Sharpness: why is an option necessary?

[Dadstar0410]

Why is there an option to adjust sharpness in the camera UI? Is there some side effect for always leaving it on the highest setting? It seems kinda silly to ask us how sharp we want our photos to be. Of course we want it to be super sharp!

 

[Daniel Ratcliffe]

I disagree. Sometimes I might want lower sharpness. I'm a photographer by nature and am looking to explore some new projects, so options like this are a godsend.

 

[power5]

Sharpness adds noise.

 

[Dadstar0410]

I disagree. Sometimes I might want lower sharpness. I'm a photographer by nature and am looking to explore some new projects, so options like this are a godsend.

Why?

 

[lfjj]

All these why threads..

 

[Daniel Ratcliffe]

Why?

It gives me new avenues of photography to explore. Sometimes I want intentionally blurry pics. You do not need to know the reasons why this is the case, but do know that I have done a previous photography project regarding how the mobile phone has changed the way we see the still image.

 

[Dadstar0410]

As a basic user with rare photography usage, should I leave it on the highest setting?

 

[E Lizzle]

The unsharpened photo is the actual captured image, the sharpening is algorithmically added. I always shoot on the softest setting and sharpen the photo later, at the same time as I am doing any cropping and color correction.

 

[socialcarpet]

Sharpness adds noise.

This.

It's always a struggle to find the right balance between sharpness and too much noise on a digital camera.

 

[jhguth]

in addition to cases where you just want a soft-focus aesthetic, you might not want it sometimes in general. I haven't looked into how it works in the WP8 camera app specifically, but it probably darkens areas along edges and increases contrast to increase sharpness. This can introduce noise and artifacts that you might not want if its not needed.

 

[pillswoj]

Over sharpened images can get a "Halo" effect on edges, this can make photos of people appear to have been pasted on to the background and was very common in early digital point and shoots.

Sharpening also depends on end use of the photo, printing requires more sharpening then viewing on the screen. Best advice is to try the different settings and see what you like for your use.