45mm f/1.8 Lense tip for epm1 or p3 series

phatspirit · #1 June 25th, 2012, 09:48 AM

I have the lense on my epm1. For whatever reason, my best pictures are not close to those ones posted on this site with the same lense as far as clarity. I'm I missing something? Heres' my epm1 setting for portrait shooting:
portrait mode
sharpen -2
turned off NR and NF
center weight metering
auto iso
EV at 0 or standard
IS off
Shoot either RAW or jpeg depends on the occasion for PP if I feel I'll need it.
Only thing I'm thinking that will help improve is a EVF, lense hood, and a polarizer on bright sunny days.

Photo Gods, advice for a lowly newbie?

dhazeghi · #2 June 25th, 2012, 11:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by phatspirit

I have the lense on my epm1. For whatever reason, my best pictures are not close to those ones posted on this site with the same lense as far as clearity. I'm I missing something? Heres' my epm1 setting for potrait shooting:

Pretty hard to say anything without samples. What exactly do you mean by clarity?

DH

Aaron Hvidston · #3 June 25th, 2012, 11:52 AM

You know the gear, now you gotta learn photography. Its a skill that comes with practice. I guarantee you will be better with practice and focus. Here is a great way to get practice. Participate in the photo contests on FroKnowsPhoto.com and dpreview.com or start one with the community here. The goal is to shoot and learn the creative side. You don't even have to post them but it will get you thinking critically about what you are shooting. I bet your pictures are well exposed and balanced correctly but they still lack the creative punch that comes with practice. If you fee comfortable, you can post some images on mu-43.com without fear of ridicule. This forum is very supportive.

phatspirit · #4 June 25th, 2012, 12:44 PM

Here's one with my son. Its a sunny day. I believed it was shot with 1.8 f stop. Focus was on him. What I stated as clarity is in fact sharpness instead.

D@ne · #5 June 25th, 2012, 01:36 PM

Try setting your noise reduction to Auto (leave Noise Filter off).

I (personally) wouldn't bother with the Potrait Mode. Set it to Program (or whatever you're comfortable using).

You could also try the various metering modes to see what works best in different lights.

Not a terrible photo by any means though...I think, as mentioned above, practice makes perfect!

dixeyk · #6 June 25th, 2012, 01:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by phatspirit

Here's one with my son. Its a sunny day. I belief it was shot with 1.8 f stop. Focus is on him. What I stated as clarity is in fact sharpness.

You won't be getting the best sharpness out of that lens at f1.8 (although it is sharper than many lenses wide open). On a sunny day there isn't much reason to shoot wide open unless what you are going for is a shallow depth of field. Try shooting at f4 or f5.6 and see what you think.

D@ne · #7 June 25th, 2012, 01:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dixeyk

You won't be getting the best sharpness out of that lens at f1.8 (although it is sharper than many lenses wide open). On a sunny day there isn't much reason to shoot wide open unless what you are going for is a shallow depth of field. Try shooting at f4 or f5.6 and see what you think.

..or 2.8-4.0, which is what lenstip's charts show as being the peak for resolution.

phatspirit · #8 June 25th, 2012, 01:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by D@ne

Try setting your noise reduction to Auto (leave Noise Filter off).

I (personally) wouldn't bother with the Potrait Mode. Set it to Program (or whatever you're comfortable using).

You could also try the various metering modes to see what works best in different lights.

Not a terrible photo by any means though...I think, as mentioned above, practice makes perfect!

I usually shoot in Aperture Priority. I'll try Program mode but I do like setting my aperture manually. As for portrait mode, do you think natural mode is better? I've heard portrait mode is better for facial skin tone. I've read ppl said leave NR to off, some says to left it on auto. I've tried both and it makes no difference which is why I've set it off.

phatspirit · #9 June 25th, 2012, 01:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dixeyk

You won't be getting the best sharpness out of that lens at f1.8 (although it is sharper than many lenses wide open). On a sunny day there isn't much reason to shoot wide open unless what you are going for is a shallow depth of field. Try shooting at f4 or f5.6 and see what you think.

I'll try that later and see if it helps. I do want to balance shallow DOF and sharpness. What do you think is a good setting for that on a sunny day and one on cloudy day?

D@ne · #10 June 25th, 2012, 02:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by phatspirit

I usually shoot in Aperture Priority. I'll try Program mode but I do like setting my aperture manually. As for portrait mode, do you think natural mode is better? I've heard portrait mode is better for facial skin tone. I've read ppl said leave NR to off, some says to left it on auto. I've tried both and it makes no difference which is why I've set it off.

I only mentioned Program because I wasn't certain of your level of expertise...you'll have no advantage to shooting in Program if you're comfortable in A.

Portrait mode will only affect your photos if you're shooting JPEG's. If you're shooting raw, it doesn't matter anyway. If you are shooting JPEG's, I personally prefer "Natural" (3 I think) and apply any processing myself later if necessary.