Blurry shots question

[TiCoyote]

Steve01, The lens was set to AF. The camera did beep. It will only beep when it is in focus. When I looked through the lens, before I took the shot, the image appeared sharp in the viewfinder.

 

[Dominantly]

The camera focusing is far from the issue.

 

[Steve01]

Steve01, The lens was set to AF. The camera did beep. It will only beep when it is in focus. When I looked through the lens, before I took the shot, the image appeared sharp in the viewfinder.

I think you need to do some controlled test and duplicate the situations that have given you these out of focus results.

 

[Mike_E]

Steve01, The lens was set to AF. The camera did beep. It will only beep when it is in focus. When I looked through the lens, before I took the shot, the image appeared sharp in the viewfinder.

I think you need to do some controlled test and duplicate the situations that have given you these out of focus results.

That is the beginning of the answer you're looking for.

First, Make sure that the lens and sensor are clean (it really looks as though you lens is fogged here). Then make sure you have your auto focus set to single point and make sure that that point is what you intend to have in focus. Second, get a tripod or set the camera on something steady (Google DIY photo bean-bags for a quick knock off if you like). Focus the camera and use the self timer to trip the shutter. If the image is still out of focus try a second lens to determine which is the problem. If the image is clear then move along to the next step.

Honestly from what I can see from your photo camera shake isn't the problem but with this monitor it's hard to tell.

Remember that camera shake will be a problem when your shutter speed is less than 1/focal length of the lens you are using. Remember that if you are using a crop camera to take into account the crop factor. If you have a 100mm lens and a 1.6 crop factor then you shouldn't shoot hand held under 1/160 (or the nearest fraction higher up on your camera).

Finally depth of field has ABSOLUTELY nothing to do with the shutter speed!!

It is entirely a function of aperture and focal length.. Look it up for yourself, please, knowing that is one of those things that make the difference between being a photographer and a snap-shooter.

(if you thought otherwise please don't be offended, just look it up. The whole point of posting here is to learn. OK, bragging on your gear just not all the time. )

 

[fokker]

Honestly from what I can see from your photo camera shake isn't the problem but with this monitor it's hard to tell.

.......

Finally depth of field has ABSOLUTELY nothing to do with the shutter speed!!

At 1/2000s shutter speed is definitely not the problem here.


And depth of field and shutter speed are intimitely related if you are concerned about getting the right exposure - change one and you have to change the other (ignoring ISO).

 

[MrBarney]

I'm going to ask a couple of really dumb questions, but I haven't seen them mentioned...

How long did you leave between the "half press" of the shutter when the camera beeped, and the full press to take the photo? Did you move the camera at all between them, perhaps to recompose the shot?

 

[Mike_E]

Honestly from what I can see from your photo camera shake isn't the problem but with this monitor it's hard to tell.

.......

Finally depth of field has ABSOLUTELY nothing to do with the shutter speed!!

At 1/2000s shutter speed is definitely not the problem here.


And depth of field and shutter speed are intimitely related if you are concerned about getting the right exposure - change one and you have to change the other (ignoring ISO).

Exposure wasn't the question though. Knowing what DOF is, and how it's managed, is and it's entirely managed by aperture and the focal length of the lens (magnification strictly speaking).

Have a read here... Depth of field - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[TiCoyote]

This thread is starting to go some silly places. I've taken photography classes, and I've read Understanding Exposure cover to cover. Depth of Field is a pretty basic concept, and I do know how to use it. I understand that a lower f number means a wider aperture, and a wider aperture means a shallower DOF. A shallower DOF means that the near-far range of distances in focus is shorter. It becomes increasingly shorter as the subject approaches the camera. Therefore, a wide aperture shot of an object a few feet from the lens will have a DOF of a few inches, but a wide aperture shot of an object shot at infinity distance may be many, many feet wide.

Additionally, I know how to use my DOF preview button. What I notice is that the DOF preview button will make blurry objects appear in focus, but it will not make focused objects appear blurry. This means that more of a shot may come out clear due to a wide DOF (small aperture) but as I understand it, anything that is already in focus, should come out in focus (barring other factors such as camera shake). Also, at wide open, the DOF preview button does nothing, because it stops down the lens to the aperture, and wide open doesn't need to be stopped down. Well, it literally can't be.

At no point did I state that shutter speed has a relationship with DOF. Others have pointed out that if my camera is set to shutter speed priority mode, and I change the shutter speed, it will automatically adjust the aperture, thus changing the DOF.

If you look at a full crop of the image, it looks blurry or foggy. Camera shake would produce an image that looks streaky. Also, even the shakiest of hands can still produce a clean image at 1/2000 sec shutter speed.

