Shaper Images w/ T3i?

[Derrel]

Here is an example if this helps...View attachment 108917

THis photo has been made with a VERY crappy lens. Is this the first-version Canon 18-55 lens, the horrible, non-IS, non-ultrasonic motor version thatg was soooooooo junky that I gave mine away, rather than sell it to anybody? It sure looks similar in terms of horrible image rendering. THat lens model was sooooo bad that Canon never sold it in Japan and most of the orient, where people are very educated about photographic equipment; but hundreds of thousands of those 18-55's were sold in North America. I had one; one of the WORST zooms I have ever owned, it was especially bad at the shorter end of the zoom range. The best way to describe the look of its images is to imagine you are looking at the resulting photos it makes through aquarium glass, at a steep angle.

See that Coke-bottle-bottm like image rendering in the waterfall scene? See the fuzzy look around everything? That is a junky lens.

 

[TheBromad]

Here is an example if this helps...View attachment 108917

THis photo has been made with a VERY crappy lens. Is this the first-version Canon 18-55 lens, the horrible, non-IS, non-ultrasonic motor version thatg was soooooooo junky that I gave mine away, rather than sell it to anybody? It sure looks similar in terms of horrible image rendering. THat lens model was sooooo bad that Canon never sold it in Japan and most of the orient, where people are very educated about photographic equipment; but hundreds of thousands of those 18-55's were sold in North America. I had one; one of the WORST zooms I have ever owned, it was especially bad at the shorter end of the zoom range. The best way to describe the look of its images is to imagine you are looking at the resulting photos it makes through aquarium glass, at a steep angle.

See that Coke-bottle-bottm like image rendering in the waterfall scene? See the fuzzy look around everything? That is a junky lens.

Do you have any lens suggestions? I know they say the 50mm 1.4 is a good budget lens, but is it good for landscape? I plan on buying it eventually either way, but I'm looking for a lower budget/well performing (maybe an oxymoron lol) lens that works well for landscape.

 

[soufiej]

"I have a problem."

"What's the problem?"

"I'm not sure but it isn't what I want."

"What do you want?"

"Something better."

"Oh, ... OK, what have you done to get to 'better'?"

"I've watched videos."

OK, you've watched videos on f-stop. What makes you think f-stop is your problem?

You are correct that kit lenses are not "the greatest". Have you checked out the price of "the greatest"? Do you realize "the greatest" are often purpose built and not really very good at day to day use?

Depending on the kit lens you are using, there is little reason you should not be taking decent photos if you are doing everything right. People take some pretty good looking photos with their smart phone cameras and they certainly have less quality in their lenses than do most kit lenses.

Problem solving is a step by step process of logically looking at each possible cause and then logically eliminating each possible cause until you have solved the problem.

I'm looking at this photo on a 10" notebook screen but I wouldn't say your problem is with depth of field. If the issue were with the aperture, then there would be some point of the photo that would be in very sharp focus, kit lens not withstanding. I am not seeing that on my screen. Someone with a better monitor can correct me.

IMO and that of many users, the current line of Canon kit lenses are pretty good and certainly sharp enough for the average Canon consumer. Yes, their prime lenses are of a higher equality but I would think most photographers could take a sharp enough photo with the kit lens.

My first guess would be you are jabbing at the shutter release and causing camera movement. That's my first guess because it's the single most common issue student photographers develop.

I would like to see other examples of blurred photos if they are available. Simple images with blur would be better than a shot with dynamic range issues and the possibility of subject movement.


A tripod poorly used will be not that much better than no tripod at all. The tripod must first be stable and heavy enough to do the job in a strong breeze. Some photographers use sandbags to stabilize their tripod.

Make sure the camera is mounted securely to the head. You should be using the controls on the tripod to line up your shot and not by twisting the camera.

Frame and focus your shot and then use the camera's self timer to shoot the scene several seconds after you've pushed the shutter release. In this case, push the release and then remove your finger. Report your results.

