BetterPhoto Q&A
Category: New Answers

Out of Focus

All the pictures that I take with my Canon digital Rebel look OK on the LCD display, but seem soft and out of focus on my computer screen. I have a 28-200mm F3.5-5.6 Sigma lens attached to the body. I've tried different combinations of settings, light conditions, etc. It doesn't help! All my files are JPEG. Could there be a technical problem with the camera, or lens? Is there a way to evaluate it on my own? I attach some samples of snapshots of kids I recently took, but even landscapes seem blurry as well.

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May 02, 2005

Jon Close

Focus seems fine, but the pics could use some sharpening. See http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/digitalphotography/learnmore/sharpening.mspx

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May 02, 2005

Thank you John. I'm aware of a need of sharpening images, however this link is very interesting. I didn't sharpen these pictures on purpose to show you how soft they come out. I'm not sure if this is normal. I have another small digital camera Fuji FinePix where pictures come sharp and crisp with minimal or no sharpening needed. I wonder if someone can tell me why is it so?

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May 04, 2005

Christopher A. Vedros

Siaba,
While I agree that many pictures from the Digital Rebel look better after a little sharpening, I think the problem with these portraits is a combination of very shallow depth of field and focus selection.

Shallow depth of field is usually desirable in portraits because it helps to separate the subject from the background. The picture of the girl in the hat has a beautifully blurred background. The problem is, it looks like the sharpest point of focus is on the brim of the hat, not on her eyes. I've been told that when viewing a portrait, our brain will accept some softness in a face as long as the eyes are sharply focused.

It's often difficult to make sure the focus points in the viewfinder are lighting up on the desired points of the subject. Especially with moving kids. When taking pictures like this, try changing from the 7-point AF mode to just one AF point, then lining up that point with the subject's eyes.

Your manual will show you how to do this, and it will only work in the Creative Zone, not the Basic modes like the Portrait setting.

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May 04, 2005

Joyce M. Eveler

I seem to be having the same problem of soft pictures. After using my Fuji Finepix S7000 with extremely sharp pictures, I'm really disappointed.