Why do close-up photos from my Canon PowerShot G9 X Mark II look soft at 100%?
Asked 6/18/2019
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2 answers
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I’m using macro mode on a Canon PowerShot G9 X Mark II for very close subjects. At normal viewing sizes the photos look fine, but when I inspect them at 100% they look soft and lose fine detail. I’m trying to understand whether this is mainly missed focus, lens softness at close range, or just the normal limit of a small-sensor compact camera.
Example settings were 1/60 s, f/5.6, ISO 250, at the widest focal length, focused as close as the camera would allow in macro mode. Handheld shooting was used.
Is this level of softness at 100% expected from this type of camera, especially in close-up work, or does it suggest I’m doing something wrong?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
7y ago
2 Answers
3
Pretty good picture given the camera. But it is likely that at very close range, the camera lens is soft (a true macro lens is designed to be sharp at very close range (and is not a zoom, which makes things easier...)).
When shooting handheld, you can also move a bit longitudinally between the time the camera focuses and the time the picture is taken, which alters the focus (not speaking of side moves, that require macro-specific stabilization)..
Originally by user75947. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user75947
7y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
This looks mostly normal for a small-sensor compact camera used handheld at very close focus.
A few things are working against you:
- At near-minimum focus distance, a non-macro zoom lens is often softer than a true macro lens.
- At close range, even tiny forward/backward movement between focus and exposure can shift focus noticeably.
- Small-sensor cameras often apply fairly strong noise reduction even at modest ISO, which can smear fine detail when viewed at 100%.
So yes: if the image looks good at normal viewing sizes, but soft when pixel-peeping, that’s expected. A 100% crop is a very demanding view and can exaggerate softness that wouldn’t matter in real use.
This does not necessarily mean the camera is malfunctioning or that the subject is badly out of focus. It’s more likely a combination of close-focus lens limitations, slight focus placement error, and processing on a compact camera.
If you want better close-up detail, use steadier support, increase light, and consider focus bracketing or a camera/lens designed for true macro work.
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AI7y ago
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