Canon 100-400L users need your help, please

[morenoar]

I know this is not the correct forum to ask, but I need your help if possible. I am having trouble with my email system so I can not email certain individuals for thier advise. I have used my 100-400L for 2 weekends. the first set of pictures are horrible. The second gallary (sharks Rec League) seem to be better. I need all of your advise, critique on the quality of the pictures. Monday is my last day to return the lens within the 14 return policy. I need to know if I should or not. I think I have a focusing issue. Please let me know. Thanks and sorry to ask in this forum, but everyone here gives FAST responses.

http://www.pbase.com/morenoar

[Scottes]

I have to say that it does seem like many objects behind the subject* are sharper than the subject.

*Or what I'm guessing was the intended focus point.

But this set of images is tough to judge by. Non-moving static images shot from a tripod are going to be the way to test. Set up 5 lawn chairs or something in a diagonal line. AF on the center one, and trip the shutter through timer or remote. Which one is in focus?

These *could* be your use of the lens - what mode were you in (one-shot, AI servo...?) and were you locked with the center AF point only or using all 7?

Lots kids running around in bright daylight... Tough subjects, even tougher to judge AF on.

[Tom W]

I'm with Scottes - shooting action and especially kids in action is very difficult, as their movements are often unpredictable. I've not been able to master the skill of shooting indoor volleyball with just a 50 mm lens - I can't tell you the number of times I've locked focus on something other than my subject (usually the opposite wall).

I saw a couple of really good shots there, where you had your primary subject pretty sharp, which leads me to believe that the lens is OK and that you might need practice with this lens.

But to be certain, I'd do as Scottes suggests and find some stationary subjects at the proper distance to give you either the reassurance that the lens is working right or the necessary evidence to exchange or return it.

[IanD]

Took me quite a while to get the sharp images I knew my 100-400 was capable of. As Tom and Scottes say, Practice practice practice.

[GenEOS]

I looked at all your photos. Your problem is not the lens.

Here are some things I noticed:

Bright sunlight settings are off. You are shooting on too high an ISO for that time of day. Lower to 100ISO.

Keep the sun at your back. Move to the side of the field to make this possible. That way, when the kids are comming your way, their faces are not in harsh shadows.

Mid day sun is the harshest to shoot in. You are going to get shadows and they are going to be harsh.

Becuase your camera will do them, doesn't neccessarily mean you need incredibly high shutter speeds. I rarely shoot anything over 1000. In some of your shots at 400ISO, your shutter speed is cranked becaus e you have way too much light. f11 at 1600? not good. f5.6 at 1000 will blur the background nicely.....lower the iso to 100.

Focusing with the 100-400 takes some practice. Al servo mode does not work all that fast on the 300D, for that matter it is not that fast on the 10D either. You will need to learn how it focuses. Buy a monopod if you don't have one. Shoot the 100-400 from a monpod for soccer. I would suggest changing to the center af point only to increase the chance the focus is on the player you are pointing at. Don't give the camera an opportunity to screw up your focus. If you can set back button focus with the 300D, do it and learn how to use it.

Lower your perspective, it will make your shots lok better than a parent snap-shot.

For daylight conditions like your galleries are I would expect settings to be somewhere in the 100ISO, TV mode 1/500 - 1/1000 range. or try AV mode an adjust between 5.6 and 8 to increase and decrease DOF. This will blur the distracting backgrounds.

Here is an example with exif: http://www.tunstall.cc/galleries/082303-pearland_fb1/08-24-03%20hcn-pl-fb-07.htm

Hope this help, feel free to e-mail me.

[morenoar]

Thank you all for your GREAT Responses. Here are 3 stationary pictures. I think the trunk of the tree is sharper than the subject. All of my actions shots where Center Focused. I am still learning the camera and now the lens. My wife says that the shots are fine, but I am being WAY CRITICAL. Let me know what you think of these 3 pictures. Again, thanks for all of your help


http://www.pbase.com/image/27382261
http://www.pbase.com/image/27382262
http://www.pbase.com/image/27382263

[Tom W]

I looked at all 3 images and it appears to me that the subjects are in good sharp focus. If you look at the cloth of their shirts, you can see the thread patterns clearly. Yes, the tree trunk is in focus as well, but you're shooting at f-11 so your depth-of-field is going to be deep enough to include the tree trunk.

