mostly from junk on the sensor, rather than lenses.
Shake definitely is an issue though. Although I do get that it's "odd" to have to talk about how to hold your camera in order to reduce this issue.


B+W filters cost $200 each here in Sweden, about $150 each on EU Ebay, but Tiffen is more affordable at about $85 each, in that case, I can buy both 6 and 10 stop. The reason why I like B+W is that they come in a nice square box that I can easily put away. My guess is that Tiffen also come with some kind of package that I can keep them in?

They give a Tiffen soft pouch. Which is "okay". However, I stopped carrying the B+W cases and other cases for that matter with me everywhere, and now I use a lens filter multi-pouch carrier. It was just too much hassle finding the correct case with the correct filter to swap it every time. It's now much more efficient. I bought super cheapie ones from Amazon, and I'm reasonably satisfied. They aren't perfect by any means, but I value the speed and efficiency more than the straight protection (mostly they need protection from scratches, not impacts anyway).

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B01D4FH410/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1
 
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Really? It's pretty difficult for dirty glass to cause significant problems unless they are literally caked. Especially if it's only out the objective (outer) lens. Generally specs appear mostly from junk on the sensor, rather than lenses.
Shake definitely is an issue though. Although I do get that it's "odd" to have to talk about how to hold your camera in order to reduce this issue.




They give a Tiffen soft pouch. Which is "okay". However, I stopped carrying the B+W cases and other cases for that matter with me everywhere, and now I use a lens filter multi-pouch carrier. It was just too much hassle finding the correct case with the correct filter to swap it every time. It's now much more efficient. I bought super cheapie ones from Amazon, and I'm reasonably satisfied. They aren't perfect by any means, but I value the speed and efficiency more than the straight protection (mostly they need protection from scratches, not impacts anyway).

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B01D4FH410/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I actually didn't go for Tiffen and instead went for this: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Haida-PR...sity-3-6-10-Stop-Filter-Kit-WIDE/332669430292
Seems to get good reviews on Google and I could get 3 different ND filters for the price of one Tiffen. I was debating between getting a single 10 stop and then a cheap 1-8 variable to learn on, but this seemed like a much better alternative.
The pouch is a very good idea. I'll get one.

I'm very OCD when it comes to keeping my lens clean. But I noticed I hold my camera in very different ways. I might look up into holding it correctly and then try to force myself to hold it that way all the time to get used to it.
 
Alright so I'm back with more pictures and this time I made them smaller.

I tried to shoot handheld and as steady as I could (my hands are not really shaky but it's hard to hold the camera steady).

All these pictures were with different settings and at the correct exposure (except maybe the first picture). Not edited and at 105mm focal length.
Here are my results:

F/4 ISO 640 1/30
sb1t8g.jpg




F/4 ISO 2000 1/60
mubioo.jpg




F/8 ISO 3200 1/25
2e583gz.jpg




F/8 ISO 6400 1/60
nd1w7d.jpg




F/8 ISO 640 1/6
This one is a blurry mess, but I want smaller aperture than F4 (because I read that most lenses are sharpest between F8 and F11) and low iso, so how the heck do I deal with this? Tripod/flash only?
5v125v.jpg
 
Alright so I'm back with more pictures and this time I made them smaller.

I tried to shoot handheld and as steady as I could (my hands are not really shaky but it's hard to hold the camera steady).

All these pictures were with different settings and at the correct exposure (except maybe the first picture). Not edited and at 105mm focal length.
Here are my results:

F/4 ISO 640 1/30
View attachment 86630



F/4 ISO 2000 1/60
View attachment 86631



F/8 ISO 3200 1/25
View attachment 86632



F/8 ISO 6400 1/60
View attachment 86633



F/8 ISO 640 1/6
This one is a blurry mess, but I want smaller aperture than F4 (because I read that most lenses are sharpest between F8 and F11) and low iso, so how the heck do I deal with this? Tripod/flash only?
View attachment 86634


Your shutter speed are wayyyyyy too slow, hence the blurry/shaky image. Per general rule of thumb, shutter speed should be twice your focal length. So if you are shooting at 105mm focal length, your shutter speed should be around 1/200 for it to be decent. Try that and let us know.
 
