HELP! BEST SETTINGS FOR CRYSTAL CLEAR IMAGES

[emericadude00]

Thanks for taking the time to read my post. Well, I just purchased a canon 5d mark iii. Love it! Now, my friend has a sonya6000 and her pictures look way better than mine. I shoot from the same spot and hes just blows mine out of the water. I know its all about the lighting, angles, comp, etc. I was wondering if you guys had any recommendations for settings to give me the most clearest images that mark iii can produce. I also would like my pictures to look a lot like these samples. Can the mark iii acheive this? If so, how would I proceed to do this? Im new to photography and would like to get this started. please let me know 🙂 

[kvbarkley]

Yes and no. Most of these images have been heavily photoshopped.

What is a sonya 6000?

[emericadude00]

Sorry! Sony a6000. Well, Im not bad at taking pictures whatsoever, but I have been trying to find that technique to edit them, but cant find out. Now, when you say yes or no. What do you mean?

[kvbarkley]

The pictures might have been taken with almost any camera, but a lot has been added with Photoshop.

[diverhank]

I agree with kvbarkley...the pictures you showed have been expertly photoshopped with the help with AEB (exposure bracketing).

If you apply the same, the pictures from the 5DIII will probably easily match if not surpass these...Take a look at some of my pictures on Flickr...Try the landscapes & Sunrises & Sunset Album...I think some from my 5DIII match or surpass the quality in these...You can get the exif data on all of my photos by clicking on the exif link.  That will give you an idea on my settings.  For many pictures, I usually bracketed 3 shots (dark, normal, bright) then merged with photoshop.  The 5DIII has a built-in HDR function that in addition to producing 3 bracketed RAW images for you, it will also give you a JPEG HDR image (Use the Artistic option - strangely it gives you the most natural HDR image).  I hardly ever use the in-camera HDR because blending it in post usually gives me far superior results. 

[emericadude00]

I have always wondered how they get them like that. The baby pics and the city photography. So, I clink on your link and it will show my the workflow in order to acheive this type of image quality? Of course in PS. 

[diverhank]

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@emericadude00 wrote:

I have always wondered how they get them like that. The baby pics and the city photography. So, I clink on your link and it will show my the workflow in order to acheive this type of image quality? Of course in PS. 

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I'm assuming you're talking to me (?) :).  No it won't...that is something you best search youtube for.  There are plenty of lessons.  For the landscape pictures...you need a tripod, set aperture somewhere between f/8 and f/16, ISO 100 and let the speed vary as needed.  Until you get a handle on photoshop (it won't be quick if you haven't used it before), try using the 5DIII built-in HDR...it will get you pretty close to what you are seeing from your friend.

To get to her level, it'd take an average photographer several years, with lessons and practice.  She's pretty good.

[emericadude00]

so, I just found the software when it comes to the softeninig for the baby shoots. So, that does seem pretty simple. I checked out some of your city photography(mainly in long beach) and I was wondering if that was done with your canon 5d mark iii? If so, can you tell me some of your settings to get such a clear picture? I know most of it is done in photoshop, but maybe you can help a little to get that quality in post?

[diverhank]

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@emericadude00 wrote:

so, I just found the software when it comes to the softeninig for the baby shoots. So, that does seem pretty simple. I checked out some of your city photography(mainly in long beach) and I was wondering if that was done with your canon 5d mark iii? If so, can you tell me some of your settings to get such a clear picture? I know most of it is done in photoshop, but maybe you can help a little to get that quality in post?

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Most of my landscapes pictures were taken with my 5D Mark III and my Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L Mark II.  Actually you should be able to get high quality pictures without photoshop.  Most of my pictures needed very little photoshopping actually.  For landscapes I do blend 3 pictures together but that is to bring out the shadows and darken the glares without excessive noise (which you get when you brighten the shadows).  The clarity and sharpness are already there.  I do spot sharpening with a free action called "Freaky Amazing" from CalvinHollywood.  You can search for and download it easily and it's free. 

Here is my workflow:

1. Mount on a sturdy tripod

2. Plug in a wired remote control - if you don't have one, set camera to self-timer (2-seconds).  This is to avoid camera shake if you manually push the shutter button which will ruin sharpness.

3. Set to M mode - ISO 100, f/8 or f/11 (f/8 is the lens sweet spot - highest IQ).  f/16 if you want starburst effect, set shutter speed as needed to get desired exposure.  If long shutter speed is desired then you do something with f/stop at that point.  Things get complicated when your shutter speed reaches 30 seconds. M only supports up to 30 seconds.  Beyond that you need to switch to Bulb (B) mode and use the cell phone as a timer.

4. Turn on live view - don't worry about the battery...I have yet have to change battery on a landscape shoot.  Different story with your friend A6000 though.  Live view is a wonderful thing.

4a. In live view, the mirror is up and away - necessary to avoid mirror slap...vibrations that may ruin sharpness.

4b. Have live view simulation enabled.  What you see is what you will get in the final picture which is a wonderful thing.

4c. Live view will allow you to manually focus very precisely. I'll explain later.

5. Switch the lens to M manual focus.  I find the Canon auto focus usually front or back focus a bit in low light.

6. Press the Magnifying Loop button to zoom in. Press one you get 5X, twice 10X. That's where you want to be. Aim that at the desired focus point and manual focus the lens to get razor sharp focus.  I find that auto-focus gets you close but usually way off. Press it once more to get back to 1X view.

7. When I have time - I usually do shooting landscapes - I'd press INFO to get the histogram then I'd adjust the Tv to get the histogram way left so all the right info are in view, then the opposite to get all the info on the left in view.  This established the two dark and bright pictures, making sure I don't have any info clipped off.  This gives you the idea how many f/tops for your 3 brackets.  You can do up to 7 but I rarely need more than 3.   The third picture is in the middle.  Manual bracket is best.

8. I shoot in RAW and set my landscapes clarity to 25, Vibrance to 25 and Saturation to 10.  You can back off some if it's too much.  I sometimes increase the saturation if the colors are muted.

That's about it.  Out of all genres, landscapes is actually my weakest but I'm getting better at it.  I'm sure you will get there very quickly. Good luck.

By the way, I think your friend actually made the baby pictures less sharp on purpose.  To me, they are not sharp enough and that might be preferable for babies...I don't know...

[lly3988]

diverhank, I appreciate people like you giving guidance and sharing experience. I always enjoy posts and answers with positive attitude like this one.

Thank you.