My opinion is that the lens is fine.

[cecilc]

If I could put my name on GenEOS's post, I would ....

Because the advice and suggestions are right on.

Your last 3 shots that I looked at looked fine.
I'm not sure that the tree in back of your subject is sharper than the people in front of it, but the tree will be sharp because of the aperture setting (and someone correct me if I'm wrong). With that small an aperture setting, your depth of field is going to be kinda deep, which would easily include that tree.

Get the subjects out from in front of that tree and open up your lens to 4.5 or 5.6 and see what happens. Look at some of the shots here: http://www.lassiterlbc.org/gameshots/popev/index.html

Most of those shots were taken with a wide open lens, and you can see the background blur to out of focus in most of them.

To be honest, I had some time adjusting to this lens when I first got it (and you can probably tell by some of those shots that I'm STILL adjusting to this lens ..... :D ). But get rid of it ?? Not me!

Good luck with it ....

[morenoar]

Thank you all. I am NOT GOING TO GET RID of this LENS. I LOVE IT. Took me a while and lots of asking to finally get this lens. I just needed your opinions befor monday as to either take it and exchange it, or take it in with camera and have it sent to Canon for calibration. thank you all. I will be shooting every weekend with this lens. thanks to all

[DaveG]

I know this is not the correct forum to ask, but I need your help if possible. I am having trouble with my email system so I can not email certain individuals for thier advise. I have used my 100-400L for 2 weekends. the first set of pictures are horrible. The second gallary (sharks Rec League) seem to be better. I need all of your advise, critique on the quality of the pictures. Monday is my last day to return the lens within the 14 return policy. I need to know if I should or not. I think I have a focusing issue. Please let me know. Thanks and sorry to ask in this forum, but everyone here gives FAST responses.

http://www.pbase.com/morenoar

I think that you are trying to do a lot of things in those shots and you are having a bunch of problems, not just sharpness. I AM pretty sure that the lens is OK as very few L series lenses are bad. It could happen but that would be unlikely.

First off a lens like this MUST be supported. It has a tripod collar and I'd suggest that you get a monopod. That will give you the ability to move the camera from side to side more easily than with a tripod and it'll take the weight off of your arms and will let you concentrate on framing and shooting. If you ARE handholding that's going to be about 80% of your sharpness problem even with IS.

Even with a monopod turn the IS ON. It can't hurt. Make sure though that you select the IS setting for monopod.

Now looking at your shots the first two things that I see are basic compositional errors. You should be filling the frame. These shots are way too loose. Pic one (on 2nd attempt) page two, is good, but look how much room there is around the kid in Pic 3 on the same page. Let your eye wander around the edge of the frame. Everything (and a bit more) will be in the resulting picture. Place that frame on the subject and use as much of it as you possibly can.

Say you want to make an 8x12 print. It just makes common sense to realize that if you use 100% of the frame then it will be sharper, and less noisy than if you only use 50% of the frame. It's kind of like you've taken your six megapixel camera and said, "Well I'll just have three megapixels, thank you."

You could be using the Rule of Thirds better as well. Once in awhile you use it but often the most important part of the image is in the dead centre and you should almost never do this. (Actually NEVER do this but some twit will want to write in and say that "I do it and rules of thirds is not right ...", at nauseum, ad tedium .... So "almost" works better, even though I know it's not true, sigh.)

The rules of thirds is when you come in front the left of the frame 1/3 of the way, and draw a vertical line in your mind. Then you come another third and draw another vertical line in you mind. Then come down from the top of the frame 1/3 of the distance and draw a horizontal line and then down another third, and another horizontal line.

