problem with Xs?

[jeljohns]

I am so frustrated with my Rebel Xs camera! Since I got the camera I have not been able to take a single picture that isn't soft/blurry or too dark. It doesn't matter what ISO or setting I have it on. Has anyone else had this problem with this camera? The only time it seems to work well is outside on a clear sunny day. I'm really annoyed that my P&S takes sharper, better pictures than a camera I paid $$$ for.

Here is an example from this past weekend.

 

[raptorman]

Can you post the EXIF data of that picture?

 

[dcclark]

Can you post your exposure info from that photo? In particular, the ISO, Shutter Speed, and Aperture. I ask because it looks like you have blur from camera shake, which usually means that your shutter speed was too slow.

In particular, it looks like you were shooting in a rather low light situation -- indoors at night under flourescent lights. That's dimmer than you might expect, especially if you're using your kit lens, which is "slow" (meaning, doesn't collect light as well as some others). This is a common problem with indoor shots, and often your best bet is to either get a flash, or a faster lens (such as a 50mm f/1.8 or f/1.4, which will let you collect a lot more light in the same situations).

 

[jeljohns]

How do I find the data?

I'm pretty sure the camera was in AV mode. f/4.0 (the lowest my lens would go) 800 ISO.

It seems that even if I have it set to a high ISO and a wide aperture the shutter is still very slow so my pics are always blurry. Faster shutter speed and they are dark AND blurry.

 

[gsgary]

There is nothing wrong with your camera, it is user error, all you need is better understanding of exposure which will come with time, if you are using the kit lens inside you will not get good photos unless you use a flash

 

[bdavis]

Getting faster lenses like the aforementioned 50mm 1.8 would help a lot. You can go all the way up to aperture 1.8 and get some fast shutter speeds, though your DOF will be quite small, but you can still get the shot. What it boils down to is that you dont have enough light when trying to shoot. The image is blurry because you have to shoot at a slow shutter speed to get proper exposure, as a result the slightest movement of your hand will make the picture appear blurry. You can choose a faster shutter to counteract the blurry photos, but then you dont have enough light because your shutter is opening and closing so fast that its not allowing enough light in to get a proper exposure, hence the dark image.

A tip you can try is switching the camera to manual mode and using the pop up flash. Before taking the photo, drop your shutter speed down to 1/30, 1/15, 1/8 or whatever of a second. This way your flash can help you properly expose the subjects, but the slow shutter speed will help bring out the ambient lighting so the background doesnt go black. Its called dragging the shutter. The flash can help freeze some camera shake, but you need to hold really still and have your subjects do the same. Good luck!

 

[raptorman]

How do I find the data?

Open your picture in Digital Photo Professional (came bundled with your Xs), right click on it and chose info.

 

[suki]

I'm not sure what it's called, because I keep getting the two mixed up, but it's 1/25 and in i believe Av mode (or Tv, those are the two I usually shoot with) and my pics will come out pretty clear, as long as i remember to focus first on the subject and then move to position.

It took me a couple weeks to figure that out so just continue to play and shoot with the camera and practice different settings.

 

[bdavis]

Its all dependent on the amount of available light...chances are your settings wont work for him.

 

[inTempus]

You're just struggling with understanding the camera settings. What I see is some vicious hand-shake with too slow of a shutter speed. A shutter speed of 1/25 isn't fast enough to compensate for movement in this case it seems. As a general rule, try to have your shutter speed 1/focal length. In other words, if you're shooting at 50mm have your shutter speed at least 1/50. I like to go a stop faster just because I hate goofing things up if I can avoid it. Also, if your lens has image stabilization (do you have the 18-55 IS kit lens?) make sure you have this enabled.

A P&S camera does everything for you, that's why when you take a shot in adverse lighting it looks better than the images you're capturing with your DSLR right now. Once you understand exposure a little better you'll find that you can easily capture images that far exceed the quality of your P&S.

Keep trying, don't give up. I know it can be frustrating at times.

 

[suki]

ahh yes. I have been shooting alot in natural/day light.

 

[bdavis]

Tharmsen is right, but there is another strategy that can help with getting sharp shots. Try using the burst on your camera. You can just hold the shutter and it will take a few shots quickly. Sometimes this can be helpful and a sharp shot might sneak its way in there. Though I'm not a big fan of this "spray and pray" method, it's worth a shot.

 

[LarryD]

How do I find the data?

I'm pretty sure the camera was in AV mode. f/4.0 (the lowest my lens would go) 800 ISO.

It seems that even if I have it set to a high ISO and a wide aperture the shutter is still very slow so my pics are always blurry. Faster shutter speed and they are dark AND blurry.

Your problem is in this statement..

1. f4.0 is not very good at gathering light, so you need a lot of it and your shutter stays open longer to let it in.. Longer shutter speed equals cameraa shake..

2. A faster shutter speed will only work if you have a large enough f-stop to let light in, so when you up the shutter, your camera is probably signaling to you somehow that f4 is just not sufficient to allow light in, result, too dark.

I do not like this lens, but many do, so go out and get the 50mm f1.8 "nifty fifty" lens. It's cheap and lets in 3 times more light than your f4 lens.

 

[jeljohns]

Thank you to all that replied. I appreciate the advice.

I understand fast lenses, I do have the nifty fifty but don't use it much. What I don't understand is that most lenses I have seen can only go down to f/4, so unless you have the money for the 2.8 lenses (which I don't) how do you get past the camera shake? Since I want to take pictures of people mainly out and about a tripod really isn't an option.

 

[Samanax]

I understand fast lenses, I do have the nifty fifty but don't use it much.

Maybe it's time to start using it more. It'll give you better low light performance and is a fairly sharp lens.

What I don't understand is that most lenses I have seen can only go down to f/4, so unless you have the money for the 2.8 lenses (which I don't) how do you get past the camera shake? Since I want to take pictures of people mainly out and about a tripod really isn't an option.

Start looking at prime lenses that fit your budget. They'll be faster than most zoom lenses for better low light performance, they're sharper and the prosumer grade models aren't that expensive (much less costly than the "L" primes).