Digital Rebel XT Trouble

[Ron Wilson]

My new camera just came back from the Canon Service Centre. It was in because I thought the images were too soft. I don't know what they did with it for three weeks. These are the shots that they gave me on CD with the return of my camera. I am still not satisfied. I will try to do a focus test myself but I would have expected more from Canon. At the least the shots on the CD should have been diagnostic in nature and not these random shots.

[cfcRebel]

Ron, glad to hear u recieved your camera back. I'm surprised to hear about Canon's unimpressive service.
Try some flower shots outdoor, or brick wall shots, with different lens and see if the problem still occurs.

[Ron Wilson]

That's what I will do tomorrow, outdoor flower shots. I'll try the brick wall shots as well. Maybe I'm be too picky but this is not a cheap camera. I see great sharpness in samples of the same body with the kit lens. I would have thought the pics that they would give me would be sharpness test diagnostic in nature. What can you discern from that first shot? It's worthless. TY for your comments though. I do appreciate them.
BTW I will go back to Canon and speak with the head of service there. I already called and told them I was unhappy.

[glangston]

Do a focus test similar to the one mentioned in this thread by Tim (the third post down.)

http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=79442&highlight=focus+test

These cameras need post processing to sharpen the image. It also helps to use the single focus point in the middle and to check on the downloaded image just where the focus point was.

You are not the only one that has had a soft focus issue. Few have been camera error. Most are using wrong focus point or not post processing to get sharpness.

[Andy_T]

Ron,

did you send your lenses in with the camera?
Can you post an image you took (preferrably 100% crop with EXIF information) that you are unhappy with?
What exactly are you unhappy with? Shots with which lens, at which aperture, under which conditions?

It's a bit difficult to advise you, based on the very little information you have supplied in this thread (maybe you posted more in some other places, in that case please forgive my ignorance!)

Best regards,
Andy

[cfcRebel]

Hi Andy, here is Ron's original post. http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?p=559679

[chakras]

Hey, Canon service center sure looks like any neighborhood service center. So much junk;)

[felix21685]

so they just have some dudes in little rooms like that ? not what i thought a service center would be like IMO.

[KurtKuhn]

so they just have some dudes in little rooms like that ? not what i thought a service center would be like IMO.

Sounds like you had white lab coats in a clean room in mind... ;)

-KK

[felix21685]

well something a little more professional..

[Hellashot]

There are so many posts on here about new dSLR users thinking their camera is taking soft images when it's really what autofocus points are being used, sharpening amount, DOF, shutter speed etc. And most of the time the user realizes the error of his/her way and they don't send their camera in when that's what they wanted to do when they posted.

[Ron Wilson]

Hey Hellashot you make some good comments and I agree with most. I am a new DSLR'er and I am learning the camera but I have 1 observation and 1 comment. The observation is "why didn't the canon techies take a tack sharp picture?" And if I have to spend this kind of money on a camera only to have to "sharpen" it in PS I am pretty disappointed with the state of the art. I thought the camera is capable of more. How many of you pro's out there take shots planning on making them sharper on your PC? Come on.....

[queenbee288]

Ron, Digital images don't usually come out of the camera tack sharp. It is generally accepted and known that you have to post process digital images. You are in control. Sharpness is a matter of personal preference and not everyone wants every image to be tack sharp....Again... You are in control when you post process. What kind of camera did you have prior to this?
Char

[buze]

I disagree with that "sharpness in PS" thing. PS costs a LOT more than the camera, and doesn't ship with it.
And by using "Parameter 1" and a good lens I do get tack sharp shots, right out of the camera. I was trying out my Sigma 18-50 f2.8 earlier and a few of the shots I did are *very* sharp; way beyond the Kit lens. And thats not even speaking of t 50mm f1.4 when I stop it down some!
So IMO you should try to get your hands on a friend "trusted prime" and try to calibrate with that. Do some comparisons maybe.

[cfcRebel]

Speaking of "Parameter 1", Ron did you check if your XT is set to Parameter 1? It is the default setting for my 300D. According to the 300D manual, Parameter 1 means all the Contrast, Sharpness, Saturation, Brightness....etc. are set to one stop higher and should produce sharper, more vivid colored pictures. Also, you can customize these parameter.

If those samples posted earlier were indeed taken with Parameter 1, try create a custom parameter setting (Set 1) with a Sharpness increased all the way to the right (2 stops). Refer to your XT manual when you set up your parameters.
Good luck.