As I reconsider the image, I may have been more like 40' from the geese, so I should have a DOF that is 11 ft wide. Most or all of the geese were within 11 ft of each other, so some or all of them should be in focus.

I also have a shot with the same problem, and the subject is a single kayaker. He should be in focus. And I have a shot of the front of a house. That's a flat plane, so it should be entirely in focus.

I plan to so some test shots. Thank you for the advice.

 

[andyla12]

Honestly by reading this replies I'm quite learning a lot that's also what I'm interested to learn in terms of photography

 

[AlexL]

have you tried a slower aperture?

 

[Petraio Prime]

This thread is starting to go some silly places. I've taken photography classes, and I've read Understanding Exposure cover to cover. Depth of Field is a pretty basic concept, and I do know how to use it. I understand that a lower f number means a wider aperture, and a wider aperture means a shallower DOF. A shallower DOF means that the near-far range of distances in focus is shorter. It becomes increasingly shorter as the subject approaches the camera. Therefore, a wide aperture shot of an object a few feet from the lens will have a DOF of a few inches, but a wide aperture shot of an object shot at infinity distance may be many, many feet wide.

Additionally, I know how to use my DOF preview button. What I notice is that the DOF preview button will make blurry objects appear in focus, but it will not make focused objects appear blurry. This means that more of a shot may come out clear due to a wide DOF (small aperture) but as I understand it, anything that is already in focus, should come out in focus (barring other factors such as camera shake). Also, at wide open, the DOF preview button does nothing, because it stops down the lens to the aperture, and wide open doesn't need to be stopped down. Well, it literally can't be.

At no point did I state that shutter speed has a relationship with DOF. Others have pointed out that if my camera is set to shutter speed priority mode, and I change the shutter speed, it will automatically adjust the aperture, thus changing the DOF.

If you look at a full crop of the image, it looks blurry or foggy. Camera shake would produce an image that looks streaky. Also, even the shakiest of hands can still produce a clean image at 1/2000 sec shutter speed.

As I reconsider the image, I may have been more like 40' from the geese, so I should have a DOF that is 11 ft wide. Most or all of the geese were within 11 ft of each other, so some or all of them should be in focus.

I also have a shot with the same problem, and the subject is a single kayaker. He should be in focus. And I have a shot of the front of a house. That's a flat plane, so it should be entirely in focus.

I plan to so some test shots. Thank you for the advice.

It is more than likely that:

1) The lens is not up to the task (especially at wide open)

or

2) The polarizer cased the lens to 'hunt' or something, unable to lock in on the focus.

 

[Steve01]

Well you know more than the basics and you said that you're "sure" the camera locked focus, both on this photo and the kayaker.

I think you said it only happens when the lens is wide open is that right?
Does it happen at other aperture settings?
Do you have other lenses and does it happen with them?

Maybe the lens, camera, or both need to be recalibrated.
You probably know this but a good test is to tape a sheet of newspaper on a flat well lit wall. With the camera on a tripod shoot at each aperture from f2.8 to the smallest aperture and check the images in your editor.

Some will be sharper than others but they should all be in focus if not you need to get the lens checked.
I'd be curious of the results.

 

[Alpha]

Too many variables and too many suggestions. Try the following.
1) Remove the filter. Shoot wide open. If you get a good shot your filter is the problem.
2) If removing the filter doesn't help, stop down. If you get a good shot then you're soft wide open.
3) If stopping down does not work, shoot wide open and focus manually. If that works you may have an AF problem. If it doesn't work, you may have a loose element or an otherwise broken lens. Try a different lens.

It's really that simple.

 

[Petraio Prime]

Too many variables and too many suggestions. Try the following.
1) Remove the filter. Shoot wide open. If you get a good shot your filter is the problem.
2) If removing the filter doesn't help, stop down. If you get a good shot then you're soft wide open.
3) If stopping down does not work, shoot wide open and focus manually. If that works you may have an AF problem. If it doesn't work, you may have a loose element or an otherwise broken lens. Try a different lens.

It's really that simple.

Yeah, the process of elimination....

 

[kundalini]

I haven't read through the enire thread yet, so please forgive me if this has been mentioned already.

Also, even the shakiest of hands can still produce a clean image at 1/2000 sec shutter speed.

Not necessarily, it could be your shooting technique. A few things worth noting.
· Have a stable stance. Feet ~shoulder width apart.
· Support your camera. Arms tucked into your sides/torso. Left hand under lens to support weight.
· With larger cameras with grips, rest the left edge of the body/grip into the pectoralis major. Adds support.
· If available on your camera, try the AF-ON button on the back to find focus with your thumb, instead of the half press with your index finger. Regardless….
· Exhale before triggering shutter release.
· Roll your finger over the shutter release button rather than pressing down to trigger.

Every little bit helps.