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Any success with using just the one image?
While I couldn't easily get a really good looking result with just the blend if sliders, I also tried loading your three images into HDR Efex Pro 2. By only modifying exposure (-30%) and highlights (-50%) from the defaults, I think I got a fairly natural looking result. With further tweaking you will likely be able to improve the result even more.
Attached is my quick go at it.
Did you set the ev values (-1.7, 0 and +1.3) on the screen before HDR Efex Pro actually launches? I'm getting this:
While I couldn't easily get a really good looking result with just the blend if sliders, I also tried loading your three images into HDR Efex Pro 2. By only modifying exposure (-30%) and highlights (-50%) from the defaults, I think I got a fairly natural looking result. With further tweaking you will likely be able to improve the result even more.
Attached is my quick go at it.
I only need a small say 600-800 pixel sample to try.
Are you trying this on the top layer of the two image layers?
Perhaps I can have a go (if you could e-mail me the raw files, that would be best).
If you want to do it with masking, I'd try to make use of the blend if sliders (right click the layer in the layers panel and choose Blending Options…) to have Photoshop automask the brightest spots of the “bright” version of the image, revealing the darker version.
Hello Simon,
One thing your samples show (again) is that, when properly focussed, your lens is pretty darn sharp, even at the edges. So the lens is most likely OK.
So why the big loss in sharpness from side to centre? This, while Depth of Field of the lens at 14mm at f/9 indicates this should not be a problem.
A couple of observations that may explain this:
- For the centre shot you focussed on the the building that is farthest from the camera, but the sides are much closer (any idea what the distances to the camera where?). For your side shot, the reverse is true. From a depth of field perspective, this is far from optimal and you'd best focus somewhere at a third in between.
- DOF calculations are based on old rules of thumb with an old definition of what is acceptably sharp. With modern cameras, and certainly with the super high pixel count cameras like the D800E, what is acceptable sharpness at pixel level requires a much more stringent definition of acceptable sharpness. The DOF as a result will be much, much, shallower.
Further info regarding the second point: normal calculations for Depth of Field take 0.025mm or even 0.03mm for the “circle of confusion,” with a pixel size of only 4.88µm, this means 5 to 6 pixels (in each direction!), similar to viewing at 20%…
Try the same shot again, but now with focussing somewhere between the closest and farthest points of what you want to have in focus (you may also try going to f/11 though this already may introduce some diffraction effects).
Also, to rule out any environmental or vibration related issues, try the shot at daytime with a short shutter speed.
Hope this helps,
Hayo