Where those imaginary lines intersect is where you should place the most important part of your scene, assuming that the most important part of your shot is a point. If the most important part of the scene is a line then it should go on the inner box. An example of a non point, "most important part of the shot" would be a portrait where the most "important part" thing is the subject's eyes. Well she has two eyes and they form a line connecting the two. Hold the camera vertically and her two eyes should be on the (now) horizontal line 1/3 of the way from the top of the frame.

So fill the frame and use rules of thirds. Now if you been doing this for awhile and you are saying, "Hey I know about this stuff." you are proving to me where beginners have a big problem with following the rules of thirds, and filling the frame. And that's shooting sports or other places where you are in a big hurry.

I think that at first composition is learned. But after awhile it's in the part of your brain that touch types. You don't think about it, you just do it. But in the beginning you will have trouble, and you just have to criticize yourself and you'll get past it.

Now the actual stuff you were shooting is going to be a problem for an AF camera. Look at the background in most of these shots. What does the camera think that you want to focus on? There are cars, fences, other kids and the poor stupid AF doesn't know what you want. Make it easy on your camera by trying to clean up the background.

Get behind the net on the goal line and have the player run at you. If you can position yourself so the sun is over your shoulder, so much the better. Now they are running at you with sunshine in their face. And faces is what it's all about. If you shoot this way the only thing behind the subjects is going to be the other net at the other end of the field, and that should make life easier for your AF.

And wait for them to come to you. You've got one hell of a lens but there are times where the kids are just too far away. I can remember shooting college soccer with a 300mm f2.8 (on 35mm format). The frames were nicely filled and all was well with the world. Then I shot kid's soccer and couldn't figure out why everything was so loose. Then I remembered that the kids were literally HALF the size of the adults and it was like shooting the adults with a 150mm lens!

So support the camera with a monopod. Don't use shutterpeeds of less than 1/500 of a second (I didn't mention that before but there you go.) Fill the frame and use rules of thirds. Wait for the action to come to you and if you are by the net they HAVE to run towards you.

And undersatnd that no matter how good the AF is, sometimes you just miss. Oh, keep that lens.

[defordphoto]

I also agree with everyone here that your lens is okay. And your shots look okay. You can't expect sharpness and detail like my Player's Pitstop shot with people. People are softer subjects than cars or Jet Boats. And people's faces are not as sharp as tree bark. Those shots are also okay.

What you have done though is chosen of the most difficult sports to shoot for your first shoot. My first soccer shoot was a disaster. The second shoot was a million times better, but I still have aways to go.

Watch your backgrounds. You have cars and fences and other perceived sharp objects behind your soft people. I know most times your background choice at a school field is usually cars, fences and buildings, but try to shoot with a tight DOF too to obliterate the busy backgrounds.

The 300D does not have the ability to force AI Servo and therefore must figure it out while you're shooting. That will slow things down in addition to the not-so-superfast AF. This will limit your shots, and you will miss many, but you'll also be able to get some great shots.

Like said previously: Practice is the key. Try shooting something slower. Ducks, for instance. ;)

[morenoar]

Thank you ALL for your kind words and GREAT advise. I will be like the everredy bunny. Just keep going and going. This is why I enjoy and love this and other forums. GREAT ADVISE given to all of us that are new to photography. I guess I should listen to my wife when she says the shots are good and that I am very critical about my shots. Thanks everyone.

[defordphoto]

I think most of us are hyper-critical of our own shots. That's part of the reason we're here—to learn from each other—and also part of the reason we buy the equipment we buy. We should always be in a state of improvement, IMO, and we cease to be in that state, then we become mere snap-shooters rather than artists.

[MediaMagic]

I think most of us are hyper-critical of our own shots. That's part of the reason we're here?to learn from each other?and also part of the reason we buy the equipment we buy. We should always be in a state of improvement, IMO, and we cease to be in that state, then we become mere snap-shooters rather than artists.

Amen.
/proper L gregorian chant activated