Canon lens help, frustrated

[KmH]

Apparently, the OP does not yet understand Depth-Of-Field, nor apparently most of the other technical aspects of doing photography.

Consequently, there will continue to be mysterious problems cropping up that basically are user error.

Digital Photography Tutorials

 

[gsgary]

multi-tasking and i have to run an errand. Will check back in a bit......thank you for the help. I am trying to master this DOF!

Pause in the action folks. Everybody take a break.
We may be a while with this. SHE'S A BLONDE!

Could be an aeroplane blonde

 

[Vtec44]

I had a PM exchange with her and she told me, adamantly, that she knows what's aperture and how to use it. So I went back to reading and practicing my own photography.

 

[enzodm]

And please avoid post titles that may cause depreciation of my equipment when I decide to sell it. It's not a Canon problem. :lmao:

 

[ArtByQJ]

Thought about selling all my stuff and switch to Nikon....:meh:

no don't!!!!

 

[luvmyfamily]

Thought about selling all my stuff and switch to Nikon....:meh:

no don't!!!!

Was just frustrated this morning but feeling better now.

 

[luvmyfamily]

Apparently, the OP does not yet understand Depth-Of-Field, nor apparently most of the other technical aspects of doing photography.

Consequently, there will continue to be mysterious problems cropping up that basically are user error.

Digital Photography Tutorials

I printed this out, thank you, as well as other "study material." Easy now about not understanding I am starting to get a grasp on DOF, which is my goal this week. My 2nd photo was better after the very nice advice from a few people so I gave it a 2nd try, and starting to understand distance from the background and distance from the subject. i'm getting there and have learned sooo much on here.

 

[gsgary]

Thought about selling all my stuff and switch to Nikon....:meh:

no don't!!!!

Was just frustrated this morning but feeling better now.

It's your husbands fault if you are frustrated

 

[LightSpeed]

Was just frustrated this morning but feeling better now.

I can take care of that for you too.

 

[DiskoJoe]

The brick is not blurring. I was about 4 feet away.

Here is the exif:
Aperture (F): 5.60ISO speed rating: 100
Lens focal length, mm:Flash: Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode
Shutter speed (APEX): 0.0110 (1/91)
Exposure mode: Manual exposure

You are too close to that wall. You need more area behind the subject to get a nice bokeh. Try taking a portrait of someone in a field or in the street so they have lots of distance behind them and you should get sufficient blur like this.....

This was at f4

L.A / Alexander - 100 Strangers: 09/100 by DiskoJoe, on Flickr
f2.8

Kayla/Buster - 100 strangers: 08/100 by DiskoJoe, on Flickr
f1.7

Shane Davidson - 7/100: 100 Strangers by DiskoJoe, on Flickr

The last 2nd one at f/2.8 is a better blur and what I am trying to get. The 3rd one, the subject is in focus, but background is almost too much blur. Thank you and how far away were you?

You have just proven you have a amazing eye for detail. The major difference is that the second picture was shot with my sigma 70-210 f2.8 with apo glass. It also has a nice blade aperture which gives it a smooth creamy bokeh. Thats my favorite and most expensive lens. I was further back due to the focal length of the lens.

 

[luvmyfamily]

Spent all day working on DOF outside with a tape measure too and wrote everything down. Now I want to learn and be a master of LIGHT Very productive day and learning day. Mentally exhausted.....yawn.

 

[pgriz]

There are many reasons why images are not sharp. The list below is not exhaustive, but it give you an idea of the number of things that can affect the end result.
1) Your filter is causing the image to be unsharp. (Solution: take it off)
2) The AF is not picking up your intended target. (Solution: use the center AF point, which in your camera is the most sensitive point anyways)
3) The AF is front/back focusing. (unlike pro and prosumer cameras, your camera does not have the micro-adjustments for focus. So if you can determine that the camera is front or back focusing, then sending it in for adjustment at a service center is necessary).
4) The lens is not sharp at the aperture you are using. (usually, this is at the wide-open end due to compromises in the optical design, or at the completely closed down end due to diffraction. Common solution is to shoot 2 stops closed down from wide open).
5) The AF is not picking up your intended target even when you use the center point. The AF mechanism needs a certain level of brightness AND contrast to do its job. Too little of either, and either the AF keeps on hunting, or it decides that "something" is in focus but that's not what you intended.
6) Camera shake causes the image to be slightly blurred. Increasing the shutter speed and/or putting the camera on a sturdy tripod are the usual solutions.

You have gotten lots of suggestions regarding DOF. That is both distance and aperture related. The closer the subject is to you, the less DOF you have everything else being equal. At the same time, the distance between your subject and your background plays a key role in whether the background is sufficiently out-of-focus when you want it out of focus. So, if your intent is to have, someone's head competely in focus, that requires a DOF of about 8 inches. If you are using f/2+50mm lens, and your target is at 4 feet, then your DOF is about 2 inches. You need to move them about 8.5 ft. away from the camera to have a DOF of 8 inches (again, f/2 + 50mm lens). If you DON'T want to change the distance, leaving it at 4 ft. to the subject, then you have to close your aperture down to f/11 to get the 8 inches of DOF. Of course, if you do that, then the background will also be less blurred. So it's a balancing act - how much DOF you need, how much separation there is between subject and background, at what distance to the camera do you get the right framing, etc.

 

[Derrel]

Spent all day working on DOF outside with a tape measure too and wrote everything down. Now I want to learn and be a master of LIGHT Very productive day and learning day. Mentally exhausted.....yawn.

Master of Light,eh??? That's gonna' take another week or two...

 

[Robin Usagani]

How about go wide AND still have shallow DOF

 

[Vtec44]

How about go wide AND still have shallow DOF

brenizer method ftw!