If camera movement due to poor shutter technique is the issue here, you may also try setting your camera to its continuous shoot mode. Hand hold the camera then press and hold the shutter release. The camera will continue to snap photos until you release the shutter button. Snap off a half dozen shots by simply pressing the button and holding it down as the camera does its thing.

If camera movement is your problem it will be shown to exist in one of these alternative methods. With the tripod, your finger shouldn't be anywhere near the button when the shutter snaps. With the continuous mode, your first shot may be blurred but, if you are simply holding the button down (as you would normally when shooting in single shot mode), your subsequent shots should be noticeably sharper.

My next guess would be a misuse of focus points. In low light situations autofocus will have a more difficult time finding the target. As noted, if your shutter speed drops beneath about 1/100th for a handheld student photo, then you may have contributed some camera movement along with the focus not being perfect in the first place. Your test here is to take a basic photo of a simple scene in much brighter overall light.

Have you sat down with your owner's manual to really study focus points? If not, then you need to begin there.

Issues with the recent Canon kit lenses tend to be the typical issues of any zoom lens. A mid priced zoom lens will be sharpest at points away from its extremes. So set your lens to a midpoint focal length and a midpoint aperture, say, f-4.0 Above f 8.0, a zoom lens will be less sharp than at its mid points. Set your ISO value rather low, no more than 400 and your lens to its midpoints in good outdoor light. Check your focus points and adjust with the manual focus override if you feel it's needed. Shoot a simple scene from about 10-20 feet away. Any breeze can cause blur with a lightweight object.

Let is know if the problem still exists.

Aperture values (f-stop) should not be too difficult to understand. What you need to keep in mind is the effect of focal length and distance between the lens and the subject(s) will affect the total DOF. There are sites on line which you can use as guides and there are several smart phone apps you can download to always have the data handy.

A Flexible Depth of Field Calculator

A subject which tends to confuse students until they catch on to the "trick" is learning hyper-focal distance and when to apply it; Understanding Your Camera’s Hyperfocal Distance

Hope that helps.

 

[soufiej]

Can you tell us the exact model of your lens? "Kit lens" covers a broad range with Canon.

 

[TheBromad]

Can you tell us the exact model of your lens? "Kit lens" covers a broad range with Canon.

I have the 18-55mm and the 55-250mm

 

[goodguy]

For landscape get the 35mm 1.8, its sharp, affordable and brings tons of light onto the sensor.

 

[Dao]

Is there any "Add-on" filter(s) on your lens?

Also the Kit Lens the T3i shipped is the Newer IS lens which is not bad at all when shooting at f/5.6 to f/8.

The kit lens that shipped with my old XTi was the older generation and that did not behave like yours.

 

[soufiej]

Can you tell us the exact model of your lens? "Kit lens" covers a broad range with Canon.

I have the 18-55mm and the 55-250mm

Neither of those Canon lenses are "terrible".

In fact, for a kit lens which is thrown into the deal at such a low cost, both are quite good when it comes to image quality. I think even non-Canon shooters would have to agree with the fact Canon has done their users a great favor in how much quality they have packed into a lens which costs so little to own.

There are several other (rather high priced) camera manufacturers who, IMO, could take a lesson or two from Canon on how to provide good glass at reasonable prices.

Most student photographers would probably be somewhat hard pressed to notice a significant difference in resolution between a kit lens photo and a prime lens photo in most instances when your kit lens was either of these two examples. Either lens scores quite well in consumer or "pro" reviews.

I would encourage the op to check out the reviews and comments which are available for either individual lens. I suspect you would learn a few tricks and find a few tips about how to achieve the best results possible with either lens.

This comes down to one of the very first rules of better photography; learn and know your equipment and how to use it to your best advantage.

Both feature Canon's image stabilization circuitry which should provide an effective safeguard against camera shake when pressing the shutter release. Yet this is still my first suspicion when I look at the image examples. Which leads me to think the op has either defeated or somehow disabled the image stabilization system.



