 Rossella ceglie |
focus on CANON EOS350D For examples this is one aof many pictures all out of focus. Anyone can help me? Is it a known problem of EOS350D?
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Jon Close |
What lens and f/stop? In each of the 3 the depth of field is very shallow. In the first, the hands are sharp, I don't really see a problem with the second, and in the third the brim of the hat is in the focus plane, but the face an inch or so back is beyond it. I don't think there is necessarily a problem with the AF of your camera. You may want sharp focus on the kid's eyes, but the AF sensors cover a larger area than that. Are you manually selecting the AF sensor, or allowing the camera to choose automatically?
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Jill E. Curnutt-Howerton |
Margy, I have the same problem!!!!!!!!!! This drove me insane, I thought it was my eyes, or my focusing, but not true, I went to local camera shop with camera in hand and they told me there is a known problem with this camera using the lens that came with it(Cheap lens), it focuses only on the closest object to the lens and everything else will be slightly out of focus and there is nothin you can do about it other than invest in a good lens, I did this and a new camera canon30D, but purchased the lens seperately( didn't want the same problen again)I bought the canon L series lens the f/2.8 24-70mm, this is great for my studio and wedding photography, wow what clarity, detail and wow what a good lens does for you! Please don't think it is you, I drove myself crazy with this, and almost gave up photography because of it, and after purchasing this I threw the old lens away, wanted to throw it against a building, but decided against it and just droped it into the trash, exactly where it belongs!!!! Any questions feel free to contact me. Jill,
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Karim Abiali |
That's weird, I owned a Rebel XT sold it to a cousin then a got a 350D (it was on a special discount) from the UAE and did not have this problem (unless I do and don't know!!!!).
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Denyse Clark |
Hi everyone! I've been very frustrated w/ my lack of sharpness on indoor shots too!!!! I've been feeling like I've forgotten how to take pictures!!! Boy is that discouraging. I'm not using the kit lens, but I still think what I have is just not fast enough... unfortunately the L-series is out of my budget right now, but I'm still gonna check out some other wider/faster ones. Whew, it's good to hear others having the same problem.... On a different note- does anyone have both the 420 AND 580 flash? Am I just not using my 580 right, because I seem to get better results with my 420. I needed a back up flash, but otherwise I feel like I wasted my money. Thoughts??
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Charlotte K. Lowrie |
Hello all, I thought I would jump in and see if I can be of any help with the focusing issue. The first thing is to ask what mode you're shooting on? If you're using a Basic Zone mode, (Portrait, Landscape, etc.), then the Rebel chooses the autofocus (AF) point automatically. The AF point that the Rebel chooses is almost always whatever is closest to the lens. Of course, that may not be -- and almost always is not -- what you want to be the sharpest point in the image. You can try to force the Rebel to choose another AF point, but that's an iffy and frustrating exercise. The best solution is to switch to Av (aperture-priority AE mode) or Tv (shutter-priority AE) mode, and then choose the AF point yourself. If you don't know how to select the AF point on the Rebel, let me know and I'll provide instructions. About the kit lenses, I have used the kit lenses, and they are certainly not the best lenses in Canon's lineup, but I get sharp images with the 18-55mm lens. Having said that, I will also say that it produces soft edges at the 18mm zoom setting. In the pictures that initiated this thread, I have to first say that they are simply delightful images! Jon C.'s comments are right on target, and the points of sharpest focus in the sample images make me think that you are using a Basic Zone mode or A-DEP plus a wide aperture. There's nothing wrong with a wide aperture, but you will not get extensive depth of field with f/2.8 or f/4.0. But you will get sharpness at the point of focus. So, short story is to let me know what mode that your shooting on with the Rebel. Then we talk about other modes, or do some tests on the lens. ;) Best wishes, Charlotte
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Denyse Clark |
Hi Charlotte, thanks for jumping in! Personally I am shooting almost exclusively Av or full Manual mode. If I just don't have enough light inside, (even w/ my flash) I'm being forced to go with my widest apertures, so I'm not sure what to do in that case?? I hate shooting w/ a tripod, it's so limiting! And perhaps I am not using the focusing points properly...
