How do I get sharper images? NX1100

OrdinarilyInordinate wrote:

1. Get a tripod, if you don't already have one. Something around $15-30 could do well--just read reviews, as some are better quality than others. A ball head tripod is easier to deal with for a first tripod.

2. Use Aperture Priority (A) mode. Set the aperture to f/8 or f/9 (greater depth of field, but don't need to go smaller than that) when you want to show most of the shot in focus or maximum size aperture (say f/3.5 at 20mm) when you want to focus on a certain area and blur everything beyond it. Larger apertures will give you that artsy looking background blur. Smaller apertures will give greater depth of field to bring more in focus.

3. Set ISO to 100

4. Set your shots to a timed mode: a timer of say 2 seconds. Set your camera on a tripod, set up your scene, focus, press the shutter button, and don't touch the camera / shake the area around the tripod by taking steps until the camera takes a photo. At ISO 100, it may well be that exposures will be long, and your shots will be prone to camera shake if you try them hand-held. You may want to use full manual focus for this to make sure the exact area you want in focus is the sharpest.

That should give you what you want.

Thank you for the useful information.

Is it absolutely necessary to use a tripod? Does reducing the aperture automatically increase blur if there is hand movement? I guess it does, because it means longer exposures, right? So there is no way to get greater depth of field without longer exposures?  If I use higher ISO's, that will reduce exposure time, won't it?

Finding a tripod that will put the camera in the position I want may be difficult.