Dear all,
i have a small problem and maybe someone can help me with it.
Have you ever taken a picture of a subject which looks quiet sharp. You have a very good dof and your exposure is great but once you open it in your editor and you put your image in 100% it is not as sharp as you like? I don't know if it is me or if the image should be like that but it seems that all my pics are not sharp. Even those that i put on my tripod. Can anyone please help me with this?? I don't know what i do wrong. Maybe its the camera??
Thanks.
Maria
i have a small problem and maybe someone can help me with it.
Have you ever taken a picture of a subject which looks quiet sharp. You have a very good dof and your exposure is great but once you open it in your editor and you put your image in 100% it is not as sharp as you like? I don't know if it is me or if the image should be like that but it seems that all my pics are not sharp. Even those that i put on my tripod. Can anyone please help me with this?? I don't know what i do wrong. Maybe its the camera??
Thanks.
Maria
it may be your camera or your lens....what do you use ?
put your camera on tripod..use a cable release or cameras timer, make sure your camera indicates subject is sharp and take pictures at different focal lengths.
this could tell you if there is something wrong with the lens. if all focal lengths are not sharp it may be your camera
put your camera on tripod..use a cable release or cameras timer, make sure your camera indicates subject is sharp and take pictures at different focal lengths.
this could tell you if there is something wrong with the lens. if all focal lengths are not sharp it may be your camera
Hi Detlef,
thank you very much for your quick reply. I'll try this.
I use an EOS 400D. Its almost 1 year old and i use the standard 18-55mm canon lens.
Well the problem is that my camera does indicate that the subject is sharp. I would expect my subject not to be sharp in manual mode, because then it depends how good your eyesight is. But with auto focus and in fast speeds you would expect a sharp result, wouldn't you??
M.
thank you very much for your quick reply. I'll try this.
I use an EOS 400D. Its almost 1 year old and i use the standard 18-55mm canon lens.
Well the problem is that my camera does indicate that the subject is sharp. I would expect my subject not to be sharp in manual mode, because then it depends how good your eyesight is. But with auto focus and in fast speeds you would expect a sharp result, wouldn't you??
M.
hi ...
I am not an expert in these kind of things, but I have a Canon 400D, too....
My lenses are from Canon,too : 17-55mm 2,8 IS USM, 70-200mmmL 4 IS and 100mm 2,8 Macro ...
I have a tripod, too ... but I have NEVER used it !!!! :-))
So... I think the reason is the kit lens !!!
bye,
Alex
I am not an expert in these kind of things, but I have a Canon 400D, too....
My lenses are from Canon,too : 17-55mm 2,8 IS USM, 70-200mmmL 4 IS and 100mm 2,8 Macro ...
I have a tripod, too ... but I have NEVER used it !!!! :-))
So... I think the reason is the kit lens !!!
bye,
Alex
09.10.08, 21:20
Post 5 of 18
I think its several things that causing the out of focus photos. The lense that comes with the camera are usually not the best one on the market. I have a Nikon D80 that comes with a standard 18-55 lense, and that lense is crap. I recently bought a new 18 - 50 lense and the difference is really big. I recomend to buy a better lense for your camera.
It can also be that your camera is focusing wrong. You can check that pretty easily. Use a ruler and and put it flat on a table and focus on for instance 25cm mark. If the camera is focusing right you should see that the focus is on the 25cm mark, is it on the 24 or the 26 mark, then you need to get your camera and lense for service.
Many lenses has the best sharpness between F8 and F11. Take some photos in that range and see if your photos are better.
Hope that helps!
Cheers,
Mikael
It can also be that your camera is focusing wrong. You can check that pretty easily. Use a ruler and and put it flat on a table and focus on for instance 25cm mark. If the camera is focusing right you should see that the focus is on the 25cm mark, is it on the 24 or the 26 mark, then you need to get your camera and lense for service.
Many lenses has the best sharpness between F8 and F11. Take some photos in that range and see if your photos are better.
Hope that helps!
Cheers,
Mikael
Hi Mikael and Alex,
Thank you both for your replies.
Mikael,
i'll try your test and see.
Thanks a lot.
Maria
Thank you both for your replies.
Mikael,
i'll try your test and see.
