Fall Photo C&C Welcome (Needed)

[dmax]

This is one of a few that kind of worked out. I am having a hard time getting my pictures to be crisp and sharp. Some come out really nice and others are soft. I wish I knew what I was doing wrong. Any tips/pointers?
This one was shot at:
ISO 200, F 5.6, 1/125, at 135mm with the canon 55-250 on an XS.
I know the camera and lens are not top of the line but some of my pictures are so sharp and crisp. I just can't seem to duplicate it consistently. I am open to all tips as I am still learning.
Thank you

[sideliner]

Thats a nice shot, she is a cutie. Try to keep your shutter speed above the focal length.

[dmax]

Thats a nice shot, she is a cutie. Try to keep your shutter speed above the focal length.

OK, thank you. I will remember that from here on out.

[kcor]

There is also a sweet spot for every lens and each is different, but most are between f9 to f11 is where you get really crisp images.

[kimberlygfeller]

try to keep the bottom of shoes out of your pics as much as possible..have her sit with her legs criss-crossed or something or with her feet to the side of something...it is more appealing!

[cdrumeller]

Very nice, she is adorable

[dmax]

Very nice, she is adorable

Thank you

[wrxyboy]

Very nice, she is adorable

+1 the shot is real clean.

[Toronto111]

Thank you Very nice, +1 the shot is real clean.

[Kristy]

Its a cute shot. There is nothing wrong with the sharpness.. the focus is landing on the ground between her feet and her arms... see it? So her face is a lttle soft due to the focus landing in the wrong spot.. but that spot is sharp.

Are you doing focus and recompose, or choosing a focus point on her face or?? If you stop down to f/8 you'll have a larger DOF and more of the frame will be in focus... or take a few steps back when you shoot. :)

[dmax]

Its a cute shot. There is nothing wrong with the sharpness.. the focus is landing on the ground between her feet and her arms... see it? So her face is a lttle soft due to the focus landing in the wrong spot.. but that spot is sharp.

Are you doing focus and recompose, or choosing a focus point on her face or?? If you stop down to f/8 you'll have a larger DOF and more of the frame will be in focus... or take a few steps back when you shoot. :)


Thank you and yes I do see it and that is what I am having trouble with.

What I have been doing is choosing the focus point in the camera and placing it on the face. This seems to only work about 50% of the time or maybe even less. When I view them with DPP and view the focus point it is not in focus some other spot is. I am not sure what I am doing wrong? Like you said I could stop down further or step back to have a larger DOF, but shouldn't the chosen focus spot still be in focus? What am I missing??

Thanks again for your response.

[Kristy]

Thank you and yes I do see it and that is what I am having trouble with.

What I have been doing is choosing the focus point in the camera and placing it on the face. This seems to only work about 50% of the time or maybe even less. When I view them with DPP and view the focus point it is not in focus some other spot is. I am not sure what I am doing wrong? Like you said I could stop down further or step back to have a larger DOF, but shouldn't the chosen focus spot still be in focus? What am I missing??

Thanks again for your response.

Based on my experience, I would venture to say you are doing everything right... Perhaps your equipment needs to be sent in for calibration?

I might suggest doing a tripod test on a person that will not wiggle around, and use your different focus points, wide open.

Also test it at the longest end of your lens, and the shortest end of your lens... and then evaluate your results to see where the problem lies...

Frustrating, I know, all too well... but give it a test and see what you find. I'm interested to know your results.

[Kristy]

Is is still under warranty? How long have you had the equipment.. and do you get the same result using a different lens?

[dmax]

Is is still under warranty? How long have you had the equipment.. and do you get the same result using a different lens?

Yes I am still under warranty, I have only had it since June of this year. I do get the same results although not as noticeable with my other lenses. I talked with the canon dealer where I purchased it and they recommended getting it re-calibrated like you had suggested. I hope this will help or I can at least learn more in the process.

Thank you for your responses.