Please help!

[veeloo]

Im getting a bit frustrated now, all of my images are never sharp. What am i doing wrong? Initially i was using AF which was my downfall but even with MF im still struggling. What are your focusing techniques when shooting in lowlight conditions where you can barely see through the viewfinder?

http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv318/veeloo/Test%20Shots/Outoffocus.jpg

Would have been cool, but again - out of focus. This is noticeable right? or am i being too hard?

http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv318/veeloo/Test%20Shots/Traininroom.jpg

Cool shot, but the room was a bright yellow so having it in colour looks crap and black and white looks really flat. Any suggestions.


I need all the help i can get =p

[Flo]

They don't look OOF to me? The lighting is a tough one, but the photo itself looks sharp.

[Palladium]

The shutter speed is one area I would look to increase to eliminate camera shake and soft images.

Also look to use a higher ISO for low light images.

Camera Make: Canon
Camera Model: Canon EOS 450D
Image Date: 2009:06:01 19:14:09
Flash Used: No
Focal Length: 28.0mm
CCD Width: 13.07mm
Exposure Time: 0.017 s (1/60)
Aperture: f/4.5
ISO equiv: 200
White Balance: Manual
Metering Mode: Matrix
Exposure: Manual
Exposure Mode: Manual


Camera Make: Canon
Camera Model: Canon EOS 450D
Image Date: 2009:05:31 12:44:18
Flash Used: No
Focal Length: 23.0mm
CCD Width: 13.36mm
Exposure Time: 0.017 s (1/60)
Aperture: f/4.5
ISO equiv: 400
White Balance: Manual
Metering Mode: Matrix
Exposure: Manual
Exposure Mode: Manual

[LeuceDeuce]

Did you apply any sharpening to the image in post? They look good to me.

[Sisyphus]

#1 looks good. His shoes are OOF but the grass seems sharper further back. Makes sense as the vantage point seems low so his head (which appears sharp) would be farther from the lens.

#2 maybe post the color version so we could mess with the B&W conversion. Perhaps applying a color filter might make a difference.

[veeloo]

@ Palladium - seen as im using a 55mm lens, shooting at 1/60 is completely fine, and also the flash was not at full power, so there is no need to bump up the ISO - i would turn the lights up to full power to get more light before i turned up the ISO and decreased my image quality.

@ LeuceDeuce - yeah, sharpening has occurred.

Ive posted up the originals to show you how out of focus it was. Im thinking just increase my aperture because its so dark in the background anyway it wont really matter - plus i can just bump up the power of the flash to compensate.


http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv318/veeloo/Test%20Shots/Outoffocus5.jpg

100% crop

http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv318/veeloo/Test%20Shots/Outoffocus4.jpg

Also ive put up the unedited colour version shot in the changing rooms. Please feel free to edit it. Those rooms were soo horrible!! =p

http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv318/veeloo/Test%20Shots/Outoffocus3.jpg

[RMXSeven]

Just to eliminate possibilities, do you get the same OOF issue when using a tripod?
Also, shooting inanimate objects?

~Ronen

[veeloo]

Ive never shot inanimate objects, only really in auto. Never used a tripod either =p (havn't got the money to buy one yet)

[Grimlock]

They are OOF.

I believe that Palladium has a very good point. Your shutter speeds are too slow.
You will be able to get away with slightly higher ISO with a faster shutter.

I would also recommend to get that focus where it counts ... the face and eyes.

[aroundlsu]

Which lens were you using? Depending on the quality of your glass, that might be the best you are going to get.

[canonnoob]

1/60th... thats your answer...

[nate17]

here I tried sharpening it let me know what you think.

http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z179/nate555_photos/Outoffocus3.png

[Bansheercr]

The shutter speed is one area I would look to increase to eliminate camera shake and soft images.

Also look to use a higher ISO for low light images.


How do you retrieve the info from op pic like that?

[veeloo]

Im just using the standard kit lense, 25-55mm IS or whatever it is...

But ive been told that the lowest you can go with any lens is the inverse of its length, ie if you shoot with a 300mm lens, you should only go down to 1/300, and the same goes for a 55mm lens; 1/55th so 1/60th should be fine.. Or am i wrong?

Again, i see no point in turning up the ISO if i can still turn up the power of the flash gun, it was only on 1/8th of the power. Why create unnecessary noise when i have equipment that can still give me more light?

Cheers nate, it is sharper.. now someone just needs to get rid of that horrible colour =p

[Nathan]

It's easy to oversharpen images. I didn't really see a sharpness problem in this photo. Color is easy to fix, too. What program are you using to edit photos?

[veeloo]

Im just using photoshop, but im shooting in raw so it gives me all the raw options. No the #2 photo is ok in terms of sharpness, its #1 i was most frustrated with.
oh and yes, with #2 it looks as if i had the wrong white balance - cheers for fixing that. I was trying to get a decent b/w from the original but it was too difficult - it looked very flat. I guess i'll just have to attempt it in another set of changing rooms. One that doesn't have yellow walls!!

[RMXSeven]

....
But ive been told that the lowest you can go with any lens is the inverse of its length, ie if you shoot with a 300mm lens, you should only go down to 1/300, and the same goes for a 55mm lens; 1/55th so 1/60th should be fine.. Or am i wrong?

Again, i see no point in turning up the ISO if i can still turn up the power of the flash gun, it was only on 1/8th of the power. Why create unnecessary noise when i have equipment that can still give me more light?

Cheers nate, it is sharper.. now someone just needs to get rid of that horrible colour =p

The inverse rule is just a rough guide.
If you have shaky hands (like myself), then it doesn't quite work. You need to shoot that extra little bit faster to compensate. The IS should help in this respect, battling the Axis of hand shake.

Try shooting a faster with more flash power if you don't want to up the ISO.

~Ronen

[Grimlock]

How do you retrieve the info from op pic like that?

I know you weren't asking me, but I can help ...

I use this FF plug-in to view online photo EXIF... It makes it super easy to check.

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/5673

You could also save the file and check the properties. Given that the poster leaves the EXIF info intact.

[veeloo]

Yeah the lens i use is IS, ill try with a slightly higher shutter speed, ill also stop up the aperture aswell, see if this helps. Hopefully the lights are powerfull to compensate

[Bansheercr]

Thanks I'll check it out.I know you weren't asking me, but I can help ...

I use this FF plug-in to view online photo EXIF... It makes it super easy to check.

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/5673

You could also save the file and check the properties. Given that the poster leaves the EXIF info intact.