| The visual impact of perspective & sharpness | | | | unpleasing pixel distortions. For known |
| control | | | | reasons, diffraction has a large effect at |
| | | | high line frequencies, and to ensure that |
| By Avi Roth | | | | enough line pairs reach the digital sensor to |
| | | | achieve good sharpness, it is best to avoid |
| Jewelry, as a photographic object is | | | | very small apertures! This is why when |
| comparatively small in terms of | | | | desiring great image quality, it's imperative |
| three-dimensional extension. The range of | | | | to achieve sharpness by adjusted depth of |
| movements offered by the view camera present | | | | field vs. stopping down the lens opening! |
| great control over quality and visual | | | | |
| presentation. This article about using a view | | | | Another good example of the view camera |
| camera in the studio-managed environment, | | | | advantage can be seen when photographing a |
| discusses ways of deliberately influencing | | | | square jewelry gift box. How do you |
| and modifying perspective and sharpness to | | | | photograph a square item from a dramatic |
| attainvisual splendor and image quality | | | | angle without converging lines? |
| | | | |
| Unlike SLR or medium format cameras ("rigid | | | | With a medium-format camera it's not possible |
| body" cameras), the view camera has | | | | to compensate for converging lines at a small |
| capabilities for a full range of movements: | | | | aperture like f/11 in order to get the entire |
| rise and fall as well as tilt and shift of | | | | subject sharp. Since lenses made for digital |
| both front and rear standards. This is very | | | | photography perform best in this aperture |
| important in digital jewelry photography | | | | range a view camera like the Sinar p3, Arca, |
| since simply stopping down a modern digital | | | | Linhof or Cambo would easily realize overall |
| lens all the way to f45 or f64 is a poor | | | | sharpness without loss of image quality while |
| approach in obtaining sharpness and can have | | | | retaining the desired viewing angle. |
| a damaging effect on image quality. Modern | | | | |
| digital lenses perform optimally toward the | | | | The above examples demonstrate how the |
| middle of their aperture range: f/11 for | | | | capabilities of a precision view camera with |
| short focal lengths, f/16 for moderate focal | | | | a full range of movements can achieve great |
| lengths, and f/22 for longer lenses. | | | | overall sharpness at small apertures. But at |
| Sharpness has other implications on image | | | | the same time, the view camera also allows to |
| quality as well: surface quality, data | | | | create purposeful un-sharpness for artistic |
| density, and separation of planes and edges. | | | | and creative interpretations. Utilizing the |
| | | | view camera's range of movements to |
| In practical terms, when photographing a | | | | manipulate perspective and sharpness will |
| round pearl necklace or a pendant on a | | | | create spectacular special images of even |
| 180º object surface with a tilted camera | | | | ordinary jewelry objects - especially in |
| plane of 30º- 45º, the view camera can | | | | close-up range. |
| quickly and easily be set to achieve | | | | |
| sharpness throughout the entire object plane | | | | In jewelry photography close-up sharpness |
| at the optimum aperture without stopping | | | | over the entire subject, at the optimum |
| down, while retaining natural proportions. An | | | | aperture for best image quality, is |
| SLR or medium format camera on the other | | | | inconceivable without camera movements. If |
| hand, must always be stopped down to a | | | | you are searching for a system that will help |
| maximum lens opening of f32 and beyond to | | | | you capture the ultimate digital image |
| achieve a greater depth of field, with all | | | | quality, I would highly recommend thinking |
| the associated disadvantages of image | | | | about a view camera studio-solution. There |
| quality. | | | | are at least two other components beyond the |
| | | | camera platform you must consider: the |
| A limited amount of sharpness can be | | | | digital back, and digital lenses. It's not |
| re-gained in post-production by image | | | | inexpensive - but the results will justify |
| manipulation, but only with considerable | | | | the investment. |
| losses in terms of image quality, and with | | | | |