Factors of Sharpness

HI,

I have been asked to put together a power point presentation on "Factors of Sharpness" and present it to my camera club members. I will have half an hour for this presentation followed by half an hour practical for the members.
I am thinking to talk about camera setting (aperture, Shutter, ISO effects), lens IS or VR option, tripod, remote shutter release, mirror lock up, focal point and sharpening at PP.
I highly appreciate your input on these factors and any others that I am missing.

Any ideas welcome.
I appreciate your input in advance,
Mohammad

Mohammad - I'd consider adding :

-- autofocus accuracy and autofocus adjustment
-- maybe phase detection autofocus versus contrast detection
-- general lens sharpness and resolution/filter affects
-- anti-aliasing filters on the sensor

Mohammad - Good points, so far.

Just a thought. Your instruction could be broken down into two distinct presentations. The first would deal with 'in the field/in-camera' considerations, and the second would address post-processing workflow as regards image sharpness.

--P

You could also break it down into three sections maybe : equipment, technique, post-processing

Another module, topic, session, or day could be focus stacking, both field and post-processing.

And don't forget to include fontal focus vs rear focus, or put another way, micro focus adjustment in camera to match the lens.

Garry Revesz
Toronto

I know this is related to aperture but diffraction is definitely worth mentioning as well as lens flare.

Thank you all for your input. Great additional factors from all of you.
Categorizing the topics is great idea. I just don't know If I can cover all of them in half an hour!!!
I think I need to take some photos for comparison for each of them.
David, Could you please elaborate a bit on the following topics!
"-- maybe phase detection autofocus versus contrast detection
-- anti-aliasing filters on the sensor"

I again appreciate your help and ideas would like to receive more.
Mohammad

Sure Mohammad -

-- Phase detection versus contract detection => This has to do with autofocus accuracy. Phase detection as implemented in almost all DSLRs uses a separate sensor to autofocus. This can lead to autofocus inaccuracy and the need to compensate with micro-focus adjustments as we see in a lot of current SLRs. Contrast detect autofocus happens on the sensor itself - essentially focusing the image before it's captured. It is generally more accurate, though slower (so it is still not great for tracking autofocus like you'd want for sports or fast wildlife).

-- Anti-aliasing filter => Almost all sensors (except the Leica's, the Nikon D800E, Foveon sensors, some of the new Fuji's, and a couple others) have an aliasing filter bonded over the sensor to prevent moire. This essentially blurs your image intentionally to remove the effects of moire on fine detail. Many photographers are finding with the newer cameras and sensors at high megapixels, moire is not that big an issue, and they prefer not to have an anti-aliasing filter. For cameras that do have one, sharpening can help recover the lost sharpness, particularly if you're using a RAW workflow (this is the genesis of "capture sharpening" for the sort-of standard three pass sharpening workflows).

Thank you all for great ideas, I have used them in my workshop. It was very well received by my club members.
Mo

I know it is a bit too late, but you can also consider air quality, think of the anti-sharp effects of mist or the clarity of high altitude shots.

Hi Tony,

Better late than never.

Good points, I definitely will add them to my PPT for next time.
Cheers,
Mo