I cannot detect an aperture issue since there are no planes of in focus imagery in either shot.

Obviously, subject movement would not have been an issue in the second example. The building is out of focus and for that to happen as a result of subject movement, I would applaud the op for standing still while an earthquake of that magnitude was occurring.

In other words, subject movement is not a cause of blur for either shot. We can logically eliminate that from our list of possible causes.



I do suspect someone who has convinced themself a problem exists in aperture will have played around with aperture and the lens itself to the point it is poorly adjusted. However, without any plane of in focus image in these examples, I simply cannot see that aperture is the cause of the blur.

Let's, for now at least, remove that from our logical conclusion list of causes.




I would suggest the op do a bit of kitchen table research with his camera and its owner's manual at hand. Do make an effort to understand focus points and how autofocus operates on your camera.

Double check your menu settings for focus systems and be sure you have the camera set to its best option for any one photo. There are distinct reasons why you will change focus points for any one shot. There are very distinct reasons for using the various focusing systems on the Canon as each photo dictates. If, for example, you are using a tracking focus system best suited to shooting images of subjects moving towards the camera, you may be catching the camera at an out of sync point where focus should be set and immovable.

Therefore, read about, understand and implement your focus systems correctly.

Understand what the camera is telling you when it flashes a signal in the LCD or viewfinder which suggests the shot is not in focus. It's highly unlikely there would be a focus issue with both lenses unless the problem began with the camera or its user.

Certainly, make sure you have the lens set to auto mode and that the switch is fully engaged.

Understand how each lens operates its manual focus override.

The general blur in these photos somewhat suggests you might be holding the camera in a manner that places one hand on the lens focusing ring and you are slightly shifting the focus manually just before snapping the shot.




This would be another case where a tripod mounted photo would indicate a logical path to a resolution of the problem. Do the two tests I suggested earlier, the tripod mounted and the continuous shooting mode tests, and when using the tripod, don't touch the lens itself after you've mounted the camera.

When shooting the continuous mode shots, focus the lens, check for accurate focus and then do not touch the lens. Hold the camera with a somewhat open palm method where your fingers are not in direct contact with the lens itself.

Even with the camera's image stabilization assistance, the problem would seem to me to still be either in the way the user is releasing the shutter or a matter of not understanding and, therefore, not properly employing the autofocus points/autofocus systems.

Add to this now the possible movement of the lens' manual focus override and I feel you have, at the least, logically narrowed down your possible causes to a reasonable number.


Any or all of these issues are common to student photographers.


From there, once you have conducted the tests shots, you should be in a far better position to pin pointing your cause. At that point it is only a matter of time and practice - along with attention to detail - which will lead you to a better result.



Your camera and your lenses are perfectly capable of taking sharp photos.

There is a very slight possibility you have a defective camera but I really think that not to be the case here. You know how the camera has been handled and whether it might have suffered some sort of damage from a fall or sharp knock. That the camera would react to average wear and tear is not average so it is on the far end of the possible here IMO.

However, if you know someone with good photographic skills, ask them to take a few shots with your camera. Between their results and the tests shots I've described, you should come to a resolution rather quickly.

 

[TheBromad]

Can you tell us the exact model of your lens? "Kit lens" covers a broad range with Canon.

I have the 18-55mm and the 55-250mm

Neither of those Canon lenses are "terrible".

In fact, for a kit lens which is thrown into the deal at such a low cost, both are quite good when it comes to image quality. I think even non-Canon shooters would have to agree with the fact Canon has done their users a great favor in how much quality they have packed into a lens which costs so little to own.

There are several other (rather high priced) camera manufacturers who, IMO, could take a lesson or two from Canon on how to provide good glass at reasonable prices.

Most student photographers would probably be somewhat hard pressed to notice a significant difference in resolution between a kit lens photo and a prime lens photo in most instances when your kit lens was either of these two examples. Either lens scores quite well in consumer or "pro" reviews.

