What's wrong with this photo

Started 3 months ago | Discussion thread
Detail Man
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Re: What's wrong with this photo
In reply to dgnelson, 3 months ago

dgnelson wrote:

This was taken with my OMD with the 45 mm lens, f/5.0, 1/80, iso 200. It doesn't have the sharpness that I think it should. Is this poor exposure, the histogram is quite far on the left? Motion blur? (Hand held IS on). Shutter shock?

E-M5 OOC JPG ? What Gradation setting ? Gradation=Normal ? Regarding the directly sunlit leaves in the center of the image-frame, take a look at the RGB histogram of the shot. Right around where the E-M5 Gradation Normal JPG tone-curve transfer-function starts to "soft-clip" (around sRGB=211 or so), a large Green channel peak begins to form (with a maximum value at around G=223). That particular "soft-clip" area (above sRGB=211) implements approximately 1.0 EV more gain-reduction (as compared to a linear sRGB tone-curve transfer-function).

I think that those particular highlight details are being gain-reduced considerably, giving them that "blown detail" look. Even though the histogram shows what appear to be narrow peaks of JPG clipping (Green and Blue channels) at maximum (sRGB=255), the gain-reduction that takes place for the Green-channel image-data (between sRGB=211 and sRGB=255) is squashing details. To avoid these effects (recording E-M5 JPGs), one would have to back off on the Image Brightness (by increasing F-Number, and/or increasing Shutter Speed) at base ISO=200.

To see the various "soft-clip" tone-curve transfer-function that the E-M5 JPG-engine uses (when adjusted to the 4 different "Gradation" setting choices), have a look at the "Compared - Dynamic Range Comparison" graph-plots here:

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/olympusem5/18

Disable the other cameras other than the E-M5, and select the GH2 (to see what the E-M5 curve would look like without the E-M5 JPG-engine "soft-clipping" behavior). Solution: record ORF RAWs. Use your own tone-curve and/or highlight control in processing that does not squash highlight details. Shooting reflective green-colored foliage that is directly illuminated by mid-day sun is not an easy task. (More) indirect natural lighting is far less of a tricky task, with better outcomes ...

Edited 3 months ago by Detail Man
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