Canon 50mm 1.8 II downward focus issue

Hi,
I have a Canon 50mm 1.8 II. When I shoot baby with the camera horizontal (mounted on a tripod) and the lens looking downward with manual focus, I lose the focus rapidly.

I usually focus on their eyes and then switch to manual and wait for a smile and shoot. The AF on that lens is not super rapid, so I would prefer to use the manual, set it up once and take many pictures. I tend to shoot at f1.8-2.2 so the DOF is shallow.

Unfortunately, it seems that the weight of the moving part is enough to move the lens downward and mess up my focus withing less 1-2 minutes.

Am I the only one with that issue? What would you do about it?

Best regards,

you can get a band or a rubber band to hold the focus where you want as a quick fix.

When using the tripod, do you have the IS turned off? Using a remote trigger or manually pressing the shutter release? Using your external flash?

At (I'm guessing) at a distance of 3-5 feet, you definitely have a shallow depth of field at nearly wide open aperture so any movement by the baby can be critical. Check the charts to find out how much depth of field you should expect - probably a lot less than you really need!

I have never experienced the f1.8 50mm lens sliding out of focus due to downward angle, but I can not say it could not happen. But I have definitely experienced out-of-focus pictures when using the fifty up-close at near wide-open in lower light situations. An off-camera flash with ceiling or wall bounce was my best solution for really nice photos.

Why not make sure IS is off, leave it in autofocus, and use a remote trigger to fire the camera? Also stopping down to f4 would be a big assist for DOF and sharper images even if the baby moves a little. Consider additional light for faster shutter speeds.

Taking pictures of your infants is great... you can never have too many (pictures, that is), and the subject never complains about the picture!

I'm pretty sure he had the IS off, completely off the lens that is.. There isnt one the nifty, not yet anyways.
Never experienced that with the nift-fifty, do you use it with the hood? The hood adds abit off weight, but i use mine with the hood, cant say have noticed any creep on it.

David C wrote in post #14063809
When using the tripod, do you have the IS turned off? Using a remote trigger or manually pressing the shutter release? Using your external flash?

At (I'm guessing) at a distance of 3-5 feet, you definitely have a shallow depth of field at nearly wide open aperture so any movement by the baby can be critical. Check the charts to find out how much depth of field you should expect - probably a lot less than you really need!

I have never experienced the f1.8 50mm lens sliding out of focus due to downward angle, but I can not say it could not happen. But I have definitely experienced out-of-focus pictures when using the fifty up-close at near wide-open in lower light situations. An off-camera flash with ceiling or wall bounce was my best solution for really nice photos.

Why not make sure IS is off, leave it in autofocus, and use a remote trigger to fire the camera? Also stopping down to f4 would be a big assist for DOF and sharper images even if the baby moves a little. Consider additional light for faster shutter speeds.

Taking pictures of your infants is great... you can never have too many (pictures, that is), and the subject never complains about the picture!

Hi,
There is no IS on my lens.

I sometime use a remote.

My subject cannot lift her head, yet, so once I focus on her eyes, the distance does not change. She can make lateral move, so if I am on AF, sometime I focus on the ground. Also the AF is slow on that lens, so I end up missing some smile.

Thanks

The Warlock wrote in post #14063865
I'm pretty sure he had the IS off, completely off the lens that is.. There isnt one the nifty, not yet anyways.
Never experienced that with the nift-fifty, do you use it with the hood? The hood adds abit off weight, but i use mine with the hood, cant say have noticed any creep on it.

Yes I have a hood and a UV filter

Does it lenscreep with these off?

Lose the filter; gaffer tape; save for a 50/1.4 if you like that FL.

Or, shoot horizontally and use a mirror!

Oh - are you sure your tripod or head isn't slipping?

xarqi wrote in post #14065571
Oh - are you sure your tripod or head isn't slipping?

The head isn't slipping. The frame is the same I only lose the focus.

Am I the only one experiencing this?

Is my lens faulty?

The only moving part is the zoom. So if it's weighted down its gonna move.

the 50/1.8 has an internal focus so i wouldn't think that creep would be an issue. you could try some gaffers tape to hold the focus in position. what kind of tripod do you use?

peeaanuut wrote in post #14104469
The only moving part is the zoom. So if it's weighted down its gonna move.

What zoom? It's not a zoom lens.

mike_311 wrote in post #14104817
the 50/1.8 has an internal focus so i wouldn't think that creep would be an issue. you could try some gaffers tape to hold the focus in position. what kind of tripod do you use?

Manfrotto 055xprob with 486 rc2 When I experience the problem the top part is on the horizontal position (http://www.doobybrain.​com …anfrotto-055xprob-tripod/ third picture on the right).

Head is secure. Frame does not change between picture, only focus get messed up.

I am not sure about the rubber band, since it would have to stick to both the fixed mart and the moving part of the focus. I would thus need large rubber band.