Your shutter speed are wayyyyyy too slow, hence the blurry/shaky image. Per general rule of thumb, shutter speed should be twice your focal length. So if you are shooting at 105mm focal length, your shutter speed should be around 1/200 for it to be decent. Try that and let us know.

But that makes things darker and I need to bump up the ISO or go larger aperture, or both especially indoors.
Guess it's all about compromise. You can't both have and eat the cake.
 
I actually didn't go for Tiffen and instead went for this: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Haida-PR...sity-3-6-10-Stop-Filter-Kit-WIDE/332669430292
Seems to get good reviews on Google and I could get 3 different ND filters for the price of one Tiffen. I was debating between getting a single 10 stop and then a cheap 1-8 variable to learn on, but this seemed like a much better alternative.
The pouch is a very good idea. I'll get one.

I'm very OCD when it comes to keeping my lens clean. But I noticed I hold my camera in very different ways. I might look up into holding it correctly and then try to force myself to hold it that way all the time to get used to it.

I would never buy a variable. Too many problems. I looked into lower end ones as well as high end Heliopan ones. But if you understand the principle of how Variable ND filters work, they all run into the same problems. The cheaper ones just become more obvious (with things like X patterns and obvious resolution loss). It's far better to just have one ND filter like a 6-stop and compromise on your exposure triangle than it is to have the versatility and end up with a bad result.
I don't know about Haida. But after spending a lot of time doing research I can tell you this: different brands are built to very different tolerances. Tiffen, especially their higher ranges are very serious about things like uniformity, transmission, flare, resolution, and color (there are other things too, like build quality, such as using brass or being scratch resistant, or having oleophobic coatings). Although color cast is easy to defeat (as generally that's uniform and white balancing for stills isn't too big a deal), the other problems can be... well real problems.
I hope that the Haida filters work out for you. But I'd do tests to make sure you aren't just losing a bunch of resolution, or that they don't have terrible flare problems, etc. Heck like I said, a lot of cheap ones will not even have two level surfaces (on the front and back, cheap filters often are slightly concave or convex) and have distortion. Even cheaper ones will be made from plastic, or the ND element will be a coating and not impregnated into the glass.
Generally you want high end Tiffen or Hoya. Or any B+W, Schneider, Heliopan, Rodenstock. A lot of the other offbrands definitely need to be proven to be good, especially in comparison to their much more established counterparts.


F/8 ISO 640 1/6
This one is a blurry mess, but I want smaller aperture than F4 (because I read that most lenses are sharpest between F8 and F11) and low iso, so how the heck do I deal with this? Tripod/flash only?
View attachment 86634

In that case yes, if you want to shoot at that ISO. But really...


But that makes things darker and I need to bump up the ISO or go larger aperture, or both especially indoors.
Guess it's all about compromise. You can't both have and eat the cake.

You'll have to live with some level of grain. The A7RII that I have is pretty clean up to 3200, especially for web resolution. I find 6400 usable but with noticeable grain. The III, I think is near a 1 stop advantage. I've stopped thinking of grain as the outright enemy and started to look at it as character and the results of the compromises. It's just not realistic to believe that you can shoot below ISO 1000 all the time. Unless you never shoot indoors or in other low light situations. Just be glad you're shooting today. Top end cameras from 10 years ago struggled with anything past ISO 1600 (My first expensive camera, the 5D2 just fell apart, and for the time it was considered a low light monster). ISO 6400 is viable on a lot of cameras today even for print (as you'll note that even in print some level of grain is totally acceptable as long as their isn't just outright image loss).
 
