 Thomas P. Masty |
How Do I Improve Focus? I need some help on focus, since I am getting discouraged with my new camera. The camera bleeps, AF box shows focus is achieved and I come home to find I've got a soft focus, or worse, none at all. When is something in focus? (Do you determine this by magnifying it 100%, 600%?) I also see this thing called 'fringing' in the background sometimes. What are the basics techniques in learning to focus? I'm very conscious of hand shake and try to use tripod. I guess I really want to know if there are any techniques used in schools to train students on how to focus? How do you hone this skill? Yes, I know, shoot shoot shoot, but be specific, pretty pleeeease. Thanks! Linda My photog demographic:
|
|||||||
|
|
||||||||
- Gregory LaGrange Contact Gregory LaGrange Gregory LaGrange's Gallery |
There have been issues with some camera models when they first are introduced, they will have problems and may need to be recalled. I don't know off hand of anything with the newest 5D. But I'm not sure from what you've said if you're relying on auto focus or not. If you're using autofocus, you can try testing it on a stationary object to see if it's off. If you're focusing yourself, it could be a technique thing if you're trying to stop focusing when you hear the beep or see the light in the viewfinder. Maybe you're accidentally going past a focusing point. A momentum kind of thing. You could also be unknowingly looking at something other than what the focusing point is aimed at. I've always done my own focusing, and it's something that you get better at by doing. You can practice at home while watching TV. Focus on one object close to you, then switch to something across the room. Practice doing it quickly and getting used to seeing when something is in focus. It could also be that you are not used to your new camera. The focusing glass in the viewfinder is different, the viewfinder just feels different. Think of it as playing basketball in a gym you're not use to. The rim is the same height, the court the same size, but it's a different vision to everything. You must get used to it before you get your shot going.
|
|||||||
|
|
||||||||
|
Lynn R. Powers |
Set your camera for center spot focusing and Single Shot. Do not use your LCD screen to determine if the camera is in focus. Keep your eye at the viewfinder. Insure that your lens is set to AF. Check the diopter adjustment to insure that it hasn't been moved and the subject is nice and sharp. Are the front and rear elements of the lenses clean? When hand holding, make sure that you shutter speed is high enough to stop any body motion, at least 1/125 for your lenses. Test by taking photos of subjects at least 8-10 feet away. Use a low ISO. If the subject is not sharp in the viewfinder, focus the lens manually until the subject is clear. Initial testing should be done with the camera mounted on a tripod and a cable release used or self-timer if you do not have the release. You check for sharpness at 100% on the computer. At 600 percent, nothing is sharp. (br>As an aside: You have taken as many photos in four months as I have in four years. I do not know why you are taking this many photos unless you are shotgunning and hoping to get a good photo. Take your time with EACH photo - checking for composition, f/stop, shutter speed and ISO. Then determine if it is really worth taking. Sometimes things look great with our eyes but for some reason just don't transfer well when a photo is taken. Above all, RTM, read the manual. Good Luck.
|
|||||||
|
|
||||||||
- Carlton Ward Contact Carlton Ward Carlton Ward's Gallery |
Both Gregory and Lynn have some good points. I like Greg's suggestion for zooming back and forth at different subjects. I do a similar exercise sometimes when I switch lenses just to get a quick feel for its range and focusing characteristics. I am assuming that you are setting your diopter. Use auto-focus and look at a milk carton or some writing on an object and when the auto-focus locks on, make sure it looks sharp to your eye in the viewfinder. If not, roll the diopter until it is. Take a test shot and examine it on the monitor. You should also see the numbers in the viewfinder sharp and can move the diopter to change it and this does the same thing as my previous example but I prefer to set my diopter by the lens focus. My Canon 50mm f/1.4 was always a "little" soft when I used it on my 40D but when I shot with it on my 1DS and 5D Mk II, it was so terrible, I never used it again. I since bought the Sigma 50mm f/1.4 and it is a far better lens. My point is that with full frame, any imperfections of the lenses are magnified BUT the flip side is that good lenses will really shine. My 70-200mm f/2.8 was good on my 40D but on my 5D Mk II, it is really amazing. I very rarely do any sharpening in post and many of my images don't even require ACR editing. I will include a Raw image (converted to tif/jpg) that is straight out of the camera and I used auto-focus. I did crop in just a tad and that's all the editing I did (no levels, curves, saturation, sharpening, etc.). This one was taken with my 100-400mm L lens but it is equivalent to my 70-200 quality wise :) Hope this helps!