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Charlotte K. Lowrie |
Okay, Denyse. Now to be sure that you know how to choose an AF point, here is the process: Setting the Autofocus Point 1. Set the Mode dial to a Creative Zone mode except A-DEP. Set it to Av, if that is what you normally use. 2. Press the AF point selection button on the back of the camera. The button is at the top right on the camera back, and it has a + magnifying glass icon below the button. 3. Watch in the viewfinder as you turn the Main dial to rotate through the autofocus points until the autofocus point you want is highlighted. Now choose a non-moving subject in good light, maybe a page of text in a book, books on a shelf, anything with sharp edges so that you can judge sharpness. When I say "good light," I mean that you should be able to shoot the subject at 1/125th sec. at f/8 at ISO 100, for example. I want you to shoot at a fast enough shutter speed that camera shake can't figure into the equation. Set the camera to Av mode. Choose a point on the subject to focus on, and then set the AF point. Set the aperture to f/8 and make a picture. Then open up to f/5.6 and make the same picture at that aperture. Then open up to f/4 (or the widest aperture your lens offers), and take the same subject at that aperture. If you get sharp focus at the point you focused on in the three images, then your lens is fine, as is the AF in the camera. And for my information, which lens were you shooting with for the cute sample pics? And what was the exposure for the images? Let me know about the focus tests.
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Charlotte K. Lowrie |
Denyse, I forgot to add that the middle sample image shows good focus. So I think that the lens is fine. And in the other images, there were points of good focus, e.g., the edge of the hat. The Depth of Field was so shallow that the plane of sharpness is very limited--and that's expected with a shallow DOF. Please do the little test to be sure, but I suspect that the wrong AF point is the problem. Or it could be that you choose the AF point, and then the child moves so the focus isn't on the child's eyes, but maybe on the hat.
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- Gregory LaGrange Contact Gregory LaGrange Gregory LaGrange's Gallery |
The guy at the camera shop either didn't really know what he was talking about, or wanted to make a sell on a lens. While max lens apeture affects focusing speed, what, focus points, and the everything else about auto focus is determined by the camera body. But, on the bright side, she did end up with a better quality lens, optically speaking.
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Rossella ceglie |
Hi everyone! Thanks for all your answers, I don't speak English very well but I'll try to explain my questions. For each of the 3 images the values of lens and f/stop are: lens CANON EF 50mm f/1.8 - 1/2000sec. - Manual Focus - Shooting Mode "M" (full manual) I was in front of the red wall, at 10:30 o'clock in the morning, 2 meters between me and the child. When I was shooting I checked that the little point (for checking the right focus) was lighted on. I think that my problems could depend also on the light, because I've seen that when the background is very light, when the subject is in good ligth there is no problem.
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Charlotte K. Lowrie |
Hi Margy, You are shooting with one of Canon's fastest and sharpest lenses. For you to get more extensive sharpness throughout the image, you need to use an aperture like f/5.6 or f/8. Now you were shooting at f/1.8 @ 1/2000th sec. That shutter speed tells me that you have plenty of light and you can to move to a narrower aperture and handhold the camera with no problems. I suggest that you shoot on Av (aperture-priority AE) mode instead of Manual mode. Then set the aperture to f/5.6. (In Av mode, the camera automatically sets the shutter speed for you.) The Rebel will set the shutter speed in the neighborhood of 1/125th sec or even 1/250th sec. for the type of scene you have in the sample pictures. That shutter speed is fast enough to hand hold the camera with no problems. Also Margy, you have to do more than check that one of the little autofocus points is lit in red. You actually have to choose one of those points. So let’s say you have set the camera to Av mode, here is how to select an autofocus point. 1. Press the AF point selection button on the back of the camera. (This button is at the top right on the back of the camera, and it has a + magnifying glass icon below the button.) 2. Now look in the viewfinder and turn the Main dial (located just behind the shutter button). As you turn the Main dial, the camera rotates through each autofocus point. When the autofocus point you want is lit in red, then lightly press the shutter button. 3. Press the shutter button halfway to focus on the subject’s eyes, and then make the picture. Note: You should select the autofocus point that is on the subject's eyes. Now, the reason so much of image you posted was soft focus is that you were shooting at f/1.8. That aperture has an extremely shallow Depth of Field (DOF). Depth of Field is the range of acceptable sharpness in front of and behind the subject. With a wide aperture such as f/1.8, only a thin slice within the image will be sharp. With an aperture of f/5.6, the subject will be sharp, while the background will be soft. At f/8, f/11, and narrower, the foreground and background will all be sharp. (Of course, there are other factors that affect DOF, but I'm trying to keep it uncomplicated.) So try the shots in Av mode, and be sure that you select the autofocus point in the way I described. And then let me know if the images are more like what you expected. ;) Charlotte
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Betsy Labuschagne |
Margy, you should also consider the "AF Mode" and "Metering Mode". For Metering Mode I use Evaluative Metering. Experiment with AF Mode, I use One shot. Hope this helps!
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Andrea Molina |
Margy, I am so glad I stumbled upon your post. I am having the same issue....and I am annoyed with the focus too. No matter what settings I use, manual, auto, AP, Time, AF, Al Servo etc.....nothing is razor sharp. Im using a 28-135 canon lens with IS....and it still stinks. Everything has to be sharpened in PS.... I am feeling utterly defeated and depressed over this! Andrea
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