Not that sharp.. is it just me? or the lens?

Shutter speed was too slow for shooting a dog handheld. Had you cranked up the shutter speed a good bit more it wouldn't have been as blurry.

I have a habit of pressing my shutter button half-way, like everyone else does, but I usually push it half way two or three times in a row to really dial it in. Then I make sure to squeeze, not push (like shooting a handgun; you squeeze, not pull).

You'll get it.

marzie84 wrote in post #15120106
focal length is 120mm, its original not a crop. Camera choosing the focus point. i think this one may of been a handheld shot.. i was using my tripod today aswell, those photos were the same, some worse.

There is your problem.
I can't tell exactly from that websized photo, but is the photo sharp on the hair BETWEEN the dog's eyes? When I have the accidental oops shot with dogs, the focus typically shifts from the eyes to the middle of their face.

Next time you shoot, choose the focus point yourself. Place it over the dog's eye if you can, and see if it makes a difference in your photos

Also, never trust the back LCD lol. It lies.

marzie84 wrote in post #15120106
...Camera choosing the focus point...

Ka..Ching.

This is at least half your problem, if not a fair bit more.
Why would you let the camera focus on whatever it wants to?
By using auto focus point select, what you are really saying to the camera is
"You're smarter than I am. Focus on whatever you like. I'll be happy with that. As long as something's in focus, I'll be happy"
It simply did what you told it to do.
I guess you just discovered that the camera isn't smarter than you are and it hasn't got a clue what you want it to be focussing on.

I'd echo what a lot have said here. Select the focus point manually. I usually just stick with the center point, set it on what I want in focus, half press to focus, then recompose a little if needed.

I'd also suggest since you have the camera on a tripod, you could switch to Live View and zoom in on the spot you want to focus on. Then you could manually focus to get it perfect. This may be difficult with a subject like a dog or a child, but you might be able to work it out if you're fast!

I agree about center point focus, but I actually think it's a pretty good shot SOOC. I had that camera/lens camera and many pics were a ittle soft, before I changed the in camera picture style settings or did PP. It looks like the dog is sitting so I'm not sure why the shutter speed is an issue.

KoalaCowboy wrote in post #15120183
Have you tried setting your f-stop to something between f/8 and f/11, then adjust your shutter speed? Also, why are you shooting at ISO800? It appears to be daylight outside, you should be shooting at ISO100 or 'maybe' ISO200, IMO.

I'd try something along these lines:
Shutter speed: 1/20
f-stop: f/9
ISO: 100

Another thing you could try is to set your ISO, then take a series of pictures starting at f/5.6, then f/6.3, f/8, f/9, f/11, f/13, etc. adjusting shutter-speed accordingly. Once you have done this, examine each of the pictures before you adjust anything. There will be at least one, if not two that are really sharp. This is your lens' sweet spot.

How to find your lens' sweet spot

The Sweet Spot Lens Settings...

I don't see how those settings would work, the dog is clearly in the shade in that shot, and ISO 800 minimally should be just fine, with maybe an aperture of f7.1 to f8 at most.

Personally, I would have set it to ISO 1600, and moved EC to +1/3 or +2/3 to push the exposure up, still get a faster shutter speed, and then brought the exposure down a bit afterwards in the raw.

EDIT: sounds like Arty and I are on the same page here.

marzie84 wrote in post #15120106
focal length is 120mm, its original not a crop. Camera choosing the focus point. i think this one may of been a handheld shot.. i was using my tripod today aswell, those photos were the same, some worse.

With the lens wide open (f5.6 is wide open for that focal length on that lens) most lenses, even some very good ones, tend to be a bit softer than they are when stopped down a couple of stops. It's was suggested above to try it at f8 or f11 for better results. That gives you better performance from the lens itself, and slightly more depth of field for a better chance at hitting the focus.

Just reading this post with interest, I'm finding a lot of mine look great in the LCD but not on the computer, I am very new to this too marzie84, I honestly didn't realise the were so many factors that changed the end product, it's been a headache at times and my head is constantly swimming with lots of new information and helpful hints from others, I suppose it's just going to take time and LOTS of practice
But I'm enjoying it and that's the main thing

Oh, I didn't notice that she was letting the camera choose focal point.

Pick center point and master it. You can lock focus on the eye, and then slide sideways a bit to recompose the shot while your button is pushed half-way.

And remember, if you are super close to your subject, it's much harder to get the entire subject in focus (and sometimes that's the idea).

But the original picture of the dog is a good pic.

Ok, all shouldacouldawoulda aside, (not that there isn't good advice for the future in that...

Your dog was in perfect focus. soft lenses are soft... thats it. Using a flash would have helped your lens resolve what sharpness it has, but all is not lost.

Good editing skills are an essential part of the process. As is good editing software.

