Backfocus

[guitarman]

Is this a backfocus problem that I should be worried about or is it just something I'm doing wrong? The first image is focused in the background but the subject somehow got way out of focus. The second shot seemed normal. Basically same shot just zoomed in more. Should I be thinking about sending my camera in to Canon for calibration or is this just user error?

http://guitarman.servepics.com/CarolBackfocus.JPG

http://guitarman.servepics.com/CollingwoodCarol.jpg

[jimlp]

Is this a backfocus problem that I should be worried about or is it just something I'm doing wrong? The first image is focused in the background but the subject somehow got way out of focus. The second shot seemed normal. Basically same shot just zoomed in more. Should I be thinking about sending my camera in to Canon for calibration or is this just user error?

http://guitarman.servepics.com/CarolBackfocus.JPG

http://guitarman.servepics.com/CollingwoodCarol.jpg

It looks like you had all the focus points active and the camera picked one that was on the background instead of the subject, in the second pic the subject is larger and presented a better "target" for the auto-focus system. If you had a single focus point selected and it was locked on your subject and you still got the result from pic #1 I would say you may have a focus problem.

[guitarman]

I have been fooling around with focus points lately. I don't remember what I was doing at that particular time so It definitely could be my error. I will have to pay morre attention.

[cfcRebel]

I agree with jimlp. It could be a wrong AF point was used. Try use the center AF point. Let us know if that helps.

[guitarman]

I just went out and tried a bunch more portraits and they seem to be ok. I just have to watch my focus points. This is a sample of tonights shoot. I went out and did some test shots I will be doing. Portraits this Sunday in the same park and wanted to be sure that there is nothing wrong with the focus of my camera. I am just a beginner and maybe a tad paranoid of all the talk of focus problems that have been talked about with the 20D

http://guitarman.servepics.com/Portrait_Carol.jpg

[wilflee]

Definitely look like user error to me. The camera can't read your mind and guess what to focus on (the woman or the rocks behind her). But because more focus points fall on the rock, it made an (incorrect) guess to focus on the rocks instead of woman.

In the second photo because either you walked closer or zoomed in, more focus points fell on the woman so it correctly focused on the woman.

Note, however, the exposure between the first & second shot has changed. I'm guessing her dark colored top had filled the center metering spot so the camera's auto exposure system opened up half a stop or so. This caused the rocks behind her to become lighter.

[cfcRebel]

Your last image(yellow-shirt lady) looks tack-sharp to me. ;)