Shooting in MANUAL mode and still blurry pics! HELP!

[analog.universe]

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.

That does depend on the lens... my Zeiss lenses are manual focus but electronic aperture.

 

[LarryD]

The 1dII is an excellent camera and one of it's strong suits is it's ability to quickly auto-focus at whichever focus point you select.. I believe that you are handicapping yourself by using this lens for your style of shooting (moving, hand-held, etc)

Another handicap is using the low ISO50 setting with this camera. As mentioned, you may get more in-focus shots if you use a smaller aperture to increase DOF..say f-5.6 to f-8, and increased your ISO to 200 to achieve an acceptable shutter speed.. Slow shutters will require a tripod and a model that stays still..

 

[KmH]

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??

Please help me figure out what I'm doing wrong. Thanks so much!

This is where your lack of attention to learning and understanding the technical details of doing photograohy will continue to hinder your growth as a photographer, and continue to present you with mysteries concerning why your photographs don't turn out the way you would like them to.

A digital camera's viewfinder cannot show you the DOF by itself. Most DSLRs have a DOF Preview button that you have to activate.

There are many, many, many online resources available for helping begining photographers get a solid foundation in the technical basics of doing photography. See page 89 of your user's manual for information about the DOF preview feature of your camera.

Like these excellent tutorials: Digital Photography Tutorials

Your Canon 1D Mk II User's Manual is also a great source of information about the features and functions your camera has available for you to use to your advantage.
See page 89 of your camera's user's manual.

 

[enzodm]

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

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

That does depend on the lens... my Zeiss lenses are manual focus but electronic aperture.

Zeiss, great lens . I doubt a 300$ Vivitar/Samyang/Rokinon/Opteka/Bower lens (the same under all those names), with Canon/Nikon/Pentax/Sony mount, has anything electronic in it (Samyang 85mm f/1.4 Aspherical (full format) - Review / Test Report "The primary drawback is the purely mechanical coupling with no camera-controlled aperture nor AF.").
So, no DOF preview, or, better, no need: what you select is what you get.

 

[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.

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

You lost me...

If I set an aperture on my camera... and I hit the DOF button... it will change what I see in the viewfinder to reflect what my DOF looks like... where am I confused and/or where are we mis-communicating?

 

[enzodm]

You lost me...

If I set an aperture on my camera... and I hit the DOF button... it will change what I see in the viewfinder to reflect what my DOF looks like... where am I confused and/or where are we mis-communicating?

ah, this people born in the electronic era...
The OP lens is a fully mechanical lens. You have a ring on lens for controlling aperture, and no way to set it from the camera. So, even DOF preview is not functioning, in the sense that you already see real DOF.

 

[analog.universe]

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

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

You lost me...

If I set an aperture on my camera... and I hit the DOF button... it will change what I see in the viewfinder to reflect what my DOF looks like... where am I confused and/or where are we mis-communicating?

On certain lenses, the camera is not able to change the aperture of the lens, so the DOF preview button does not work, and setting the aperture in camera doesn't work. Your only option is to turn the aperture ring on the lens.

 

[e.rose]

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

You lost me...

If I set an aperture on my camera... and I hit the DOF button... it will change what I see in the viewfinder to reflect what my DOF looks like... where am I confused and/or where are we mis-communicating?

On certain lenses, the camera is not able to change the aperture of the lens, so the DOF preview button does not work, and setting the aperture in camera doesn't work. Your only option is to turn the aperture ring on the lens.

Ah. I was under the impression that she wasn't using a lens like that... she stated "manual mode"... I didn't realize she meant FULL MANUAL LENS, haha ...Or was that just brought up for discussions sake?

 

[c.cloudwalker]

Ah. I was under the impression that she wasn't using a lens like that... she stated "manual mode"... I didn't realize she meant FULL MANUAL LENS, haha ...Or was that just brought up for discussions sake?

She? Where did you get SHE? And here I am making assumption SHE is having fun with a semi-naked model... Well, I guess it could be and there's nothing wrong with it. But in that case I want to see more photos :lmao:

 

[vtf]

The focus plane is very narrow at that distance and aperture. See this calculator. Online Depth of Field Calculator. Take your aperture to f5.6-8.

 

[e.rose]

Ah. I was under the impression that she wasn't using a lens like that... she stated "manual mode"... I didn't realize she meant FULL MANUAL LENS, haha ...Or was that just brought up for discussions sake?

She? Where did you get SHE? And here I am making assumption SHE is having fun with a semi-naked model... Well, I guess it could be and there's nothing wrong with it. But in that case I want to see more photos :lmao:

From her username

I assume that lizg breaks down into: Liz G.

:lmao:

 

[enzodm]

Ah. I was under the impression that she wasn't using a lens like that... she stated "manual mode"... I didn't realize she meant FULL MANUAL LENS, haha ...Or was that just brought up for discussions sake?

Vivitar 85mm lens- 1.4 . Fact, not usual thread drift . I also interpreted as she, and avoided to comment that focus was mostly where every male would have focused .

 

[PWhite214]

Hi Lizg,

Your first thing to do is get to know your equipment. Once you know what your camera / lens combination will do, then you can pretty well make it do what YOU want.

Go to the library, bookstore or online bookseller. Get a copy of:
[h=1]Composition: From Snapshots to Great Shots[/h]
The first three chapters will educate you on the way your camera works. It is not an expensive book, and you may find several similar books. I just happen to like this one.


Do some exercises with your camera lens combination. The book mentioned above has several exercises that make you look at what the settings do. As you do them, you learn how to control the setting to get the photo you want. It will be worth your time and money.


You can get started by learning about Aperture and Depth of Field (DOF).

Set your camera on a solid stand, tripod, rock, table, ETC. Position your subject about 3 to 5 ft from your camera.
Use Aperture Priority, with high enough ISO to keep your shutter speed at 1/125 @f16
Photograph your model, focussing on the same area (maybe her eyes?) at each aperture. Let the camera adjust the shutter for a decent exposure.
When you examine the photos on your computer, you will see how aperture affects DOF. At f1.4 the DOF is so shallow that only a small part of your subject will be in focus. As you decrease the aperture to f16, you will see the difference in the how much of your subject is in focus.

Try again with your subject 10 ft from the camera, then 15 ft. You will learn so much for spending 30 minutes or so.

I hope this helps.

Phil

 

[ldeneui]

Please help me figure out what I'm doing wrong.

Based on this picture I have a few suggestions.
- Change your shooting time. The sunlight between 4-5pm may not be the best.
- Don't shoot at f1.4. With this much sunlight (and shooting handheld) you will still get good DOF at f2.8+ and should get a little crisper image.
- Increase your shutter speed.
- Try using a tripod or monopod
Based on the image you posted you are getting too much light (her face is blown out). You may find that fixing this problem can also fix your focus problem. Also I'm not familiar with the Vivitar 85mm, but some lenses just aren't as good as others. Canon has a few options that aren't too expensive.

 

[Vtec44]

Holy crap, I didn't know the 1D M2 is a $6000 camera.