Plenty of light speed up shutter. Also...can add sharpness in post.

ct1co2 wrote in post #15120133
Although you have a cooperative subject, your shutter speed is right on the edge of being fast enough to avoid camera shake and it's possible your subject could be moving ever so slightly causing the out of focus image. The IS won't help if your subject is moving, only if you are.

wimg wrote in post #15121898
The 1/FL rule for minimum shutter speeds should really read 1/(FL*crop-factor), when handheld that is. IOW, at 120 mm the advised minimum shutter speed shoudl eb around 1/(120*1.6) or approx. 1/200s. Note that this is a guideline only, as minimum handheld shutter speeds vary from person to person, vary with moods, cafeine intake, etc. And when shooting puppies, or kids, you will likely have to use a shutter speed that is twice as fast as you would normally use: they move too much and very quickly too (IOW, in this case 1/400s).

HTH, kind regards, Wim

kin2son wrote in post #15121922
Read the comment from wimg.

1/160 shutter is way too slow @ 120mm.

In your example, you will probably need at least 1/400 just to be on the safe side, and it might still miss since your subject is a dog.

artyH wrote in post #15122362
At longer focal lengths, as previously mentioned, you need 1/shutter speed X 1.6 to stop motion. This means 1/200.

You people do realize that this lens is stabilized right? I'm kind of shocked by the number of people thinking this way. With 4 stop IS you should be able to shoot sharp shots at least of motionless objects at 1/13" at 120mm. (1/120 * 1.6 = 1/200 minus 4 stops) And Arty. Basing shutter speed on lens lengths has nothing to do with stopping motion. This is to prevent camera shake. There is nothing wrong with the shutter speed in this case. The dog is sitting still and I have shot many sharp shots of my pets using that shutter speed.

As has been identified, the primary 2 reasons for the photo are:
1) Letting the camera choose the AF points (I would expect that if you took the raw into DPP, it would show the nose)
and
2) lack of post processing

Other lesser items:
3) shutter speed - just because the lens is stabilized, that stops only handshake and not subject shake (much like the 1/FL argument made above). A dog may appear to be sitting still, but they still move and fidget, and who is to say that the dog didn't start to move at this shot? If you have the ISO overhead, why not just eliminate that factor and bump up the shutter, especially if shooting at 120mm? Many of my shots show shutter speeds above what would normally be called for, however they are also some of my sharpest images. I don't care why, it just works.
4) One shot vs AI Servo, I never use one shot on a pet, or my kids unless they are sleeping
5) Aperture usage, perhaps stepping down would produce a sharper image and enlarge the DOF by a few inches, getting more of the pooch's face in focus

FEChariot wrote in post #15125869
You people do realize that this lens is stabilized right? I'm kind of shocked by the number of people thinking this way. With 4 stop IS you should be able to shoot sharp shots at least of motionless objects at 1/13" at 120mm. (1/120 * 1.6 = 1/200 minus 4 stops) And Arty. Basing shutter speed on lens lengths has nothing to do with stopping motion. This is to prevent camera shake. There is nothing wrong with the shutter speed in this case. The dog is sitting still and I have shot many sharp shots of my pets using that shutter speed.

You clearly don't get the point. This is not about stabilizing the lens/body but about using a shutter speed fast enough to make sure there is no subject movement.

Unless you capture a point where a body is completely still, you will have unsharp images, especially of kids and small animals, when the shutter speed is too slow.

Furthermore, one shouldn't use IS on a tripod either, unless the lens IS is specifically created to detect a tripod, as with some of the more expensive L-glass.

Kind regards, Wim

wimg wrote in post #15126169
You clearly don't get the point. This is not about stabilizing the lens/body but about using a shutter speed fast enough to make sure there is no subject movement.

You said this:

wimg wrote in post #15121898
This.

The 1/FL rule for minimum shutter speeds should really read 1/(FL*crop-factor), when handheld that is. IOW, at 120 mm the advised minimum shutter speed shoudl eb around 1/(120*1.6) or approx. 1/200s.

Sorry but focal length has nothing to do with avoiding subject motion. If you really were talking about subject motion, why the equation?

wimg wrote in post #15126169
Unless you capture a point where a body is completely still, you will have unsharp images, especially of kids and small animals, when the shutter speed is too slow.

1/160" is not too slow for a dog sitting still, especially in this case were the OP is using a 400D where the noise would have dramatically gone up if she bumped ISO from 800 to 1600. The lens is already maxed out there at 5.6 so no help there. Without flash, her settings were exactly what I would have picked and have picked and I have had great results with those settings in situations very simular to this. There is a point where using a faster shutter speed to prevent subject motion blur will result in an overall worse picture and at ISO 800 wide open on an older Rebel, she is at that point.

wimg wrote in post #15121898
Furthermore, one shouldn't use IS on a tripod either, unless the lens IS is specifically created to detect a tripod, as with some of the more expensive L-glass.

Kind regards, Wim

Actually the cheap 18-55 IS can detect tripods and so can the 18-135's, but I didn't mention anything about tripod use in my post.