So fricken' frustrated!! Help!

[Kmiller]

Got my Xsi with 50mm 1.8 today and for the life of me I cannot get a clear shot!!! Of course the Auto mode produces a clear/sharp image but it's blown out from the pop up flash. This image is the most clear one I could get, and it is DEFINITELY nothing to write home about... HELP! Can I get some pointers? I never had this much trouble with my D50 18-55!


_MG_3640 by Mommy2aToddler, on Flickr

 

[Kmiller]

Oh, and obviously there was no editing done here.

 

[480sparky67 66]

Obviously that doesn't have any pop-up flash, so you're either using something else bounced or natural lighting.

Is the lens AF? If so, is it on?

What is the shutter speed & aperture?

 

[Stryker]

Try this settings: Av mode, ISO 100, f/4. Pop up your flash, press the "*" button before you fire away. Post the shot here and lets see your putput

 

[Kmiller]

Obviously that doesn't have any pop-up flash, so you're either using something else bounced or natural lighting.

Is the lens AF? If so, is it on?

What is the shutter speed & aperture?

No flash at all, just natural light (in this case, a lamp in my living room)

Yes it is an af 50mm 1.8

Camera Canon EOS Digital Rebel XSi
Exposure 0.125 sec (1/8)
Aperture f/1.8
Focal Length 50 mm
ISO Speed 800
Exposure Bias +2 EV
Flash Off, Did not fire

 

[480sparky67 66]

f/1.8 is going to give you a very very thin depth of field. It appears the camera focused on her hair (to left of ear) and not her eyes where you want it to be.

I know it'll mean a longer shutter or higher ISO, but maybe stop it down to f/4 to increase the DOF.

 

[Kmiller]

I know, I know, i;m a total noob... but when I change it to f/4 it drastically increases the exposure time ( I mean to like 4 seconds!!). How do I change it to f/4 but have a short exposure?

 

[Stryker]

You cant. You have to pop up the flash to bring the speed to 1/60

 

[480sparky67 66]

f/1.8 to f/4 is just over 2 stops. So that should only increase your shutter speed to 1/2 sec. or so. 4 seconds? Somethings set wrong.

 

[Kmiller]

You cant. You have to pop up the flash to bring the speed to 1/60

ah, makes sense, thank you!

That's what I was thinking too about the setting...

Maybe i'll look at it in the morning with a fresh (and caffeinated) mind lol

 

[Kmiller]

How's this for irony for you; I used my cell phone, which takes horrid photos, to take a picture of my camera that I want to take great photos, so I could post a photo to show you LOL


2011-03-26_23.41.58 by Mommy2aToddler, on Flickr

 

[Stryker]

I see that. Now pop up that flash and take a peek at your shutter speed

 

[Sw1tchFX]

i'd wait to try it out during the day so you have more light to work with.

 

[Kmiller]

i'd wait to try it out during the day so you have more light to work with.

Sigh, i'm going to have to do that. Good night all, till morning!

 

[LaFoto]

If you try to take an indoor photo with lamp light only, not using the flash, you cannot work with ISO100, like apparently you were doing. You say it was sent to ISO800, but why then do I see the 100 in the photo of the back of your camera? That low light and low ISO will give you a hell of an exposure time (as you found out for yourself), and not even going wide open (f1.8) does really help! Even a speed of 1/8 sec. is really long to hold the camera all still in your hands! If you want to work with such light conditions (difficult!), you really need to up the ISO a lot and either live with the resulting noise or contemplate putting your noisy images through noise reduction (which reduces noise, but unfortunately also the picture quality, which doesn't show much in small pictures but would in enlargements). F1.8 gives you a very shallow DOF only, so often, when your subject isn't precisely opposite you, you get parts of it no longer focused, too. Or AF doesn't find your desired focus point, even at the best of your attempts (I had that happen, I did have the focus light exactly over the eye, quickly recomposed by leaving the shutter release pressed halfway, and I still found out later that focus had shifted somewhat! In a still object that couldn't have moved in the meantime).

So: low light = very high ISO (noise), aperture not as widely open as can be (i.e. f4 instead of f1.8), and a tripod if needs be (i.e. if the resulting exposure time still is too long for you to hold the camera steady).