Nikon d100 & sharpness Issues

[Yamil R. Sued50621]

Ok guys, first let me tell you something, I have a bad habit of not believing anything anybody tell me, maybe its a childhood trauma, or I’ve watched one too many episodes of the X-Files

But After all this talk about Sharpness Issues, I decided to put my brand new D100 to the Sharpness TestJ I slapped a Nikkor Micro 105/2.8 AFD on the d100, & I added the SB-28DX to kill shadows & trekked to my Wife’s flower garden, I shot around 25 frames onto a IBM 512MB Microdrive. The camera was set o UN Compressed NEF, White Balance to direct Sunlight & set the camera to Aperture Priority, the exposures was around 90th sec. At f 18 In color made I (I’ll be changing to color mode II soon I like Adobe RGB Better)

I Opened the NEF Files with Adobe Photoshop 7 & the results were great, but it still needed some Photoshop help, but…… Here’s the big BUT…. I work on a daily basis with Digital capture equipment, at work I shoot with the MegaVision T2 3 Pass back on a Sinar X 4x5 camera. I am aware that ALL digital images we take at work must first be sharpened before they get printed. I use the Sharpening Plug-in we use at the Pre-Press Dept at work, I use MegaSharp & the default settings of MegaSharp are:

Blur Threshold 0 Levels
Sharpen Threshold 7 Levels
Amount 500 %
Kernel Size 5 units

I tweak these setting as I need, but I’m still in the learning Process with this Plug-In, so I can’t explain it too well yet, I’ll get good with it soonJ

I also did some saturating in the colors I wanted to "POP" out & I made full 10.027" x6.667" at 300 DPI on my Epson 1270 printer. Using Kodak Premium Picture paper.
WOW!!!

I would dare to say that these Prints are better than anything I ever got from my D1X & I would dare to compare these prints to any print I ever made off a 35mm Negative, really!!

I’m stunned with the quality I’m getting here!!

BTW, how do you guys post Prints here???

LMK I’d like to post one shot!!

Y

 

[Yamil R. Sued50621]

BTW, I also had the camera se to NO SHARPENING!!

Y

 

[Dwayne Anders]

I use Pbase.com Store your pics there and post a link here,
Good luck
dwayne

 

[Daniel Wee]

BTW, I also had the camera se to NO SHARPENING!!

I've got a theory here.

When you think about it, any unsharpness must come from either the focusing accuracy, or the lens sharpness, or the anti-alias filtering. After all the imaging screen is just a flat screen, how much can go wrong there.

Consequently, I must conclude that the anti-aliasing filter of the D100 is far stronger than that used in the D60 for example. Why did is so is anyone's guess - perhaps Nikon felt there was a need here. The result, however, is that raw images are softer than one from a D60 for example (which presumably has a less aggressive anti-aliasing filter).

This also means that more sharpening is required on a D100 raw image than on a D60 image. The information should be still there in the picture to do high-quality sharpening but poor sharpening algorithms/setting will result in fringing. Furthermore, since noise is mostly a function of the CCD, they are not affected by the anti-aliasing filter - which is bad - because sharpening will have a more pronounced effect on the noise than on the image data.

Just some random thoughts about this whole issue.

Daniel

 

[Yamil R. Sued50621]

HUH??

I never cmpared the D60 to the D100, I just said that the D100 is quite sharp!!

BTW ALL Digital images need to be sharpened to a degree depending at what size they're reproduced. This is a fact!!

Y

BTW, I also had the camera se to NO SHARPENING!!

I've got a theory here.

When you think about it, any unsharpness must come from either the
focusing accuracy, or the lens sharpness, or the anti-alias
filtering. After all the imaging screen is just a flat screen, how
much can go wrong there.

Consequently, I must conclude that the anti-aliasing filter of the
D100 is far stronger than that used in the D60 for example. Why did
is so is anyone's guess - perhaps Nikon felt there was a need here.
The result, however, is that raw images are softer than one from a
D60 for example (which presumably has a less aggressive
anti-aliasing filter).

This also means that more sharpening is required on a D100 raw
image than on a D60 image. The information should be still there in
the picture to do high-quality sharpening but poor sharpening
algorithms/setting will result in fringing. Furthermore, since
noise is mostly a function of the CCD, they are not affected by the
anti-aliasing filter - which is bad - because sharpening will have
a more pronounced effect on the noise than on the image data.

