[troymadison]

I am really happy with my Olympus DSLR for the most part. I am amazed by most pictures that I take. However, it seems like landscape shots always come out blurry for me on manual or auto focus. Could my lens be a problem? I have a 40-150mm 4.0-5.6F lens. I will be using my film camera 28mm 2.8F lens soon once I get the adapter for the lens. Do you guys have any advice for me?

 

[xnothingpoetic]

Make sure you use a longer exposure.

 

[breakfastchef]

Landscapes are funny things. Often, atmosphere can be a problem. When the air is not crystal clear, you can get a slight fuzziness to a photo. The lower the ISO you can shoot at, the crisper the picture may be. The Olympus lens is a little slow, but using a tripod would certainly help. Don't forget that light can really destroy a photo. If the degree from brightest to darkest is very extreme, you have to make compromises with the exposure. That is why overcast days offer some of the best, even-lighting conditions in many circumstances. Using a neutral density filter may help even out the scene. Automatic metering does not always choose the best exposure. Some work better than others. You could try using a grey card for the initial light reading and go manual. Which leads me to my last though. Whether shooting in digital or film, exposures are relatively cheap. Bracket every shot you think is a winner and shoot as many images as you can. When you get back home, one of those exposures will be the best for the shooting conditions.

 

[scompton]

Another problem with landscapes is a lot needs to be in focus. To get the most in focus you need a small f-stop. Another thing to think about is what you're actually focusing on. If you focus on something close, the background may be out of focus. Likewise, if you focus on the horizon, the foreground will be out of focus. Ideally, you want everything in the frame in focus for a landscape, so you want to focus on what is called the hyperfocal distance. Here's a link that looks like a good tutorial on it. It used to be a lot easier in the old days with manual focus non-zoom lenses. When doing landscapes, I almost never focused on anything in particular. I just decided what needed to be in focus and used the scale on the lens to get everything in focus. I've never quite got the hang of it with auto focus. I need to practice more

 

[nopietns]

Can You show any of those blurry images?
So we can see where the blurriness is and what could be the problem?

 

[Cankin]

tripod, remote for shutter release, and f5.6(or above) are your good friends for landscape.

 

[mercbuggy]

With the Olympus 4/3rds lens/sensor system try to avoid going much beyond f11 to keep things sharp, you will still get reasonable DOF - depth of field (although bear in mind your DOF will be short with the lens you are using currently). Take care about hyperfocal distance as already mentioned, focusing 1/3 into the shot as a good starting point. Tripod, tripod, tripod, this is an essential tool for landscape. Also a Neutral Density filter can recover dynamic range in landscape shots as this allows better exposure balance between sky and ground. Low ISO to reduce sensor noise, shoot raw and post sharpen with care. Have fun.

 

[bigshot]

It helps to compose landscape shots with some interesting item, like a tree or path in the foreground. That can add contrast to the image and really show off the depth.

See ya
Steve

 

[vibin247]

If you can, go to the same location at different times of the day. Everyone knows about the magic hour, but there are times when shooting near or past midday can show the beauty of long shadows in certain locations.

 

[lowmagnet]

Tripod, F/16-18, fast shutter. If you don't have the light, higher ISO; even though it's noisier, it's better than having wind ruining your shot.

Polarizers help for saturation, and if your lens can use one, use a hood to reduce flare from the sides.

 

[mercbuggy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by lowmagnet /img/forum/go_quote.gif Tripod, F/16-18, fast shutter. If you don't have the light, higher ISO; even though it's noisier, it's better than having wind ruining your shot. Polarizers help for saturation, and if your lens can use one, use a hood to reduce flare from the sides.

Just wanted to reiterate that I am assuming the OP is using a 4/3rds sensor and so care should be taken with smaller apertures (higher f stop). The DOF will continue to increase but the absolute sharpness will drop off. The smaller sensor will generate equivalent DOF at lower f stops than the larger sensors typically used by Canon, Nikon et al.

 

[GTRacer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by lowmagnet /img/forum/go_quote.gif Tripod, F/16-18, fast shutter. If you don't have the light, higher ISO; even though it's noisier, it's better than having wind ruining your shot. Polarizers help for saturation, and if your lens can use one, use a hood to reduce flare from the sides.

Enjoy your diffraction.

I typically use f/11 most of the time when shooting landscapes.