Thanks a lot.
Maria
Maria, show some of the pictures where you have the problem so we can see.
There is always a compromise on exposures:
Smaller aperture (larger f-stop values) = sharper dof pictures; but then you must use a slower shutter time and risk movement.
Faster shutter times = sharper pictures (less movement); but then you must use a larger aperture (smaller f value) which is not as sharp at all depths as a small aperture.
Very small apertures may create diffraction problems (less sharp appearing). Large apertures require more perfection from the lens to focus properly.
High ISO speeds (800 - 1600) will have more noise than slow speeds (200).
Also, digital sensors have some "fuzzyness" compared to film, which is why most people end up using some kind of noise filter or "unsharp mask" process on the digital images.
Also, your computer monitor is limited to a certain pixel resolution that is much less than a good printer.
If you use a strong tripod to take a well-focused photo of a non-moving object in bright light at ISO 200 and print it at 600 dpi on a good printer you should get the best sharpness possible. If THAT image is poor, then it is probably the lens.
Post Edited (17:42h)
Smaller aperture (larger f-stop values) = sharper dof pictures; but then you must use a slower shutter time and risk movement.
Faster shutter times = sharper pictures (less movement); but then you must use a larger aperture (smaller f value) which is not as sharp at all depths as a small aperture.
Very small apertures may create diffraction problems (less sharp appearing). Large apertures require more perfection from the lens to focus properly.
High ISO speeds (800 - 1600) will have more noise than slow speeds (200).
Also, digital sensors have some "fuzzyness" compared to film, which is why most people end up using some kind of noise filter or "unsharp mask" process on the digital images.
Also, your computer monitor is limited to a certain pixel resolution that is much less than a good printer.
If you use a strong tripod to take a well-focused photo of a non-moving object in bright light at ISO 200 and print it at 600 dpi on a good printer you should get the best sharpness possible. If THAT image is poor, then it is probably the lens.
Post Edited (17:42h)
Hello Maria if you are like me and still learning photography, a lot has to do with using the correct aperture for the time of day and lighting conditions. A tripod is really no good unless you use a remote shutter cord because you can still have camera movement from just pressing the shutter button. Also you will get much better results by using RAW instead of JPEG or it seems I'm getting better results. Practice, Practice and more Practice and it will get better.
You can shutter attachment pretty cheap.
Best of Luck
You can shutter attachment pretty cheap.
Best of Luck
Hi Maria,
"as sharp as you like" is quite dynamic, it is difficult to give a solution without knowing how the photos look like and what you expect. An exemple / "100% crop" incl. exif data would help to see your problem.
I would go on step by step in an "exculsion mode" - checking parameters by most probably or easy-to-check reasons and deselect what's ok.
The settings of the cam: Do you use RAW or jpg? What's the setting for "sharpness"? If you have reduced it, the unsharp mask in your dig.editing software solves the problem. Which focus mode you use? Especially the matrix mode can produce errors, I would try some test shot in the spot mode.
The lens could be the problem. The 18-55 "kit-lens" is not the sharpest on the market, but it should provide satisfying results. Do you know other Canon users close to you? If yes try another lens with exact the same paramters and compare the result. If possible try your lens with another Cam. The test of incorrect focus given by Mikael is a very good way, too.
A defect of the cam? Difficult to check at home...
As already mentioned the mix of speed and aperture can have a strong impact, too. I would fix the cam on the tripod an make a range of shots of the same motive with different settings and compare the results (at open aperture most lenses provide a softness in place of sharpness....).
Depending on the results I would go on......
greetz, Olli
"as sharp as you like" is quite dynamic, it is difficult to give a solution without knowing how the photos look like and what you expect. An exemple / "100% crop" incl. exif data would help to see your problem.
I would go on step by step in an "exculsion mode" - checking parameters by most probably or easy-to-check reasons and deselect what's ok.
The settings of the cam: Do you use RAW or jpg? What's the setting for "sharpness"? If you have reduced it, the unsharp mask in your dig.editing software solves the problem. Which focus mode you use? Especially the matrix mode can produce errors, I would try some test shot in the spot mode.