I would never buy a variable. Too many problems. I looked into lower end ones as well as high end Heliopan ones. But if you understand the principle of how Variable ND filters work, they all run into the same problems. The cheaper ones just become more obvious (with things like X patterns and obvious resolution loss). It's far better to just have one ND filter like a 6-stop and compromise on your exposure triangle than it is to have the versatility and end up with a bad result.
I don't know about Haida. But after spending a lot of time doing research I can tell you this: different brands are built to very different tolerances. Tiffen, especially their higher ranges are very serious about things like uniformity, transmission, flare, resolution, and color (there are other things too, like build quality, such as using brass or being scratch resistant, or having oleophobic coatings). Although color cast is easy to defeat (as generally that's uniform and white balancing for stills isn't too big a deal), the other problems can be... well real problems.
I hope that the Haida filters work out for you. But I'd do tests to make sure you aren't just losing a bunch of resolution, or that they don't have terrible flare problems, etc. Heck like I said, a lot of cheap ones will not even have two level surfaces (on the front and back, cheap filters often are slightly concave or convex) and have distortion. Even cheaper ones will be made from plastic, or the ND element will be a coating and not impregnated into the glass.
Generally you want high end Tiffen or Hoya. Or any B+W, Schneider, Heliopan, Rodenstock. A lot of the other offbrands definitely need to be proven to be good, especially in comparison to their much more established counterparts.




In that case yes, if you want to shoot at that ISO. But really...




You'll have to live with some level of grain. The A7RII that I have is pretty clean up to 3200, especially for web resolution. I find 6400 usable but with noticeable grain. The III, I think is near a 1 stop advantage. I've stopped thinking of grain as the outright enemy and started to look at it as character and the results of the compromises. It's just not realistic to believe that you can shoot below ISO 1000 all the time. Unless you never shoot indoors or in other low light situations. Just be glad you're shooting today. Top end cameras from 10 years ago struggled with anything past ISO 1600 (My first expensive camera, the 5D2 just fell apart, and for the time it was considered a low light monster). ISO 6400 is viable on a lot of cameras today even for print (as you'll note that even in print some level of grain is totally acceptable as long as their isn't just outright image loss).

I very rarely buy stuff that doesn't have any reviews.
For example one reviewer said this about Haida 10 stop ND filter:
Code:
This is a screw in slim profile lens which limits vignetting in wide angle lenses. I have a Sigma 10-20 which is almost as wide as you can get and only notice a slight vignette at 10mm focal length. All 10 stop filters suffer from some colour casts. I've played with a B+W which had a warm cast, and a Hi-Tech which had a bluey cast. The Haida's colour cast is minimal compared to both of these so considering it's significantly cheaper than Lee, B+W, Hi-Tech etc, it's great value and highly recommended.

Another said this:

Code:
Tried it on a shoot recently and it shows a little warm colour cast but that is to be expected from all ND filters. Negligible vignette and almost no loss in sharpness.

I'm rather happy with how A7R III performs in high ISO setting. But I don't have much to compare to. Will definitely try my old D3200 when I visit my sister next time.
Almost all my pictures today were ruined by a little dust particle that was stuck between the camera and the lens...
 
My 2 cents. I learned some of photography from my dad at a very young age on Nikon film cameras. Unfortunately I had a lot more to learn, dad is mentally ill.

Fast forward to a couple years ago and I bought a canon t5i from blacks going under to get back into it. Kit lens 18-55 and a 75-300 lens. I kept getting blurry and out of focus shots. I thought it was me. It wasn't. It was my lenses. They're butt grade crap.

I got better glass. Very happy now.

Many lenses will not take sharp pics at wide open aperature. Read about your gear. For example, and f4 lens might not be sharp until stepped down to 5.6.

The multi point focusing might be picking the wrong spot. Try setting to single point as an experiment.

Keep in mind that I'm not familiar with Sony cameras at all....
 
I shot these back in 2001 with either a Kodak DC-260 or 280, can't remember which one. These were resized since the web wasn't that fast back in the day and most people had 1024x768 or 1280x1024 displays back then.
These look like thumbnails on my 3440x1440 screen, lol
I have the originals somewhere.
Just use a tripod or something like a railing to help steady the camera.
I myself prefer natural light in my photos. Using a flash is the last resort.
logride.jpg


islands_of_adventure.jpg


universal_entrance.jpg
 
It wasn't the lenses, it was me not setting the right shutter speed.

Lovely photos by the way.
 
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