I would encourage the op to check out the reviews and comments which are available for either individual lens. I suspect you would learn a few tricks and find a few tips about how to achieve the best results possible with either lens.

This comes down to one of the very first rules of better photography; learn and know your equipment and how to use it to your best advantage.

Both feature Canon's image stabilization circuitry which should provide an effective safeguard against camera shake when pressing the shutter release. Yet this is still my first suspicion when I look at the image examples. Which leads me to think the op has either defeated or somehow disabled the image stabilization system.



I cannot detect an aperture issue since there are no planes of in focus imagery in either shot.

Obviously, subject movement would not have been an issue in the second example. The building is out of focus and for that to happen as a result of subject movement, I would applaud the op for standing still while an earthquake of that magnitude was occurring.

In other words, subject movement is not a cause of blur for either shot. We can logically eliminate that from our list of possible causes.



I do suspect someone who has convinced themself a problem exists in aperture will have played around with aperture and the lens itself to the point it is poorly adjusted. However, without any plane of in focus image in these examples, I simply cannot see that aperture is the cause of the blur.

Let's, for now at least, remove that from our logical conclusion list of causes.




I would suggest the op do a bit of kitchen table research with his camera and its owner's manual at hand. Do make an effort to understand focus points and how autofocus operates on your camera.

Double check your menu settings for focus systems and be sure you have the camera set to its best option for any one photo. There are distinct reasons why you will change focus points for any one shot. There are very distinct reasons for using the various focusing systems on the Canon as each photo dictates. If, for example, you are using a tracking focus system best suited to shooting images of subjects moving towards the camera, you may be catching the camera at an out of sync point where focus should be set and immovable.

Therefore, read about, understand and implement your focus systems correctly.

Understand what the camera is telling you when it flashes a signal in the LCD or viewfinder which suggests the shot is not in focus. It's highly unlikely there would be a focus issue with both lenses unless the problem began with the camera or its user.

Certainly, make sure you have the lens set to auto mode and that the switch is fully engaged.

Understand how each lens operates its manual focus override.

The general blur in these photos somewhat suggests you might be holding the camera in a manner that places one hand on the lens focusing ring and you are slightly shifting the focus manually just before snapping the shot.




This would be another case where a tripod mounted photo would indicate a logical path to a resolution of the problem. Do the two tests I suggested earlier, the tripod mounted and the continuous shooting mode tests, and when using the tripod, don't touch the lens itself after you've mounted the camera.

When shooting the continuous mode shots, focus the lens, check for accurate focus and then do not touch the lens. Hold the camera with a somewhat open palm method where your fingers are not in direct contact with the lens itself.

Even with the camera's image stabilization assistance, the problem would seem to me to still be either in the way the user is releasing the shutter or a matter of not understanding and, therefore, not properly employing the autofocus points/autofocus systems.

Add to this now the possible movement of the lens' manual focus override and I feel you have, at the least, logically narrowed down your possible causes to a reasonable number.


Any or all of these issues are common to student photographers.


From there, once you have conducted the tests shots, you should be in a far better position to pin pointing your cause. At that point it is only a matter of time and practice - along with attention to detail - which will lead you to a better result.



Your camera and your lenses are perfectly capable of taking sharp photos.

There is a very slight possibility you have a defective camera but I really think that not to be the case here. You know how the camera has been handled and whether it might have suffered some sort of damage from a fall or sharp knock. That the camera would react to average wear and tear is not average so it is on the far end of the possible here IMO.

However, if you know someone with good photographic skills, ask them to take a few shots with your camera. Between their results and the tests shots I've described, you should come to a resolution rather quickly.

Thanks for the in depth feedback! I really appreciate it. I'm going to try and experiment some more and I'll post the results when I get the time to do so.

