Where do you focus when you take a full body shot?

You have to learn DoF.
www.dofmaster.com/dofj​s.html
I'm focusing on the part of the body which I want to be in focus.
With portrait orientation it is easy on Rebel. Very top AF point or two under it are usually closer to the face, where you want usually focus to be.
In landcape your seater face is more often not even close to AF point and this is why it is often more difficult to focus.
Usually I focus with closest AF pont and recompose for portraits if DoF permits, sometimes I have to MF because DoF is very shallow.

beside composition issues, you might also consider shooting faster. 1/100 is not fast enough when shooting 70-200. Generally rule is 1/focal length, but in practice depending on hand shake, I would go 1/2x focal length.

It doesn't matter if others are out of focus. Just make sure the eyes are in focus. That's the eye magnet or focal point. It's where the audience are usually looking at.

Unless artistically you wanna focus on something else like the photo above.

Using only the centre AF point is counterproductive.

Move your AF point around until it meets the most important or the point of the photograph you want to emphasis.

So this is the problem i am talking about.. photos arent sharp they are blurry and smudgy...
Sample Photo 1. Center point focus, auto focused on subjects right eye. I didnt recompose.
eos 550 iso 400 at f4L IS @200mm 60 shutter speed.
This isn't sharp all my photos look like this..

IMAGE LINK: http://imageshack.us …-images/846/img1672y.jp​g/

IMAGE LINK: http://postimage.org/

Marco2011 wrote in post #13895054
Sample Photo 1. Center point focus, auto focused on subjects right eye. I didnt recompose.
eos 550 iso 400 at f4L IS @200mm 60 shutter speed.
This isn't sharp all my photos look like this..

IMAGE LINK: http://imageshack.us …-images/846/img1672y.jp​g/

Uploaded with ImageShack.us

Did you use a tripod?

Preeb wrote in post #13890848
Marco: Are you talking about using the Portrait and Landscape modes on the mode dial on the camera? I'm not certain, but I don't think that has anything to do with how the camera focuses. However, using those modes gives the camera more control over the process than I am willing to give up. I use Av, Tv, and M (and occasionally B) with manual ISO. I don't use any of the fully automatic modes. I like having the controls for exposure decisions in my hands, not in the questionable decision making of the camera's brain.

No, I am talking about orientation. When I turn my camera to potrait orientation photos come out better than landscape orientation. its just weried.

yogestee wrote in post #13895091
Did you use a tripod?

No, Hand Held.

Marco2011 wrote in post #13895096
No, Hand Held.

Okaaaay!

Obsidian wrote in post #13891194
beside composition issues, you might also consider shooting faster. 1/100 is not fast enough when shooting 70-200. Generally rule is 1/focal length, but in practice depending on hand shake, I would go 1/2x focal length.

then I'll try again over 1/200 then post some shots.

Handholding techniques vary among different people and you have to find what works best for you. I notice that when I turn my camera sideways to shoot in portrait orientation, I need to slow down and pay attention to how I am holding the camera. Once I do that one simple thing my success rate increases greatly. It ain't rocket science but you do have to pay attention to the small things sometimes...

Marco2011 wrote in post #13895116
then I'll try again over 1/200 then post some shots.

No. Try a tripod AND 1/200. Hand holding is never an appropriate test for sharpness. Never.

Exposure isn't the same on the two shots above which may influence focus. More importantly shutter speed is low, though with 4 stop IS isn't that low..but why not eliminate it as an issue if you are troubleshooting. Significantly I'd guess you are shooting at max from 6 feet away. Minimum focus distance on the lens is 4 feet. Your depth of field at 6 feet total is 0.04 feet or under half an inch. Easy to sway a bit and miss focus due to that tight a depth of field.

To mimic a full body shot problem and troubleshoot a lot easier to use a more human sized target - if no subjects handy your fridge with a piece of paper with text would do.

rral22 wrote in post #13895367
No. Try a tripod AND 1/200. Hand holding is never an appropriate test for sharpness. Never.

And even more, not for close-ups. The "one over the focal length" rule is aimed at normal shooting, and it still is no guarantee of a sharp image. When you get into close-up range, even faster speeds are needed. That is why a tripod and flash are so important for really critical shots. I've done a fair amount of hand held close-ups, and usually I need to take several exposures to get one keeper. I also brace myself in some way.... just free handing rarely works. If you waver just 1/4" you have lost your focus, either due to camera movement or having changed your distance to subject.

In a lens test it is critical to eliminate as many variables as possible. You also don't have the best subject for such a test.

guys i am really ****ed up .. i tried everything even with faster shutter speed.. with humans.. nothing new still same results

so ill try using a tripod lets see with what i'll come up and then ill update the thread..