Resolution problem

[BigLoada]

I just bought a Nikon D80 and am fairly new to digital photography so I dont know if I have a problem with the camera or if this is normal. Basically when I look at my photos using Windows picture viewer, they look fine, but when I hit the "Actual Size" button at the bottom of the screen to make them big, they dont look sharp anymore. Is this normal or is it a fault with my canera? Or do I need a better monitor?. It happens even though my screen res is 1400x900.

ANy advice would be great. Thanks

 

[Steep]

Depends what you mean by not sharp. If you're used to a compact camera you'll find dslr images don't look as sharp because the camera usually does less sharpening itself. You'll find a choice in the menu system I think to sharpen more or less but most people choose to do this on the pc after they have taken the shot. Of course if you're shooting in RAW then there's no sharpening at all until you convert it and then you choose how much.

 

[StewartR]

Basically when I look at my photos using Windows picture viewer, they look fine, but when I hit the "Actual Size" button at the bottom of the screen to make them big, they dont look sharp anymore.

Don't worry about it. As Steep says, DSLR images are designed to need some sharpening. But there's another reason - you're sitting too close. (Or looking at the image too big, which is the same thing.)

Your D80 delivers images which are 3872 x 2592 pixels. Your monitor probably has a resolution of about 90 pixels per inch (ppi), so your "actual size" image would be about 43 x 29 inches. That's pretty big.

There's a general rule of thumb, which was worked out by observing people in art galleries, that the best distance from which to view a picture is roughly equal to the diagonal of the picture. In this case, if your photo is 43 x 29 inches, then the diagonal measures about 52 inches.

So try sitting 52 inches (4 feet 4 inches) away from your monitor. I bet it doesn't look quite so soft then.

 

[BigLoada]

Great thanks guys. I tried what you said and it did look better. Also the camera was set to Auto sharpen so I tried it on the higher setting and it looks better when viewed large. Cheers