Focusing Problems on 20d?

[Cathus]

Hi there, my first post here.

I'm reasonably new to digital SLRs, only got mine in November.

I've been lead to believe that digital SLRs pictures are softer than normal SLRs and often require sharpening up on the computer. I've been doing this with my pics but I can't help noticing that most other people's photographs appear to be much sharper than my own.

When I review the shots on the back of the camera and zoom right in, nothing is sharp and unless I reduce the size of the pics on the computer and sharpen them up they are all slightly blurred. Is this normal? I can't seem to replicate the sharpness of everyone else.

I'm wondering if this is normal and you just have to compensate in Photoshop, or whether I have a problem with the camera.

I took a series of test shots below, unfortunately the weather here is pretty poor so I couldn't get decent shutter speeds, but even when I take pictures at 1/500 or faster I don't get them much sharper than the below ones.

Can you tell from these pics if it's a camera problem, or do all your 20d's produce similar results?

Following shots taken on P Program auto mode on a tripod with cable release, 4 different lenses all on auto focus, partial metering. All taken on finest quality jpg straight out of the camera with no post-processing.

Any assistance/advice really welcomed, I'm starting to get paranoid that my photos aren't as good as most others because my camera focusing is faulty rather than I'm just crap at taking photos...the latter can be improved. The camera was new in November.

Thanks in advance. If anyone wants to see larger shots let me know and I'll stick them on a website.

1a - 24mm EF f2.8 - 1/2" f16 - reduced to 800x600
http://www.neesam.com/photos/24-24mm-0.50-f16-full.jpg

1b - 24mm EF f2.8 - 1/2" f16 - 800x600 crop of full frame
http://www.neesam.com/photos/24-24mm-0.50-f16-crop.jpg

2a - 24mm EF f2.8 - 1/50" f3.5 - reduced to 800x600
http://www.neesam.com/photos/24-24mm-1.50-f3.5-full.jpg

2a - 24mm EF f2.8 - 1/50" f3.5 - 800x600 - crop of full frame
http://www.neesam.com/photos/24-24mm-1.50-f3.5-crop.jpg

3a - 18-55mm Kit Lens at 18mm - 1/50" f4 - reduced to 800x600
http://www.neesam.com/photos/18-55-18mm-1.50-f4-full.jpg

3a - 18-55mm Kit Lens at 18mm - 1/50" f4 - crop of full frame
http://www.neesam.com/photos/18-55-18mm-1.50-f4-crop.jpg

4a - 18-55mm Kit Lens at 55mm - 1/25" f5.6 - reduced to 800x600
http://www.neesam.com/photos/18-55-55mm-1.25-f5.6-full.jpg

4a - 18-55mm Kit Lens at 55mm - 1/25" f5.6 - crop of full frame
http://www.neesam.com/photos/18-55-55mm-1.25-f5.6-crop.jpg

5a - 100-300mm zoom Lens at 100mm - 1/25" f4.5 - reduced to 800x600
http://www.neesam.com/photos/100-300-100mm-1.25-f4.5-full.jpg

5a - 100-300mm zoom Lens at 100mm - 1/25" f4.5 - crop of full frame
http://www.neesam.com/photos/100-300-100mm-1.25-f4.5-crop.jpg

6a - 100-300mm zoom Lens at 300mm - 1/20" f5.6 - reduced to 800x600
http://www.neesam.com/photos/100-300-300mm-1.20-f5.6-full.jpg

6a - 100-300mm zoom Lens at 300mm - 1/25" f4.5 - crop of full frame
http://www.neesam.com/photos/100-300-300mm-1.20-f5.6-crop.jpg

7a - 100-400mm IS Lens at 100mm - 1/25" f4.5 - reduced to 800x600
http://www.neesam.com/photos/100-400-100mm-1.25-f4.5-full.jpg

7a - 100-400mm IS Lens at 100mm - 1/25" f4.5 - crop of full frame
http://www.neesam.com/photos/100-400-100mm-1.25-f4.5-crop.jpg

8a - 100-400mm IS Lens at 400mm - 1/25" f5.6 - reduced to 800x600
http://www.neesam.com/photos/100-400-400mm-1.25-f5.6-full.jpg

8a - 100-400mm IS Lens at 400mm - 1/25" f5.6 - crop of full frame
http://www.neesam.com/photos/100-400-400mm-1.25-f5.6-crop.jpg

[SuzyView]

Looks like you used your flash, am I right? There are bright reflections in the shots or is that just on the poster?

[Cathus]

No flash, thats the poster

[cfcRebel]

They look SHARP too me. Why worry?

If in doubt, put a beer bottle in the middle of a grass field, stand 30ft away, setup your camera 3ft from the ground, zoom in with your 100-400L, frame properly so that the picture includes some lawn, shoot it wide open. You should be able to tell by looking at the DoF on the lawn whether the 20D and the lens focus on the bottle accurately. If they do, then it's your sharpness expectation a little too high. Just a suggestion. ;)

[SuzyView]

I think the lighting may have had something to do with it. Can you take pictures on a clear day of the same thing?

[Ricko of Fla]

Your looking at the poster. looking at the siding on your building the picture looks very sharp , If I'm right, if that's the case sharpness is not a problem

[subtle_spectre]

Not a 20D, but the beer bottle, dof test above would show something like this:

http://recoveryindiana.org/20D_v_1D/1dfocus-tests.jpg

My 20D is dead on tack sharp.