Join Now
Join ePHOTOzine, the friendliest photography community.
Upload photos, chat with photographers, win prizes and much more for free!
i wonder if anyone could help a new user to digital SLR.
i have a canon 350D and recently purchased what appeared to be a pristine 70-200mm EF MK11 lens, however....
Having used it a few times now i'm finding that it is fractionally out of focus when using the AF setting - see my "model on the Beach" in the gallery - on the camera screen it appears to be in focus its only when i download onto a larger screen the problem is apparent.
is it becuase it is not and EF - S lens or is the lens faulty or am i doing something wrong ? any help would be appreciated !
thanks
Terry
Terry,
is it straight from camera without any sharpening?
Should be nothing to do with not being ef-s.
Do you shoot in RAW or JPG?
Do you use photoshop?
Terry is the image soft, or is it out of focus. If you focus manualy does it get sharper. If you stop it down to about say f8 is it sharper? If you tripod mount is it better? When you look at it does a point you did not focus on look sharper?
Also what series is this lens, is it the standard EF range or is it an L?
I would guess that it is a question of its optical performance. if yes then shots at about f8 to f11 should be best. Try running a bit more USM on your photo's.
Hi Terry
I had a similar problem with my EOS 10D and Sigma 28-70 when I first got it, images appeared soft on location shots. However when I used it in a college studio, I was finding the same lens would resolve individual hairs on a models head at 10 feet.
There are a number of factors.
Firstly, aperture. As has already been said, lenses often perform best at around f8 to f12, so if in doubt stop down a little, from the background, I'd say you used a fairly wide aperture.
Secondly shutter speed, I won't teach you to suck eggs here :o) but the faster your shutter speed, the more you freeze out camera shake and some of the movement which may be eveident in your model's hair in the shot due to it blowing in the wind.
To get an appropriate aperture and shutter speed, you may have to trade off a bit of quality by upping your ISO setting.
Thirdly, there is a technique issue. It's how you press the button !. Don't assume that just because you have a top notch digital camera and autofocus lens, that if you stab away at the shutter button the lens will snap into focus. I always these days repeat the half press to autofocus the lens at least three times, then lock the focus I want before releasing the shutter.
I hope this helps. Otherwise, I quite like the shot !.
Ian
Terry
All the previous answers are of course quite valid but without knowing your shooting details and seeing the original image file, it is impossible to be definite about what is or is not happening.
There are many reasons why an image can be soft as has been alluded to. The most common are:
Inaccurate focusing - poor manual focusing or the AF is faulty or you have the focus point set to an incorrect location (not on the subject)
camera shake - too slow a shutter speed for the conditions / lens combination
post processing - simply a case o fsome sharpening in whatever editing software you have
Barrie
Add a Comment
ePHOTOzine, the web's friendliest photography community.
Upload photos, chat with photographers, win prizes and much more.
Login or Join Now
New to ePHOTOzine? Join ePHOTOzine for free!
Related Content
Join Our Free Newsletter
Awards
Current Competitions
foliopic 'Movement' Competition
1st May 2012 - 31st May 2012
This month's competition theme is 'Movement' which can be interpreted in a number of ways. You could photograph an animal running, a person walking or a car speeding...Featured e2 Photo
Featured Directory Listing
May's Photo Month
Check out ePHOTOzine's inspirational photo month calendar! Each day click on a window to unveil new photography tips, treats and techniques.
Interact
Photography Gallery Photography Forums Recent Forum Activity Members' Meetings Members' BlogsSearch ePHOTOzine
Having trouble or would like to make a suggestion? Create a report
Calibrate your monitor so you can see 16 different shades.
ePHOTOzine © 2001 - 2012 Magezine Publishing | Contact Us | Site Map | Top