These days you have to look hard to find a camera that is not capable of taking really sharp photos.  Pretty much any modern DSLR with its kit lens and  most decent P&S cameras are capable of taking pin sharp images.  However it is not at all uncommon to obtain less than perfect results from even the best of cameras and lenses, so don’t feel bad if your photos lack that crisp clear look, you are not alone.  The good news is that you can be taking sharper photos every time, and in most cases it wont cost you any more money, so forget about upgrading to the latest pro camera gear for now.  Just follow the simple steps outlined here.   There are quite a few factors which may be spoiling your image sharpness, but you might even have an “A-HA” moment just skimming this page.

Unsharpness is caused by either movement during exposure which is called blur, or by the image not being sharply focused on the sensor by the lens.

1st pic is out of focus, 2nd is blurred (subject motion) 3rd is camera shake go here for a clearer view and more samples

Subject motion blur is a very common cause of unsharpness.  The only solution to this is either to take a photo when things have slowed or stopped or to use a faster shutter speed.  You can do this by choosing an action program mode (running man symbol); or by choosing a bigger aperture (smaller F-number), and/or a higher ISO sensitivity.  If it is quite dark and you are close to your subject, you might find using the flash will give you sharper photos, though it will totally change the look of your photo.  The flash effects a short exposure time, equivalent to a shutter speed of 1/500^th of a second or faster.  You will probably need 1/100^th or faster for a child playing and 1/250 or faster for moderate sports action. Your Vibration Reduction VR / Image Stabilisation IS / Anti Shake etc, in your lens or camera will NOT help at all for subject motion.

Camera Blur or camera shake is another common problem.  The same techniques as for subject blur can help for camera shake, but there are more and even better options for more static subjects.  In this case your Vibration Reduction VR / Image Stabilisation IS / Anti Shake etc, in your lens or camera WILL help right down to shutter speeds of 1/15^th of a second (YMMV), Reducing camera blur is what it is designed for.

Here is a list of tips to help you steady up that camera to get sharper images:

• If hand holding the camera choose a shutter speed of  at least 1/ the focal length of the lens (eg for an 18-55mm lens you need about 1/60^th at least at the long end, if you have steady hands)
• Balance yourself, tuck your elbows in, relax and half breathe out, and gently squeeze the shutter button, don’t jerk it.
• Firing a sequence of shots in continuous motor drive will result in at least one shot being sharper as you are not pressing or releasing the button.
• Rest your elbows on something.
• Put a 1/4″ screw in the tripod socket and tie a doubled piece of string to that or even the camera strap lugs. Stand on it or tie it to something solid and pull it taught.  This works amazingly well to very slow shutter speeds.

Rest the camera on something solid. You can position it better with a small bean bag, bag of rice or even a pair of socks if your desperate.  Use a cable release or the self timer to prevent movement from touching the camera. This will work  for any length of exposure time.

Use a monopod.  It is easier to carry and move your position than with a tripod but it is only good for 4to 8x a handholdable speed.  It has the advantage of taking weight off your hands if you are concentrating on a sports match or wedding ceremony for some time.

Use of steady photo tripods.  Don’t go for the lightest or cheapest, get something that will comfortably hold the biggest rig you think you will ever have.  A tripod when used correctly is the safest and most convenient way to totally eliminate camera blur. Place it on solid ground or pushed into the sand, mud or snow.  Raise it by the legs rather than the center column if possible.  Use a cable release or the self timer and mirror lock-up if available on your camera.  I have made a table to help select photo tripods at this site here   It includes details on size weight and capacity.

Even a modest DSLR with half decent lens held steady, will quite often yield sharper photos than even the most expensive cameras and lenses hand held, especially in darker lighting conditions.  Check out our video on reducing camera shake.

Focus Problem.

If the subject is soft but something in front or behind the subject is sharp, the photo is out of focus. This can be caused by fully pressing the shutter button, before the camera has focused correctly, or it is focused on some other position within the frame. Some situations can fool the camera’s auto-focus, such as a backlit subject, or photographing through glass or foliage. If you think you may be having problems getting accurate focus, go to our focus problem page for remedies to that common problem.

Lens sharpness.

If your camera is fitted with a manufacturer branded lens or one of the better 3^rd party manufacturer lenses, it should be capable of very sharp images. Most lenses however are not fully sharp at all apertures and focal lengths.  They will be at least very good toward the middle of the aperture range and away from the extremes of the zoom range.  Usually the center of the image will be sharper as well.  Expecting a lens to give corner to corner sharpness wide open at either end of the zoom range could even be disappointing.  For example if you have an 18-55 f3.5-5.6 zoom kit lens, at f8 to f11 it will be close to as sharp as an expensive pro grade zoom, but at f3.5 or 5.6, the pro f2.8 zoom will yield much sharper images. You may need to use a higher ISO or even a tripod in low light to be able to use those smaller apertures (higher f numbers) without causing blur.  The very high f-numbers actually introduce another type of unsharpness caused by diffraction.

Try using these techniques, and you will find even a modest camera and lens will be capable of taking sharper images.