[prime80]

Hey Hellashot you make some good comments and I agree with most. I am a new DSLR'er and I am learning the camera but I have 1 observation and 1 comment. The observation is "why didn't the canon techies take a tack sharp picture?" And if I have to spend this kind of money on a camera only to have to "sharpen" it in PS I am pretty disappointed with the state of the art. I thought the camera is capable of more. How many of you pro's out there take shots planning on making them sharper on your PC? Come on.....

Read about any professional photographer's workflow and you will see that post processing is a major part of it. And sharpening is in every one of those workflows, unless they intentionally want a soft image. Even the big guns using 1Ds MII's sharpen in post processing. If you're used to the images from your old point and shoot, they've been sharpened as well, it's just done in-camera. The assumption for the D-SLR crowd is that we want to have control over that sharpening and not leave it up to the camera. If you don't want to have to sharpen images in post processing, I'd suggest a high quality point & shoot. They will typically give sharper images straight out of the camera. However, it's not because it's a better camera, it's just because the post processing is being done by the camera for you.

[KurtKuhn]

Ron-

For just shooting snapshots, I only use jpg's (large + fine). I have Sharpness in Set 1 set at maximum (i.e. to the right of the scale). For in camera sharpening, I think this looks the best.

For shooting "keepers," I shoot RAW + jpg (again with Sharpness set at maximum). Then if any post processing is done, I work strictly from the tiff file distilled from the RAW file. In this case I only use the jpg as a proof. Sharpening is left as the very last step in the work flow once all the other manipulations have been performed.

-KK

[DimensionZero]

I think part of the problem may lay in the kit lens. I find that my kit lens feels a little soft as well, but it could possibly be my inexperience... The only reason I tend to think it's the lens is because I'm borrowing my friend's Canon EF 80-200 f/4.5-5.6 and the pictures I'm getting from that are much better.

[Ron Wilson]

I'm a little surprised to hear that most of you all "sharpen in PS". I can live with it I just didn't think that it occured as much as indicated. My previous camera was a Canon PowerShot S30 and prior to that a Canon AE1. CFC REBEL ... I read about Parameter 1 in the manual and I assumed that my XT was set to that as the default. I will check now. As well I will try to increase the sharpness to see what effect it will have. My preference would be to always shoot sharp and then soften in PS if I desired. I am not a fan of soft shots being sharpened in PS. The look is not real. Do you think Ansel Adams used PS to sharpen his shots. I think he was refering to something else when he said "You don't take a photograph, you make it." He may have liked to play around in the darkroom but I would bet if he did not have to he would not do it. "Dodging and burning are steps to take care of mistakes God made in establishing tonal relationships", this leads me to believe he only corrected God's mistakes, not his own. Got a good camera....take a sharp picture!
CFC Rebel, thx for your comments....they are very sensible.
BTW http://usefilm.com/ is a great site. Check me out there.

[Dante King]

Shoot in jpeg with sharpness way pumped up and you can turn that rebelXT into an expensive Point and Shoot in no time flat, if that is what you are after. You can achieve nice prints right from the camera.

In a raw workflow PP work is exactly equal to what AA said when refering to darkroom work.

Also I think it is in error to claim that the rebelTX is the pinnacle of technology or like reference.

[Radioham]

Hi Ron
I had the 300D for about 3 months and I just could not get on with it, I did not like the build quality and switch on time and most of all soft focusing was the one of major factor for changing to the 20D, I tried a few different lenses and they all seemed to be the same, Change the AF point to centre only, Dun most of the tests that people have suggested with no results. So I took the step forward and got the 20D and I am more then happy I did.
Lost £300 quid in the process though. Maybe there’s a few rouge Cameras out there, (Friday after noon’s one’s or is it Monday morning one’s)
I hope you get it Shorted.
Steve
BTW i use AE1 pro great camera still works a treat, :lol:

[Ron Wilson]

Eh Dante King, I'm not so sure that I would agree with what you philosophise re. todays cameras and PS work. I'm not saying that we should all get or expect great pics right out of the camera but we should certainly take the "best pic" possible. Otherwise we are going to let other standards slip as well. Why stop at sharpness? Who cares if we don't compose properly we could do it in PS. Horizon is off, no problem. Colours are not right, fix in post. Tone sucks, lighting is off, fix it in post. lol , being facetious but you see what happens when we attempt to "make" pics. There are even some that believe that there is something alturistic in taking the pic, ie. it is the act of pressing the shutter button that gives satisfaction. I am quite keen on PS and plan on getting better, but I never want to rely or depend on it for a good pic. AA used to wait hours for the right light. Today we snap at high noon and fix in post. I don't think so.