why so fuzzy?

ok, so these aren't FUZZY, but I feel like it should be sharper

Rebel XSi
24-105L

i didn't shoot in RAW (i know, i know, poor life choice; have set myself straight on this already)

any ideas why it's not sharper?

Was this hand held? The shutter speed was 10 seconds which I am amazed that it is this sharp and not even more fuzzy! I would crank that ISO up and reduce the shutter speed.

it was not hand-held, but i didnt have my tripod on me either. it was an unexpected visit to a newly-opened parking garage. i set the camera on the concrete ledge and used the 2-second timer

Without being there I can't say the exact problem. I would say either camera shake or out of focus. Is it possible the IS motor was interfering?

Yup, IS on a tripod would most likely be the explanation..

sadly, IS is the most unlikely explanation... it was turned off

hmmm not sure then.. Any other ones come out like this or as this the only one?

they all looked about the same really... kinda disappointing

even a 20-second exposure looked almost identical.... maybe i need to try locking up the mirror?

A sturdy tripod is still more stable than a concrete wall if there is a significant wind, since it's actually holding the camera in place, not just holding it up. If mirror slap were the problem, I'd think a 20-second exposure would look better than a 10-second exposure.

But what strikes me more is those two fans in the 100% crop - is that flare? Were you using a filter?

What sharpening setting are you using? What aperture? This might be reasonable for that lens at night with zero sharpening.

Resting on a concrete wall really means the camera was just sitting there and free to move. by your comment that you should try locking up the mirror indicate that maybe the camera may have experienced a small vibration when the mirror slapped which may explain the fuzzy image..

Is there a filter in front of the lens?

nope, no filter.... the flare was also a concern but the sharpness was my first priority. my assumption was that the flare was a result of the bright street light directly below it (just below the center of the full picture)

this particular shot was at f/8.0

the picture i posted was straight out of the camera, before doing anything in lightroom

If you had the camera on a concrete ledge of that newly opened parking garage and were using a 10 sec shutter, that would be the problem. Parking garage - moving cars. Concrete will transfer vibration quite nicely. You would have been better off bumping the ISO to give a shutter that you could hand hold with IS on.

Good point. I have seen this myself, parking ramps do move and bounce around.

Lacks_focus wrote in post #11884466
If you had the camera on a concrete ledge of that newly opened parking garage and were using a 10 sec shutter, that would be the problem. Parking garage - moving cars. Concrete will transfer vibration quite nicely. You would have been better off bumping the ISO to give a shutter that you could hand hold with IS on.

another good theory, but oddly enough i was the only single car in the entire garage (it was a community college parking garage late at night) although i guess big structures like that probably vibrate contantly, whether or not anybody's in them