This is a universal fact: if you want to elevate your work from ordinary to professional, your stills and videos should be crisp, clear, and in focus, and have detail preserved as in the actual scene. That is why knowing how to get sharp images on camera is important for every professional. To instantly get better results with a camera, we recommend always working on these six things to get a clearer and sharper image right off your camera.
1. Use Tripods
It is necessary to stabilize your camera when taking shots. New cameras come with next-generation stabilization technologies that help you take stable shots, but still, there is no denying that your camera needs assistance from outside. Invest in a good tripod with proper grip, stabilizers, etc., especially if you are into long exposures or telephoto shots.
2. Know you, Aperture.
Every camera lens works best roughly at 2-3 stops down from its widest aperture set by the OEM. This number often comes around f/8 and can deliver the best performance for any particular lens. Although new generations of lenses are consistent in all f-stops and focal lengths, setting your aperture in this range will give you the sharpest images.
3. Faster Shutter Speeds!
The faster it is, the less blur there will be, as higher shutter speeds can freeze the moment much better than a slower shutter speed. If you are taking videos, make your shutter speed roughly double the selected frame rate to keep motion natural and sharp. For example, if your frame rate is 24fps, then the shutter speed should be 1/50 sec.
4. Switch to Single Point Focus
Another common mistake is to take a picture with multiple focus points, which results in less sharp images in the final shot. Always use a single point of focus when you intend to get a sharp image of an object with clear object isolation.
5. Get Optimal Lighting
Use optimal lighting to your advantage, which can help you boost detail, contrast, and ultimately shape in an image. Using too much light can be counterintuitive, so you have to know how much light is enough. This skill requires intensive learning and experience, and we covered how to master lighting in other articles on this platform as well. Be sure to check them out.
6. Invest in a Capable Lens:
Sometimes, just knowing how to get sharp images on camera by tweaking settings and investing in accessories is not enough; you must buy a better lens to get sharp images. The lens is the eyes of your camera, and if it is not capable, it can bottleneck your entire setup, no matter how good your lighting is, optimal aperture and shutter, and how expensive the camera body is.
A good-quality lens can never be ignored if you want sharper stills and clearer videos. The SIRUI AURORA 85mm F1.4 lens is designed to make your objects pop off the screen or page with extreme sharpness and object isolation thanks to its next-generation optics and super-wide f/1.4 aperture, which retains every pixel with incredible light-gathering capabilities and potential to introduce shallower depth of field.
More tips to get clear images:
1. Invest in a shutter release button; you will be surprised how incredibly convenient it is to use and take stable shots.
2. Consider buying a camera hood that can deal with the unwanted flares and maintain the contrast your photo needs to attain. You can also consider buying an ND filter to shoot wide open on sunny days.
3. Some professionals love shooting in burst mode as they can choose one perfect shot from the burst of stills, improving their chance of getting the sharpest image.
4. We know it sounds too geeky, but investing some time in using a test chart will help you know what your camera lens can do and what to expect in real-life results.
Wrapping Up:
Now you know how to get sharp images on camera with the help of tripods, optimal lighting, aperture settings, and faster shutter speed. It is worth mentioning again that investing in a quality lens like the SIRUI AURORA 85mm F1.4 lens will elevate your images to a professional grade with extreme sharpness and object isolation.
