Wide angle's soft corners

[Abitconfused]

Many modestly priced DX wide angle lenses have some sharpness falloff moving from center and especially in the corners. I have tried selective sharpening to remedy this but I suspect there are other and, hopefully, better techniques. What do you do??

[Manfred M]

Have you tried applying the lens profile correction during raw conversion?

[Abitconfused]

Yes, and I often use DXO's lens assets also but there often remains a blur when I use my Sigmma 10-20. I am thinking of buying the new Tamron 10-24 with VC but it has a slower lens than the Tokina.

[rpcrowe]

The Sony 28mm f/2.8 lens has horribly soft corners and edges on a Sony crop sensor mirrorless camera like the A6500. In fact, my Tokina 12-24mm even with the MC-11 adapter is much sharper throughout the frame. However, the little Sony has one great attribute: its tiny size and unbelievably light weight. I can just throw it into my pocket and forget about it until I absolutely need it.

[Manfred M]

In that case, all I can suggest is that you look at a higher quality lens.

Fast, ultra wide angle lenses are extremely expensive to build because of the large number of elements required. Less expensive lenses cut down on quantity and quality of the materials. Slower lenses need less correction and are less expensive to build.

I have the Tokina f/2.8 11-16mm, and while the lens is not exactly modern any more, it was quite sharp, even at f/2.8.

[dje]

Many modestly priced DX wide angle lenses have some sharpness falloff moving from center and especially in the corners. I have tried selective sharpening to remedy this but I suspect there are other and, hopefully, better techniques. What do you do??

Something like a radial mask is the only simple way I know.

[george013]

Many modestly priced DX wide angle lenses have some sharpness falloff moving from center and especially in the corners......

All lenses have that. Wide angle more than "narrow angle".
I don't think a lens correction does solve that. Lens corrections solves the lines, not the sharpness or ca or other things like that.
Thinking of a radial mask as Dave suggested, I'm not sure a sharpening tool can be used for that. Thinking that route I would try a circle of Upoints around the centre for sharpening and then another circle of upoints but bigger.
If you've a DX camera you can use a FF lens. But I thought you had a FF camera.

George

[Stagecoach]

Something like a radial mask is the only simple way I know.

That method has worked well with my 10-20 Sigma and is so easy to do.

[dje]

I guess it depends on the software you are using. I believe it can be done in LR but I don't use that software. Here's an exaggerated example done in ACDSee Ultimate.

Dave

Before


After

[george013]

I guess it depends on the software you are using. I believe it can be done in LR but I don't use that software. Here's an exaggerated example done in ACDSee Ultimate.

Dave

Before


After

I prefer the original
What I mean is that that correction should fade from outside to inside. Something as in your example a wide circle but with a minimum of sharpening, then a new attempt with a bit smaller circle, again with a minimum of sharpening and so on. In my thoughts you should get a fading sharpening from outside to inside.
Just a thought.
In the old Capture Nx2 I could select an circulair selection with either the insid or the outside being the active part. I didn't see it in DxO yet. Maybe it's there.

George

[Abitconfused]

"Street Photography" pun intended. D7100, Tamron 10-24 VC f/5.6, 1/5s, ISO: 8020. Dialing back Microcontrast and using Prime noise reduction in DXO PhotoLab seemed to help as did adding modest sharpening globally in Photoshop. VC certaintly is useful and I used f/5.6 as this is given as this lens' sweet spot. But Post Production is a guess on my part.

[Shadowman]

Post #10, is this your example of soft corners? If it is then it doesn't really show, sure the edges don't really contain any artistic elements but as an example of the defect you were referring to; it isn't present in this shot. Also, for an effective WA shot I feel that deep focus is the best way to present, I would try to use a smaller aperture and would try to make sure there is enough visual elements within the composition to warrant using deep focus.

[george013]

Post #10, is this your example of soft corners? If it is then it doesn't really show, sure the edges don't really contain any artistic elements but as an example of the defect you were referring to; it isn't present in this shot. Also, for an effective WA shot I feel that deep focus is the best way to present, I would try to use a smaller aperture and would try to make sure there is enough visual elements within the composition to warrant using deep focus.

It was an example of Dave showing sharpening with a radial,circle, mask. And editing outside the selection or whatever it's called.

George

[DanK]

I guess it depends on the software you are using. I believe it can be done in LR but I don't use that software. Here's an exaggerated example done in ACDSee Ultimate.

Dave

Before


After

It looks to me that this didn't work well. Expand the image by looking at it in the lytebox and then examine the faces at the far left. They look badly oversharpened to me in the second photograph.

[george013]

You too, read his post, 9.

Here's an exaggerated example done in ACDSee Ultimate.

George

[Abitconfused]

It was an example of Dave showing sharpening with a radial,circle, mask. And editing outside the selection or whatever it's called.

George

This is an example of the best I can do despite soft corners. Better a tripod at f/7.1 perhaps.

[dje]

Dan my example was deliberately over-sharpened to make it easy to see the effect of the mask. George a more gradual transition can be obtained using a wider feathering setting on the radial mask.

Dave

[Manfred M]

Dan my example was deliberately over-sharpened to make it easy to see the effect of the mask. George a more gradual transition can be obtained using a wider feathering setting on the radial mask.

Dave

The nice thing about this technique is that if the editing software one is using has "Actions" or "Macros", the sharpening process can be automated. The lens edge softness will be constant, at least for specific apertures and possibly focal lengths, so an Action can be written that is appropriate for the aperture or range of apertures and focal lengths. This can really speed up applying this approach.

[Abitconfused]

Tomron 10-24, @13mm, f/5.6, 1/s, ISO: 100. Manfrotto (smaller) tripod & ball head.



Much better results with tripod of course...

[george013]

Tomron 10-24, @13mm, f/5.6, 1/s, ISO: 100. Manfrotto (smaller) tripod & ball head.



Much better results with tripod of course...

Don't confuse lens softness with other softness like camera shake or dof.
I don't think you can resolve lens softness in pp.

George