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Bill Pierce

Bill Pierce

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The internet seems intent on reminding us that BIGness, in sensor size and pixel count, makes sharp pictures. True - as long as everything else in the sharp pictures department is working well, but there are a lot of ways to bring those mighty megapixels or the slowest of films to their knees. I thought if we just listed those factors, if everybody just tossed in an item or two, we could produce the Rangefinder Forum’s longest list. I’ll start with two super obvious ones.

LENS QUALITY

FOCUS ACCURACY

The list begins…. Add on…
 
Sensor size (larger - both dimensional and MP count), of course.

There is a new feature in Photoshop CC called "Enhance" which allows you to more than triple the size of your RAW files (open the camera RAW file in PS, right click, choose Enhance, and it will create a separate file). I've been experimenting with it and, although not perfect, it does allow you to make larger prints.
 
Well, this all comes into play no matter what size your photo is... sure if you only make 3x5" prints... maybe not. However, something that needs to be stated is that more megapixels actually helps in this department. IF you have a 50mp sensor and are only making 6x9" prints... you are only printing at a small percentage of its native output size. This will mask many mistakes. The problem is that it is fashionable to look at everything at 100% on your screen. This will show every issue. It seems that 50-90 years ago, out of focus photos, camera shake, etc. were acceptable. I think these looked better in film... and of course the cameras were harder to use and the film was a lot slower. Now, with digital, it is completely unacceptable and we've gone the completely opposite direction. People expect every little thing to be perfect... even into the realms of fantasy.

Another thing, the smaller the sensor, the more that is in focus. Depth of field gets shallower with larger sensors making critical focus more and more important.

All in all, if you want to make big prints with perfect detail... you need good technique and a decent lens. This has always been the case. It's just that these days, there aren't too many really bad lenses being made by the major manufacturers.
 
LENS QUALITY
FOCUS ACCURACY
CAMERA MOVEMENT
SENSOR MOVEMENT
That's a good list...I'd add SUBJECT MOVEMENT.
I miss film, especially grainy film, ONLY because it somewhat covered up unintended unsharpness due to a crummy lens or moving subject.
But enough reminiscing...I've got to get out to shoot handheld with a 100 MP camera, ha.
 
"The problem is that it is fashionable to look at everything at 100% on your screen."

Maybe all those folks are expecting to start a career soon... selling 2x3 meter prints at galleries?
 
pluton said:
"The problem is that it is fashionable to look at everything at 100% on your screen."

Maybe all those folks are expecting to start a career soon... selling 2x3 meter prints at galleries?
Click to expand...

Well, it is true... I had a few prints in a gallery in Italy recently ... they weren't 2x3 meters (haha, the art world IS crazy like that) but one of the photos they wanted was from the original 12mp Fujifilm X100. They were not happy when we could not make the huge print they wanted from the file. I said, why not just make a smaller print? Instead, they opted for another photo from a 24mp camera. Now the next guy who is showing in the gallery has small prints and they work. I think it is sad that these galleries sometime feel the need to make huge prints in order to sell something as special when the thing that is special should be able to be seen at any size.
 
pluton said:
LENS QUALITY
FOCUS ACCURACY
CAMERA MOVEMENT
SENSOR MOVEMENT
That's a good list...I'd add SUBJECT MOVEMENT.
I miss film, especially grainy film, ONLY because it somewhat covered up unintended unsharpness due to a crummy lens or moving subject.
But enough reminiscing...I've got to get out to shoot handheld with a 100 MP camera, ha.
Click to expand...


THE NEW LIST

LENS QUALITY
FOCUS ACCURACY
CAMERA MOVEMENT
SENSOR MOVEMENT
SUBJECT MOVEMENT
 
image contrast: The inherent contrast of the subject and the lighting, plus the contrast of the image making process.

Edit: Because sharpness is inseparable for contrast (the MTF diagram shows sharpness as a function of contrast).
 
More on print size.
I saw an exhibition of HCBs work in Australia a while ago.
Most prints were his favoured sizes and looked terrific.
However some were enlarged to mural size and looked appalling.
He would roll over in his grave.
I think Gallerists, now there is a made up word, think they know better because they
now think photography is ART and can command big prices.
When will the Emperor get dressed?
Cheers
Philip
 
Shutter Speed

Shutter Shock


Stabilization Induced Errors

Lens Registration Distance error

Lens Element Tilt


Lens Element Decentered (different from tilt)

Type of Autofocus Motor (& related software errors)

Cover Glass Thickness


Sensor Speed (Read/Write) (cf. Rolling Shutter)


Software Enhancement errors


RAW Conversion errors (baked-in RAW converter actions that can't be corrected)


Viewing files at 400+% to find errors (more people do this than one might think)


Confirmation Bias (Spending too much time on message boards reading about what's wrong)


Dunning Kruger Effect (Spending too much time on message boards writing about what's wrong)


Responding to message board threads - that will always produce focus errors... ; - )
 
I have ten thousands photos as slide show on large screen.
Distinguishable sharpest images are from M8, followed by M-E 220.
Even taken with not prestigious Orion-15.
And I have photos from higher pixel count FF cameras among those as well. But no cigar.
 
SUBJECT MOVEMENT

In your chapter in the 1970s Leica Manual on available light photography you mention that a speaker will occasionally stop for a second and can be captured still by a surprisingly slow shutter speed. About ten years ago I had at work with me an M5 and Zeiss C Sonnar f.15 50. With 100 ISO Rollei Retro 100. I learned that my friend and colleague was giving that afternoon his inaugural Dean's lecture in our faculty. I had a fast lens and slow film. But I remembered the chapter, first read in my teens in the 1970s. So I sat in the front row and rested the camera on the handrail and used 1/2s and 1s and used most of the roll to get this one shot, completely dependent on my friend stopping moving, finally, for a second, literally. If I didn't have the knowledge of that chapter I might not have bothered to bring the camera, or after discovering the light and how slow I'd have to shoot, bother to take a shot.


Dean's Lecture by Richard, on Flickr
 
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