Just some random thoughts about this whole issue.

Daniel

 

[davidphoto]

BTW ALL Digital images need to be sharpened to a degree depending
at what size they're reproduced. This is a fact!!

I totally agree with you, also drum scanned images, depending on the final size...
--
Davide Gazzotti
http://www.davidephoto.com
http://www.davidegazzotti.com
davidphoto @ libero.it
--------------------------------

 

[Teera]

I Opened the NEF Files with Adobe Photoshop 7 & the results were

great, but it still needed some Photoshop help, but…… Here’s the
big BUT…. I work on a daily basis with Digital capture equipment,
at work I shoot with the MegaVision T2 3 Pass back on a Sinar X 4x5
camera. I am aware that ALL digital images we take at work must
first be sharpened before they get printed. I use the Sharpening
Plug-in we use at the Pre-Press Dept at work, I use MegaSharp & the
default settings of MegaSharp are:

I would dare to say that these Prints are better than anything I
ever got from my D1X & I would dare to compare these prints to any
print I ever made off a 35mm Negative, really!!

I’m stunned with the quality I’m getting here!!

BTW, how do you guys post Prints here???

LMK I’d like to post one shot!!

Y

You said "(d100's) prints are better than anything I
ever got from my D1X & I would dare to compare these prints to any

print I ever made off a 35mm Negative". What about 35mm positve, is the prints from D100 are better than the slide print out as well? And can you tell us more about MegaSharp. Is it better than PS USM and worth buying?
Thanks,
Teera

 

[alfred_schiele]

Hi!

algorithms/setting will result in fringing. Furthermore,

What kind of fringing do you refer to?

I looked around for colour fringing too, expecting one or the other lens would exhibit some with the D100 and the additional crop , making it more visible, but It was hard to find any... most had zero colour fringing. (blooming was also very low to zero in higher contrast situations)

Do you think of something different here? Coloured noise?

Regards, A. Schiele

 

[alfred_schiele]

Hi

Ok guys, first let me tell you something, I have a bad habit of not
believing anything anybody tell me, maybe its a childhood trauma,
or I’ve watched one too many episodes of the X-Files

I think this is no trauma but good habit... I do the same (-;

But After all this talk about Sharpness Issues, I decided to put my
brand new D100 to the Sharpness TestJ I slapped a Nikkor Micro
105/2.8 AFD on the d100, & I added the SB-28DX to kill shadows &
trekked to my Wife’s flower garden, I shot around 25 frames onto a
IBM 512MB Microdrive. The camera was set o UN Compressed NEF, White
Balance to direct Sunlight & set the camera to Aperture Priority,
the exposures was around 90th sec. At f 18 In color made I (I’ll be
changing to color mode II soon I like Adobe RGB Better)

You used a very good lens! I am not surprised. I tried the 60mm micro nikkor with D100 and got good results too.

I Opened the NEF Files with Adobe Photoshop 7 & the results were

great, but it still needed some Photoshop help, but…… Here’s the
big BUT…. I work on a daily basis with Digital capture equipment,
at work I shoot with the MegaVision T2 3 Pass back on a Sinar X 4x5
camera. I am aware that ALL digital images we take at work must
first be sharpened before they get printed. I use the Sharpening
Plug-in we use at the Pre-Press Dept at work, I use MegaSharp & the
default settings of MegaSharp are:

Don't tell me the 3 pass scanning back is not better (-;

But I agree that D100 images need some slight postprocessing tweak.

I also did some saturating in the colors I wanted to "POP" out & I
made full 10.027" x6.667" at 300 DPI on my Epson 1270 printer.
Using Kodak Premium Picture paper.
WOW!!!

Never had the feel I need more saturation, even with Adobe RGB.

Got nice prints in 300dpi resolution too, using an Epson 895.

I would dare to say that these Prints are better than anything I
ever got from my D1X & I would dare to compare these prints to any
print I ever made off a 35mm Negative, really!!

Well, if something is good one tends to look for the little flaws and extrems... The results do not blow me away either but they are really good, possibly better than what we got before from scanned film. (To be honest I dislike the comparison to scanned film as scanning degrades film too, possibly emphasizes grain. Film should be directly printed IMHO)

I’m stunned with the quality I’m getting here!!

I agree, it is stunning. And we will see more colour with the next generation of D-SLR.

