| Time To Step Back And RE-Assess
Hello Richard,
I think you are really overthinking and complicating this. You're trying to reinvent the wheel when it works just fine as is.
No, filling tripod legs with cement won't make your photos sharper. Trying to get ultra sharp, pixel-peepingly, eye-piercing sharpness in a scenic landscape from a hand (or lap, or knee) held camera with a kit lens, a budget zoom with no DOF scale, won't work. Buying an f/2.8 zoom, with (again) no DOF scales will only compound the problem, you're still dealing with many focal lengths and different DOF at each length. Too many variable factors, no single answer. The photos may come out slightly sharper, but still won't have the range of focus you want, if you don't set it exactly exactly right, don't use a tripod and timer/remote, don't follow the tips and techniques that have been posted many times on this (now) three page thread.
Instead of spending $800 USD on a faster zoom (that you intend to use at f/8.0), try this;
Buy a manual focus Pentax (or other quality brand) 28mm f/2.8 lens with 'A' setting. About $100.
Buy a lens hood in the correct thread size (49mm for the Pentax) $5.00.
Buy a good tripod and head, roughly $400 new, $200-$300 used.
Buy a cable or electronic remote shutter release. $20.
Buy a quality circular polarizing filter. $50 for a Marumi.
Find an interesting landscape location, set up the tripod, look at the depth of field scale on the lens when it's set to f/8.0. Turn the focusing ring until the infinity symbol lines up at f/8.0 It will show the exact distance to the closest object in clear focus. Set the aperture to f/8.0. Make sure that the nearest object in the viewfinder is at least that far away. Lock all adjustments on the tripod down tight. Add the CPL to the front of the lens, turn the outer ring until the sky is as dark blus as it will get. Put on a lens hood. Set camera mode to Av, ISO 100, enable self-timer to 2-second delay, hit shutter. Now bracket the shot, 1/3 stop over, 1/3 stop under, using exposure compensation (AV button).
Those will be the clearest, sharpest, most in-focus photos the camera/lens can take. Everything from about 5 feet to infinity will be sharp.
Now, with the lessons you've learned from those photos, you may find it easier to use the kit lens for the same type shots. No, they won't be as ultimately sharp, but you'll know why.
I'm sorry if my post sounds harsh, but you're flailing around with a million ideas and not sticking to the point. Sharp photos take good equipment, time-proven techniques and proper settings. Use what works, what's worked for decades. Simplify. Get one thing right, move on from there.
JMO
Ron
| 
Originally posted by narual 
Similar Threads 