|
|||||||
|
|
||||||||
|
Thomas P. Masty |
Oh thanks guys! I'm extremely appreciative your comments. You take tons off my learning curve! I took your comments and did some shooting, near and far, with live view and without. Manual focus: AF: Ok, we might be on to something with the diopter! I gotta go get my manual and read up on this. I'm never satisfied with it. I wear glasses (progressives - something like graduated bipolar lens - so I have corrected vision for both far and near.) Also I struggle with getting my eye right in the view finder due to the glasses. I see the frame and composition much better in Live Mode. But focus...not really. Actually might this be a better option for me in the long run? I've never really liked using the Live View, other than macro work. How much of an issue is my own corrected vision? Lynn, I really like your focus drill when you start a shoot. I've added the 8 - 10 foot test shot to my checklist. As for shooting volume - I've been shooting a lot lately, also taking classes. 3 - 4 times a week I go out and shoot for a couple hours. 100 - 350 shots. I actually thought I should try to get more shots in while on location. I limit it because I hate going through 300 shots in post. But I shoot daily. But I can ALWAYS be more meticulous. I find I get tired and start to get sloppy after 90 minutes. (BTW, I mathed out my 15,000 shots. It comes to 125 per day. Thats not insane, right? lol - Now we might really be on to something....) How many shots do you average a year/month? Carlton, Awesome parrot! Again, thanks...I'll be packing your thoughts with me in the bag for the week. Linda
|
|||||||
|
|
||||||||
|
- Carlton Ward Contact Carlton Ward Carlton Ward's Gallery |
Hi Linda, Every lens is different because you are dealing with glass optics and element groups which account for some +/- for each lens manufactured. The manufacturers do have their specs & tolerances down to a science which is why most lenses are made very well but even with L lenses, you can get 3 different 24-70mm f/2.8L lenses and shoot the same subject in the same light & camera settings and there will most likely be some differences between each lens (even if they are small). So I take it that the "copy" of my Canon 50mm f/1.4 was soft as I have seen other images taken with the same camera & lens and they had much sharper photos. When I got my Sigma 50mm, I knew that was the case as the Sigma is superb in sharpness & producing a beautiful bokeh. I have the 24-70mm f/2.8L, 70-200mm f/2.8L IS and the 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS and these 3 lenses are sharp and are the ones I never leave home without. I also have an older 100mm f/2.8 macro (which is a sharp lens), 17-40mm f/4L (the least sharp of my L glass) but I dont pack them unless I know I will need a really wide angle or will be doing macro work. Its very possible that your 50mm f/1.8 is sharper than my 50mm f/1.4 but only testing them side by side would determine this. As a rule (using this term loosely) most lenses are their sharpest about 2 stops above wide open. Shoot a plastic duck (or whatever) with a brick wall 8 feet behind it with your 100mm. Try shooting at f/4, then f/5.6 and try it again at f/8 and see what differences in sharpness you see with the duck and with the background. What I like about the 3 lenses I always carry is that I know that I can set any of them at f/7.1 and as long as I have my shutter speed up @ 1/200 or faster, I will get a sharp image. As far as the diopter, its the little dial just on the right edge of the viewfinder. Look through the viewfinder and when the camera lens beeps that it is locked on and focused, turn the diopter until you are seeing the subject at its sharpest. Thats why I use a milk carton or something with lettering and focus on the lettering - this works easier for me. Hope this helps, Carlton
|
|||||||
|
|
||||||||
- Ken Smith Contact Ken Smith Ken Smith's Gallery |
Linda, I skimmed thru this and saw you mentioned Live View. When in Live View, have you also pressed the zoom button that's in the upper right corner of your camera? This is the same button for zooming up on images in the preview mode. It gets you really close and you can tweek the focus.
|
|||||||
|
|
||||||||
|
Irwin Lightstone |
As someone who take a number of detailed macros, I would manual focus using Live View on a tripod mounted camera. Like Ken indicated, by using the magnification buttons you can magnify the area you want in focus by 10x to make sure that your focus is correct. Without moving the camera, I would then switch the live view of and focus manually. I would then do a third test using the auto focus. Before I took the shot, I would make sure I chose a focusing sensor that would focus on the same part of the subject. I would shoot one shot wide open and one shot at 2 stops from wide open for each of the three positions. If you find that the manual focus shots you took through the viewfinder are not sharp, then the issue is with the diopter or you may need a new set of glasses like I did. If you find the autofocus is off, the camera can be programed to microadjust the focusing. The to f/stops were chosen to show different facets of the lens. The small depth of field wide open shows where the focus was placed. When you stop down 2 stops, you should be at the sharpest zone of the lens so you can see if the lens itself is sharp. I hope this helps. Irwin
|
|||||||
|
|
||||||||
|
Thomas P. Masty |
Irwin, I have not quite heard this one before and will surely go for it. I printed this out for tomorrow. Thank you!
|
|||||||
|
|
||||||||
|
This old forum is now archived. Use improved Forum here
Report this Thread |
||||||||