BTW, how do you guys post Prints here???

Well, for me print is the destination of my work too... My measure are my eyes, very simple in the end. I feel that there could be little more but not really basically much...

LMK I’d like to post one shot!!

Not posting a print? (-;

Regards, A. Schiele

 

[Boxbrownie]

Ok guys, first let me tell you something, I have a bad habit of not
believing anything anybody tell me, maybe its a childhood trauma,
or I’ve watched one too many episodes of the X-Files

But After all this talk about Sharpness Issues, I decided to put my
brand new D100 to the Sharpness TestJ I slapped a Nikkor Micro
105/2.8 AFD on the d100, & I added the SB-28DX to kill shadows &
trekked to my Wife’s flower garden, I shot around 25 frames onto a
IBM 512MB Microdrive. The camera was set o UN Compressed NEF, White
Balance to direct Sunlight & set the camera to Aperture Priority,
the exposures was around 90th sec. At f 18 In color made I (I’ll be
changing to color mode II soon I like Adobe RGB Better)

I Opened the NEF Files with Adobe Photoshop 7 & the results were

great, but it still needed some Photoshop help, but…… Here’s the
big BUT…. I work on a daily basis with Digital capture equipment,
at work I shoot with the MegaVision T2 3 Pass back on a Sinar X 4x5
camera. I am aware that ALL digital images we take at work must
first be sharpened before they get printed. I use the Sharpening
Plug-in we use at the Pre-Press Dept at work, I use MegaSharp & the
default settings of MegaSharp are:

Blur Threshold 0 Levels
Sharpen Threshold 7 Levels
Amount 500 %
Kernel Size 5 units

I tweak these setting as I need, but I’m still in the learning
Process with this Plug-In, so I can’t explain it too well yet, I’ll
get good with it soonJ

I also did some saturating in the colors I wanted to "POP" out & I
made full 10.027" x6.667" at 300 DPI on my Epson 1270 printer.
Using Kodak Premium Picture paper.
WOW!!!

I would dare to say that these Prints are better than anything I
ever got from my D1X & I would dare to compare these prints to any
print I ever made off a 35mm Negative, really!!

I’m stunned with the quality I’m getting here!!

BTW, how do you guys post Prints here???

LMK I’d like to post one shot!!

Y

Hiya Yamil,

I have searched for megasharp and come up with "megavision" but no mention of this sharpening programme, either its another company or not available, do you have a link to this software?
Thanks
Regards David

 

[Yamil R. Sued50621]

I was told by pre-press that Megasharp comes with the MegaVision Software, I'll call my buddy at Megavision today & I'll ask him about it!!

This is a Plug-In for Photoshop!!

Y

Hiya Yamil,
I have searched for megasharp and come up with "megavision" but no
mention of this sharpening programme, either its another company or
not available, do you have a link to this software?
Thanks
Regards David

 

[Boxbrownie]

This is a Plug-In for Photoshop!!

Y

Hiya Yamil,
I have searched for megasharp and come up with "megavision" but no
mention of this sharpening programme, either its another company or
not available, do you have a link to this software?
Thanks
Regards David

OK great Yami, appreciate that........

 

[Yamil R. Sued50621]

OK, here's the deal, you can get MegaSharp Photoshop Plug-In from MegaVision inc, they're a manufacturerof digital equipment in Santa Barbara, CA
call Cynthia at 1-888-324-2580

Y

 

[Boxbrownie]

OK, here's the deal, you can get MegaSharp Photoshop Plug-In from
MegaVision inc, they're a manufacturerof digital equipment in Santa
Barbara, CA
call Cynthia at 1-888-324-2580

Y

Sorry to be a pest again, but do they have a website, as the phone bill from the Uk may match the cost of the plug-in! LOL

thanks Yamil

Regards David

 

[blshaw]

Well, this won't help you get Megasharp (found with Sherlock), but here's some info on how to use it:

http://acme.mega-vision.com/tech/tips/s2s3guide/megashrp.htm

OK, here's the deal, you can get MegaSharp Photoshop Plug-In from
MegaVision inc, they're a manufacturerof digital equipment in Santa
Barbara, CA
call Cynthia at 1-888-324-2580

Y

Sorry to be a pest again, but do they have a website, as the phone
bill from the Uk may match the cost of the plug-in! LOL

thanks Yamil

Regards David