Alright. I can't post up an example photo because this is regarding a challenge entry.. but for the life of me I am not able to get that crispness I see in so many of the better images around here.
I'm not entirely sure what it is I'm missing either. I used the timer so I wouldn't even be touching the camera, I had the camera on a tri-pod too. The lighting seems to be fine (though its probably not perfect), everything is correctly exposed 'n what not but the focus still seems soft.
Is it that I'm trying to get a macro-esque image with my XT kit lens? Am I not processing it correctly in its RAW form? I can't think of anything else that might be affecting it..
I am shooting in RAW and it looks sharp after some adjustment in that program the XT comes with, but even that isn't tack sharp like I've seen in many submitted images.
Any ideas on what I may need to adjust to improve things?
If its possibly a post-processing issue I am editing it first in the Digital Photo Professional program that comes with the camera, then converting it to 8-bit TIFF so that I can open it and finish editing in Gimp.
First, let me say that I have no experience with Canon gear.
That being said, you haven't said what aperture you used. With every lenses, cheap and expensive, maximum sharpess is when the lens is stopped down at least 1 or 2 stop. Also, not all lens are made equal. Some are down right better regarding sharpness and color/contrast.
You may also be experiencing mirror slap vibration. Those vibration can soften the picture when the shutter speed is in the critical range of 1/10 - 1/30 (that however may vary from camera make and model). It's usually a big problem when using super telephoto lens; but I guess with the high magnification of macro work, this can be a problem too.
Also, a weak tripod can also be a problem.
So I don't know what's your actual problem is, but if you have a combination of the above factor, you can get in more trouble more rapidly.
Hope this helps.
First time was with Batteries and my 18-55 mm lens. After setting them back up 8 or 9 times, I quit and went with what I had(image 1). Then I started drinking/thinking set it up, changed lenses and got image 2.
Did I do ok, or is there more to add/do better? Never tried this before.
