Is this normal for a D60?

[Inactive Member 06]

Hi,

I upgraded from a Sony CyberShot DSC-S70 to an EOS D-60 a few months ago. In most ways I'm happy with my D60, although I expected a lot after spending so much money (for an amateur photographer).

I have noticed one infuriating and persistent problem, however. I like to photograph people standing against distant backgrounds (city skylines, ships, scenery, etc.) - standard "tourist" shots. I attach a 20mm F2.8 USM lens, set the aperture to around F8, manually select an AF point (usually the center), carefully position the AF point on the subject, and take the picture. I'm very careful to ensure that the AF point is directly over the subject, and that the subject is considerably bigger than the AF square.

The problem is that instead of getting a nicely focussed subject, with the background just slightly out of focus, the photograph ends up with the background in sharp focus, and the subject blurred. The blurring is enough to ruin an otherwise great photograph, but not enough to be easily visible in the D60's clear focussing screen. My eyesight isn't great (due to too much monitor use at work) which doesn't help.

I find it hard to believe that this is normal for the D60. Has anyone else seen it? I've also noticed the same problem with my 24-85mm zoom lens, so it's evidently not the lens that's the problem. I'd like to return my camera for servicing, but I've been told that it will take about a month. I'd like to know if this is a typical problem with the D60, or if my camera has something wrong with it. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Chris.

[mikeg]

Hi Chris,

Which square in your viewfinder is illuminated ?
Only the center one ?


MikeG

[defordphoto]

I would say it's not normal, but it could be a case that you're not quite used to the way the camera operates yet. I'm not saying it's user-error, but it takes a bit to get used to any new camera, especially one as sophisticated as the D60.

I shot this picture the first weekend I had the camera and was (obviously) pleased with the results. It was a matter of testing the focusing points and seeing how they react. It wasn't all that difficult, but you do have to be fairly precise where the focusing points are.

I think I'd play with it a little more before rushing off and sending it to CFS. A month without your camera is a loooong time. I know, I had to do it with mine with a faulty sensor filter. Good luck.

http://racefamily.racinglines.com/D60/Weekly/Leaves/byathread_std.jpg

[toycollector]

You could very well have a focusing problem. Do the cereal box test. You can search on cereal box on the dpreview Canon SLR forum. Basicaly you line up the short side of three cereal boxes and put the left and right cereal boxes several inches in front of and behind the middle one. Use the center focusing point and take some pictures and observe which box has the better clarity... Try this with different lenses to eliminate the problem being a lens. If you find a box other than the center box having the most clarity you should have your camera serviced by Canon. Good luck...

[Inactive Member 06]

mikeg wrote:
Hi Chris,

Which square in your viewfinder is illuminated ?
Only the center one ?


MikeG

I manually select a an AF point, usually the middle one. Before taking the picture I always make sure the square flashes red and the camera beeps to indicate that it has sucessfully focused.

I hardly ever use automatic AF point selection, since I thought it would reduce the potential for error and be faster if I told the camera which point I want to use.

Regards,

Chris

[defordphoto]

Good point, Chris. In experimenting in the photo above I tried all three points and they worked great. If I move the point off the leaf, the background immediately came into focus. I keep reading about all these focusing problems with the D60 and I haven't had the problems that a lot of other people seem to be having. It's almost like I have a different camera...

Well, except for low light focusing. Then I just switch to manual.

[Inactive Member 06]

I've found the D60's autofocusing to be adequate in almost all cases, except the situation that I described. Even low light AF is OK. I use a 550EX Speedlite, so maybe its AF assist light helps.

The one thing I haven't tried to fix my focusing problem is using automatic AF point selection. I'll try that on the weekend, just to see if it makes any difference.

In any case, I'm now pretty sure my camera has some kind of calibration problem, so I'll return it for servicing early next month and see if they can fix it. I live in Japan, by the way, and most businesses here shut down for a few days over new year.

Regards,

Chris.