Checklist for reducing shutter shock and other sources of unsharpness?

[RememberingCorumbiara]

Hello,

I recently upgraded to a Sony a7r IV (was using another brand and a less advanced camera before) and would like to check with others if this checklist I typed is reasonable to get the sharpest landscape pictures that the camera can capture on a tripod (in ideal conditions).

My checklist:

1. Set self-timer (5 seconds, or more).

2. Shutter speed fast enough to freeze any branches moving etc.

3. Make sure image stabilization is turned off on both camera body and lens

4. Silent shooting: OFF (I think this is the fully electronic shutter which however not being a global shutter can get some weird movement glitches in case the shutter speed or scene speed is high enough?)

5. Electronic Front Curtain Shutter: ON (reduces shutter shock? I can still see some, but I guess it happens after the picture is captured)

6. Use the sharpest aperture tested for the lens I am using, usually f/5.6 and avoid apertures smaller than f/8 to avoid softening due to diffraction

6. Use manual focus, with peaking on and set to medium, zooming in and trying to focus on either plane of interest or at/beyond hyperfocal distance.

Question 1: Am I wrong in thinking that on a landscape picture, unless I have a specific focus point, I should try to focus on the smallest resolvable details (like tree stands at a distance), since if they are past the hyperfocal point, everything closer than them will be sharp enough and more tolerant of resolving details due to being closer and bigger?

Question 2: Would focus stacking say just 2 or 3 pictures (distance: close up/medium/far away) be good or would it be somewhat better to use a smaller aperture like f/14 and tolerate the diffraction softening, which is however traded off for the lesser chances of things moving in between focus-stacked pictures?

Question 3: Is there anything else I am missing?

Thanks in advance for all your advice!

 

[lehill]

Hello,

I recently upgraded to a Sony a7r IV (was using another brand and a less advanced camera before) and would like to check with others if this checklist I typed is reasonable to get the sharpest landscape pictures that the camera can capture on a tripod (in ideal conditions).

My checklist:

1. Set self-timer (5 seconds, or more).

2. Shutter speed fast enough to freeze any branches moving etc.

3. Make sure image stabilization is turned off on both camera body and lens

4. Silent shooting: OFF (I think this is the fully electronic shutter which however not being a global shutter can get some weird movement glitches in case the shutter speed or scene speed is high enough?)

5. Electronic Front Curtain Shutter: ON (reduces shutter shock? I can still see some, but I guess it happens after the picture is captured)

6. Use the sharpest aperture tested for the lens I am using, usually f/5.6 and avoid apertures smaller than f/8 to avoid softening due to diffraction

7. Use manual focus, with peaking on and set to medium, zooming in and trying to focus on either plane of interest or at/beyond hyperfocal distance.

#1-6 sounds OK. #7 doesn't sound right (see below). Consider setting peaking to "Low" if "Medium" shows way too much stuff in focus.

I think you didn't mean to say "zooming in" (that implies changing focal length), but instead mean to use one of the A7R IV's several focus magnify aids (example). Using DMF mode with focus magnify is very handy for this type of work.

Question 1: Am I wrong in thinking that on a landscape picture, unless I have a specific focus point, I should try to focus on the smallest resolvable details (like tree stands at a distance), since if they are past the hyperfocal point, everything closer than them will be sharp enough and more tolerant of resolving details due to being closer and bigger?

Hyperfocal distance focusing works pretty well when using ultra-wide lenses for landscape photos.

When you set your lens to focus at the hyperfocal distance, everything from 1/2 the hyperfocal distance to infinity is acceptably sharp (blur is smaller than the "Circle of Confusion"). The CoC itself is a fuzzy concept that many folk find hard to grasp.

Example Photo:


APS-C camera. Calculated hyperfocal distance = 3.7 ft. Everything from 1.85 ft to infinity will be "sharp enough". I set the lens to focus at a distance of 4 ft. I carefully adjusted my composition so nothing closer than 2 ft appears in the photo - yes, that big tree branch is only 2 ft away from me. (Hover mouse pointer over photo for EXIF info)

There must be hundreds of ways people have reinterpreted this one mathematical relationship into simpler, more easily remembered instructions. I just use a Depth-of-Field phone app to calculate hyperfocal distance in the field. Here's a popular online DoF calculator that's been around for a bazillion years.

This is something you can practice right now by taking photos down the sidewalk in front of your home, at a park, or maybe even the view outside your window.

Question 2: Would focus stacking say just 2 or 3 pictures (distance: close up/medium/far away) be good or would it be somewhat better to use a smaller aperture like f/14 and tolerate the diffraction softening, which is however traded off for the lesser chances of things moving in between focus-stacked pictures?

There's no universal answer for this. You have to be prepared to make this decision in the field. I'll suggest trying both, then closely examine both photos at home.

Question 3: Is there anything else I am missing?

Atmospheric conditions can also be a major source of blurriness. Also, a wobbly tripod or head, wind, the ground the tripod rests upon, and many others, can contribute to blurriness. I'm not sure why shutter shock is taking precedence for your situation.

Thanks in advance for all your advice!

--
Lance H