 FERNANDA KINGSLEY-THOMAS |
problems with sharpness-lens canon 55-250 I have got a canon 500 D that comes with 18-55mm kit lens. It took me 6 months to decide on what extra lens to buy and finally after reading so much and having great comments about the 55mm-250mm I decided to buy it. I am struggling to get sharp pictures with it. At 55mm I can just about get them sharp but not at 100% but if I go higher than 135 mm the quality gets worse, not really sharp even at 50%. I am talking about handholding the camera. I tried taking a picture of my mother with a camera on a tripod at 250mm with the IS turned off and it was sharp at a 100% . The problem is that I cannot carry a tripod with me when I am with people because they get annoyed having to wait. Do you experience the same problem? If I take a picture at 50mm with my 18-55mm I can get sharp pictures but never as clear as many other people and then I have to crop it to get it enlarged.I would like to do it with the 55-250mm but either the lens are bad, or they are too heavy for me to hold with steady hands. I don't know what I am doing wrong. If I try to get the speed real fast to avoid camera shake but if I get the aperture to 8 or 11 then the shutter speed goes down to 125 and if I get it to 600 then the aperture sometimes goes to 5.6 which is not what I want. I don't seem to be able to set the correct aperture with a fast shutter speed to avoid camera shake. I was wondering what I am doing wrong. I thought maybe I will get a 24-105mmL because they are better lens. All I want is sharpness. Your input would be so appreciated. I can upload some pictures if you think might be helpful Fernanda
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- Gregory LaGrange Contact Gregory LaGrange Gregory LaGrange's Gallery |
I think you need more practice more than anything. Try different hand/arm positions first to see if you can get steadier. Try your left hand under the lens, with your left elbow up against your side, making a triangle shape from your shoulder down to your elbow, up to your hand. Turn your body sideways a little with your left shoulder towards your subject. Almost like holding a rifle. You don't like using a flash? That would help. If you can get it to 600 at 5.6, you should be okay at 300 f/8. That sounds like outside numbers, not inside. There isn't that much of a difference in depth of field between f/5.6 and f/8. Is it in the pictures that makes you avoid f/5.6, or is it what you've heard or read about always using the smallest aperture that makes you not want to use f/5.6?
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- Bob Cournoyer Contact Bob Cournoyer Bob Cournoyer's Gallery  |
Unless I missed it, you never mentioned iso. Have you up'd the iso to increase shutter speed and keep the aperture where you want it?
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- Carlton Ward Contact Carlton Ward Carlton Ward's Gallery |
Gregory & Bob are right on. If you do decide to get an L lens, you will be setting yourself up for more $$ investments in the future. L glass is so sharp & can be a bit addictive - its all I shoot with. The 24-105mm f/4L IS lens is fantastic - lighter than my 24-70mm f/2.8L (no IS) and it is a great lens. Its about $1000 US. Another great lens is the 70-200mm f/4 L (non-IS) & sells for $650 US. This is the best L lens for the price you will find. I had one and it was fantastic. I later sold it to get the 70-200mm f/2.8L IS (which is considerably more $$ & much heavier) as I shoot a lot of low-light concerts & portrait photos. The f/4 version is lighter and I have lots of sharp & beautiful photos I took with that lens. Practice your technique and if you have the ability to rent lenses locally, try out a couple and see for yourself if they are worth the $$ to you. Here is a pic I took when practicing my panning technique with the 70-200mm f/4L lens. The face of Happy Duck is sharp while I was using a slow enough shutter speed to show the movement of her wings. The background fall colors reflecting on the water adds a nice look to the image as well :) Its one of the 1st images I shot with my new Canon 20D and its still a favorite. Love in Light, Carlton
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