 

[soufiej]

The shots you've given us would be rather extreme examples for this problem but look at your camera's menu for "mirror lock up"; How to Enable Mirror Lockup on a Canon EOS Rebel T3i - For Dummies



If you are closing down the aperture and/or shooting at slow shutter speeds, the physical bump of a DSLR's mirror can cause the type of general blurring you are experiencing.

The feature requires a bit more knowledge of how your camera operates and an awareness of the need to press the shutter release more than once for any one shot but this might ... "might" ... be contributing to the overall lack of sharpness in your example shots.

 

[Derrel]

Your kit lens is riddled with chromatic aberration. Just like my Canon 18-55 was. See the colored fringing on the edges of everything that has a clearly-defined edge? The palm fronds...the water where it hits the plunge pool--see the coloration? In the lower right corner of this collection, see the bright, COLORED reflection edges on the highlight on the dark rock? This is the "aquarium glass at an angle" look of a lens that is riddled with serious chromatic aberration. The lens is substandard. Take a look...these clips are from all over the image, which was a SMALL, down-sized image. I don't see how people cannot see that this lens is dreadful...the tell-tale signs of a horrible lens are all over the images you've posted with it...it is SOFT all over the entire frame, due to high abberation levels.

Although the original shot was in-focus (look at the leaf in front of the waterfall, and also look to see that the palm fronds are very much IN-FOCUS), but everything in the scene is fringed by chromatic aberration--which is mostly hidden, until it falls on the edges of things, where it become apparent. See the colored fringing? Look at the edges of the small areas I have selected, and you can literally see the CA. This was **exactly the same** as the old 18-55 kit lens I had with my Canon 20D!!! The lens came from an earlier Canon Rebel. This is a bad lens.

 

[Derrel]

From the shot of the man seated in front of the cafe images, the full-sized one...take a look at the pigeon's breast-side edge; GREEN chromatic aberration....and then look at the right hand edge of the bird's head...MAGENTA chromatic aberration.

Basically, this lens can NOT focus the different wave lengths of light to the same, proper point of focus. This is happening all over the frame.

Take a look at the pigeon segment, simply sized-up a bit. THIS crop shows what the lens is doing to every shot. Look at the edge of the newspaper...see that brilliant magenta CA color blast? Look at the little piece of paper trash at the upper left corner of this crop": see the orange coloration on the left, and the faint little green blob on the right? Everything in the pictures made by this lens is suffering from severe lens aberration issues.

 

[JacaRanda]

Is there any "Add-on" filter(s) on your lens?

Also the Kit Lens the T3i shipped is the Newer IS lens which is not bad at all when shooting at f/5.6 to f/8.

The kit lens that shipped with my old XTi was the older generation and that did not behave like yours.

I agree. Also had both lenses that came bundled with the T3i (the 18-55 was version II). The pictures we took that looked horrible were when we really did not know what the heck we were doing.

 

[TheBromad]

View attachment 109007

From the shot of the man seated in front of the cafe images, the full-sized one...take a look at the pigeon's breast-side edge; GREEN chromatic aberration....and then look at the right hand edge of the bird's head...MAGENTA chromatic aberration.

Basically, this lens can NOT focus the different wave lengths of light to the same, proper point of focus. This is happening all over the frame.

Take a look at the pigeon segment, simply sized-up a bit. THIS crop shows what the lens is doing to every shot. Look at the edge of the newspaper...see that brilliant magenta CA color blast? Look at the little piece of paper trash at the upper left corner of this crop": see the orange coloration on the left, and the faint little green blob on the right? Everything in the pictures made by this lens is suffering from severe lens aberration issues.

And that's an equipment problem right? There's nothing that I can do to change that? The chromatic aberration is what I was noticing most about the quality of my photos, but I didn't know if that was something that I was doing wrong or if it were just my shitty lenses lol. I'd like to see other examples of shots taken with a t3i and kit lenses to see how they compare

 

[JacaRanda]

Canon EF-S 18-55mm 3.5-5.6 Kit Lens