Shooting in MANUAL mode and still blurry pics! HELP!

[e.rose]

It's exactly what KMH said.

Your DOF is too shallow.

Look at the plants in front of her... they're perfectly sharp, but she's not. You missed focus... focused on the plants... and the DOF is too shallow to reach to her.

You needed to use a smaller aperture.

What were your settings on that image?

 

[enzodm]

The Vivitar lens is ONLY manual unfortunately...I'm shooting with a Canon 1D Mark II...I added it to my profile but for some reason its not showing..anyways my shutter speed may have been an issue I believe I was at 30 or 40...

With a 1D, you even do not have the excuse of a bad viewfinder, it is just matter of exercise.
However, as already pointed out by others, 1/30 is way too slow for a 85mm lens. The rule of thumb tells at least 1/focal length.
In addition, here you may calculate DoF: Depth of Field Table . You can see that at 1.4, 2 meter of distance, DoF is 4cm. You need to have a sure aim , or exercise with more forgiving DoF (at 3.5 is about 13cm). Again, put some sample with EXIF data, this will help to analyze the specific reason.

Regarding signature, most likely it does not show because you put an URL in it.

EDIT: sample arrived while posting this. 1/125s, not bad, and bad focus.

 

[c.cloudwalker]

I'm surprised no one has picked up on the fact that the OP doesn't get the aperture/depth of field thingy.

"I'm anywhere from 1.4-3.5 F stop because I want great DOF."

Well, that's quite the opposite of what to do and when you have shallow DOF, you need to focus very carefully.

 

[lizg]

I see...my setting for that image is: 1/125 of a second, ISO 50, 1.4 F stop

When I looked through the VF everything looked clear which confuses me how would I know if its sharp if the VF misguides me?? I guess my settings were off as well as me not focusing on her face that time?

 

[enzodm]

I'm surprised no one has picked up on the fact that the OP doesn't get the aperture/depth of field thingy.

"I'm anywhere from 1.4-3.5 F stop because I want great DOF."

Well, that's quite the opposite of what to do and when you have shallow DOF, you need to focus very carefully.

Well, I thought at it but I decided to interpret "great" in metaphorical sense. Lizg, please confirm you know what you are doing .

 

[e.rose]

I see...my setting for that image is: 1/125 of a second, ISO 50, 1.4 F stop

When I looked through the VF everything looked clear which confuses me how would I know if its sharp if the VF misguides me?? I guess my settings were off as well as me not focusing on her face that time?

When you're *close* to being focused on your subject, it can look like you're dead on in the VF. Think about how tiny the view finder is... its going to be really hard to distinguish between dead on and almost on.

If you would have just opened up your aperture a bit more, you probably would have been okay.

 

[enzodm]

I see...my setting for that image is: 1/125 of a second, ISO 50, 1.4 F stop

When I looked through the VF everything looked clear which confuses me how would I know if its sharp if the VF misguides me?? I guess my settings were off as well as me not focusing on her face that time?

again, it is matter of exercise, not that VF misguides you. 4cm DoF means that if you breath while shooting, you are out. Shoot a sequence and choose the best. Use a tripod, so that at least the camera is always in the same position. I regularly manually focus because I use old lenses, but I have also a 1000D, with pentamirror instead of pentaprism and smaller VF size that make things harder; however it is feasible.

 

[lizg]

In my previous post, I mentioned I'm "self taught", please remember this is a "beginners" forum if I were a super savy know it all photographer I would not be asking stupid questions that is the obvious for most of you experienced photographers so please be kind in your response k, in enzodm's comment "Lizg, please confirm you know what you are doing" isn't it clear that I don't? I'm learning the ropes on a very broad field here, One thing I can say is I have a good eye but I'm learning a lot as I go. I don't profess to be a professional just having fun as I learn...I appreciate everyones help and response here, thank you all so much. If there is anything else I can read or learn please feel free to share with me, I'm a sponge right now!!

 

[c.cloudwalker]

You do not see the DOF in your viewfinder unless you go into DOF preview. At least that's the way it was with my film cameras. I don't use my DSLR much so some one will correct me if I'm wrong...

However, it would help to understand DOF correctly. 1.4 will give you the least amount of DOF also known as the shallowest. The smaller the f number, the less DOF you get. The bigger the number the more you get. I know it's weird because it is the exact opposite of light but you need to understand those principles.

 

[e.rose]

In my previous post, I mentioned I'm "self taught", please remember this is a "beginners" forum if I were a super savy know it all photographer I would not be asking stupid questions that is the obvious for most of you experienced photographers so please be kind in your response k, in enzodm's comment "Lizg, please confirm you know what you are doing" isn't it clear that I don't? I'm learning the ropes on a very broad field here, One thing I can say is I have a good eye but I'm learning a lot as I go. I don't profess to be a professional just having fun as I learn...I appreciate everyones help and response here, thank you all so much. If there is anything else I can read or learn please feel free to share with me, I'm a sponge right now!!

He was trying to give you the benefit of the doubt. Not saying you should already know everything.

Everyone is well aware this is the beginner's forum.

I, myself, am self-taught and have used this forum for it's great many resources and helpful members... it would probably behoove you to not be so defensive, because if you thought that was... harsh... then you're not going to last very long here, haha And I mean that in the kindest way possible.

You need a tough skin to ask for C&C and for help here... everyone is *extremely* helpful, but a lot of the times people mis-interpret helpful critique for "rudeness" or "harshness towards a beginner".

Enzodm didn't mean either of those things. Again, he was simply trying to give you the benefit of the doubt. :sillysmi:

No one expects you to know everything... or much of anything, for that matter. Just keep posting and asking your questions. :sillysmi:

 

[e.rose]

You do not see the DOF in your viewfinder unless you go into DOF preview. At least that's the way it was with my film cameras. I don't use my DSLR much so some one will correct me if I'm wrong...

No, you're right. It still works that way.

 

[c.cloudwalker]

Yes, I can see you are having fun (hopefully as you learn.) I would be having fun too with this semi-naked girl

 

[analog.universe]

The perception of DOF through the viewfinder will be greatly affected by the particular focusing screen being used. I've never used a 1D, so I'm not sure how coarse it is. Screens optimized for autofocus efficiency usually show a perceptually deeper DOF than a manual focus optimized screen at the same aperture. The best way to determine what will be in focus through the viewfinder is just to familiarize yourself with what the DOF looks like at different apertures, focal lengths, and focal distances. (only experience gets you this, so shoot a lot!) When you focus, you're always just placing the center of the focus field... knowing how deep the field will be is something you know intuitively, or look up in a chart, but it's very difficult to actually see it in the viewfinder.

 

[enzodm]

isn't it clear that I don't?

not necessarily, untold messages were ambiguous (e.g. you have a pro camera).
Anyway, Cloudwalker just wrote you something useful. If you want "great" DoF you have to close aperture, i.e., increment the F value, unless for "great" you mean shallow, which is more or less the reverse and was how I interpreted you. Look at the link I gave you to understand how DoF relates to aperture.

The usual book suggested here is "Understanding exposure" by Bryan Peterson.

 

[enzodm]

You do not see the DOF in your viewfinder unless you go into DOF preview. At least that's the way it was with my film cameras. I don't use my DSLR much so some one will correct me if I'm wrong...

No, you're right. It still works that way.

not usually, with manual lenses on dSLR. You work stop-down.