17-40L Question

[45R]

RookieQuestion on the 17-40L

When shooting at F4 the closer I have my subject the sharper the image is, the further away I have the object the subject looks pretty soft along with a soft background. Does this sound correct?

Forgive me for asking such a simple question, but I havent really shot this lens wide open. Since its wide I've been shooting at F8 and above for landscape. However during a recent outing to the zoo, I shot a few pictures of family members with the apeture wide open at a distance of 7 yards, the results were not so outstanding. Should I have used a smaller apeture?

Thanks for bearing with me.


45R

[booggerg]

Well when you're farther away, you're obviously going to see less details versus being up close.... :roll:

[blue_max]

RookieQuestion on the 17-40L

When shooting at F4 the closer I have my subject the sharper the image is, the further away I have the object the subject looks pretty soft along with a soft background. Does this sound correct?

Forgive me for asking such a simple question, but I havent really shot this lens wide open. Since its wide I've been shooting at F8 and above for landscape. However during a recent outing to the zoo, I shot a few pictures of family members with the apeture wide open at a distance of 7 yards, the results were not so outstanding. Should I have used a smaller apeture?

Thanks for bearing with me.


45R

One could say that objects further away are smaller, but I see you have over a hundred posts and we must assume you know your way round a camera.
If it is possible to post a sample, it might help our grasp of the magnitude of the problem. ie whether the focus is completely out or just occupying a smaller area of the sensor. Obviously a smaller aperture would give you a greater depth of field.

I think that you may be focussing on a forefront object (which is quite typical in a landscape shot) and forgetting the rather shallower depth of field. I may be completely wrong, but lets get the ball rolling and discount a few things first.

Graham

[45R]

Blue_Max-
First off I'd like to say thank for you taking the time to help me with my problem.

These 2 photos were shot with the apeture wide open at F4 with buildings

http://www.pbase.com/45r/image/44541939.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/45r/image/44541923.jpg

The first two are examples of how sharp this lens is.

I had a few pictures like this were everything looks really soft. The lighting wasnt all that great.

http://www.pbase.com/45r/image/45724198.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/45r/image/45724239.jpg

Any suggestions on how to get them sharper would be great!

[45R]

Well when you're farther away, you're obviously going to see less details versus being up close.... :roll:

That was very educational :)

[booggerg]

Well the 2 sharp examples you gave were high in contrast and sharpness was easily deciphered, the two soft ones are badly exposed and are relative low in contrast.. maybe it's just the nature of the picture, as opposed to the lens suddently becoming soft....