The lens could be the problem. The 18-55 "kit-lens" is not the sharpest on the market, but it should provide satisfying results. Do you know other Canon users close to you? If yes try another lens with exact the same paramters and compare the result. If possible try your lens with another Cam. The test of incorrect focus given by Mikael is a very good way, too.
A defect of the cam? Difficult to check at home...
As already mentioned the mix of speed and aperture can have a strong impact, too. I would fix the cam on the tripod an make a range of shots of the same motive with different settings and compare the results (at open aperture most lenses provide a softness in place of sharpness....).
Depending on the results I would go on......
greetz, Olli
Dear All,
thank you so much for your replies. Well just to answer some questions so maybe you can also get a better idea of the situation.
1. i only use RAW
2. in low speeds or whenever necessary i do use tripod
3. the problem started as i have seen from my pics not right from the beginning but after some months
4. my sharpness is either set on 0 or above depending on the profile settings and
5. many times i use manual focus in order to get the results i need. Especially for close ups.
So i suppose i need to check the lens with someone else's camera and also do what Mikael suggested. That might help.
Any other suggestions pleaseeeeeeeeeee.
@Ruud,
I will create a file with my problematic pics so you can see if you wish :)
Thank you All for your help :)
Really appreciated.
Maria
thank you so much for your replies. Well just to answer some questions so maybe you can also get a better idea of the situation.
1. i only use RAW
2. in low speeds or whenever necessary i do use tripod
3. the problem started as i have seen from my pics not right from the beginning but after some months
4. my sharpness is either set on 0 or above depending on the profile settings and
5. many times i use manual focus in order to get the results i need. Especially for close ups.
So i suppose i need to check the lens with someone else's camera and also do what Mikael suggested. That might help.
Any other suggestions pleaseeeeeeeeeee.
@Ruud,
I will create a file with my problematic pics so you can see if you wish :)
Thank you All for your help :)
Really appreciated.
Maria
I have a suggestion and please don't take this the wrong way..
another factor not already mentioned is eyesight.. if you are manually focusing and it looks sharp through the slr and later appears out of focus.. have you either checked that your eyes aren't the problem.. or if you already use glasses that you have the viewfinder properly calibrated to compensate?
None of us are getting any younger.. lol
Post Edited (20:12h)
another factor not already mentioned is eyesight.. if you are manually focusing and it looks sharp through the slr and later appears out of focus.. have you either checked that your eyes aren't the problem.. or if you already use glasses that you have the viewfinder properly calibrated to compensate?
None of us are getting any younger.. lol
Post Edited (20:12h)
Hihi :)
Well now that you mention it i think i should also visit the eye doctor! Well I've thought about that its true.
I'll do all the tricks and tips and we'll "see"
Well now that you mention it i think i should also visit the eye doctor! Well I've thought about that its true.
I'll do all the tricks and tips and we'll "see"
You are describing an interesting problem and surprisingly it is not unique. Camera and lens combination don't focus precisely on the object, instead some combinations focus either in front or behind the object. My D40 camera and 200 mm zoom focused behind the object and rendered the autofocus useless. Every picture was soft.
The problem resided with the lens. You can go to a camera store and put a different lens on your camera and take a picture. That would isolate your problem fairly fast. Most camera stores won't mind helping you. In my case the lens stopped focusing all together. The tiny servo motor failed, and I learned my lesson never to buy a kit lens.
Most likely the problem is caused by the vibration reduction. When you put the camera on a tripod you must also turn the vib reduction off. Vib reduction needs some movement in order to work. I would try a few pictures with the vib reduction off.
The problem resided with the lens. You can go to a camera store and put a different lens on your camera and take a picture. That would isolate your problem fairly fast. Most camera stores won't mind helping you. In my case the lens stopped focusing all together. The tiny servo motor failed, and I learned my lesson never to buy a kit lens.
Most likely the problem is caused by the vibration reduction. When you put the camera on a tripod you must also turn the vib reduction off. Vib reduction needs some movement in order to work. I would try a few pictures with the vib reduction off.
I have a EOS600D with kit lens, the automatic focus doesn't work any more, because I disassembled the lens just a month ago. I have to use the manual focus to take the photo. Unfortunately, I found out the picture neither sharp nor perfect focused, majority of photos are fussy. For the sharpness, I think it's related to the correct white balance setting.