What is the best way to get tack sharp focus on eyes with a wide aperture?

So I have shot these past few days with a 5D2 w/ a 35L and 50L at f/1.4-2.0 (mostly at 2.0). I take portraits using center point autofocus on the subjects eyes, then recompose the shot before shooting. Looks good on camera, but when I go home 95% of the shots are out of focus on my computer.

[Image removed, didn't have permission to keep it up long]
35mm, handheld, 1/80, f2.0, natural light (I prefer to not use flash)

What do I do? Is focusing+recompose hurting me? Is my shutter speed too slow? I thought focal length doubled (35x2=1/70 shutter) with handheld would work fine (maybe subject motion while talking ruined it?) Could the 5D2 have backfocus or frontfocus issues? Knowing both me and the subject has body motion while we're shooting, how can I maintain a wide aperture and still nail focus?

Some of my favorite photographers shoot wide open and hit their focus dead on with their 5D2, WHILE their models move around, you can check their exifinfos:

http://jordanvoth.com
http://shannonleemille​r.com

How do these guys do it at 1.2 and 1.4?

I'm thinking one main problem is recomposing that far from the center point. You can easily move outside that narrow plane of field by recomposing that distance.

Tripod mount the camera, focus using live view zoomed in at 10x and focus on the eyes. The focus will be perfect.

gjl711 wrote in post #16356860
Tripod mount the camera, focus using live view zoomed in at 10x and focus on the eyes. The focus will be perfect.

Subject isn't a still life object, he's moving around while we're having a conversation so the focus at 10x I used a second ago won't be reliable...tripod is out of the question. Besides I'm trying to get sharp candid shots. My style is handheld and tripod wont allow me to switch angles fast enough.

Moving subject, large aperture, natural light, getting perfect focus is going to be luck. You might try shooting in servo and burst mode and take a bunch of pictures and choose the sharpest.

I agree with the above. Under those conditions, you need to do some spraying because you are asking for problems with any single shot.

If you want tack sharp, faster shutter speeds, at least slightly smaller apertures, and no movement of the camera or the subject will be necessary. If you won't do that, spray and pray.

thedcmule2 wrote in post #16356818
Is focusing+recompose hurting me?

Pretty much this.

I just take a bunch of the same photo over and over, making the camera re-focus each time on the intended subject, when I'm wide open. They're typically not their sharpest wide open, so I do it to basically hope that with enough attempts, one will be in focus and very sharp.

Very best,

Well the subject isnt moving THAT much. By motion I meant like he's talking so his body moves ever so slightly that causes his eyes to go in and out of focus.

Would burst mode help?

Looks like motion blur(too slow s/s) to me. The only area that looks even remotely in focus, is from his knees down... which most-likely isn't moving while talking.

AI Servo. Look in your Custom Functions to learn how to pick a focus point that's over the eyes instead of recomposing.

At 1/80 sec? Ya think?

Most lenses are sharpest about 2-3X (f-stops) stopped down from wide open. After that, diffraction will start to degrade the image as you get up toward f/16.
Read this: -=What to do if you suspect a focus problem=-
And use this target: Focus Testing

yep

choose a different focus point closer to the eyes

if you can compose with the focus point right on the eyes then ai servo + burst. then you can pick the one with best eyes and best mouth.

IMO the posted shot is so far off that focus-recompose is not the main problem in that case - although it might just be a complete mis-focus or the subject was moving.

But I would also try using the outer points. Yes, they are not as good, but it can be done with practice - you have to find something with contrast at 90deg to the focus sensor direction. It might be too dark in the situation you are using it though.

To me something 'soft' due to focus-recompose or a slight 'miss' at 1.4-2.0 would still look fine posted here at 800px, so if you're way out from that then I think something else is likely the issue.

Recomposing is exactly the problem. The DOF is so thin, even at 2.0, that any recomposing will throw the final shot out of focus.

thedcmule2 wrote in post #16356818
I take portraits using center point autofocus on the subjects eyes, then recompose the shot before shooting. Looks good on camera, but when I go home 95% of the shots are out of focus on my computer.

What do I do? Is focusing+recompose hurting me? Knowing both me and the subject has body motion while we're shooting, how can I maintain a wide aperture and still nail focus?

Yes, I believe that focusing and then recomposing can really hurt, especially for shallow DOF images that are handheld.

I run into this challenge all the time when shooting my wildlife subjects. DOF is extremely shallow at focal lengths of 400, 600, and 800mm.

So what do I do? I compose the image the way I want to, then select a focus point that is nearest the subject's eye. I have the back button enabled, so I have the focus mode set to AI Servo and keep my thumb pressing that back button down while I try to keep the little red square squarely on the critter's eyeball, which is tough when I have a dynamic subject that is in continual motion.

I finally deploy the shutter button and take the shot whenever the box is right on the eye and when I get good eye contact, or when I notice nice catchlight in the eye.

simple answer, DO NOT RECOMPOSE when shooting wide at 1.2-1.4. I honestly was in the same boat as you, you can even look through my past posts asking the same question! haha. I used to have a 5D2 and loved shooting wide with my sigma 85mm f1.4.

One thing I can tell you is that the 5D2 is TERRIBLE at autofocusing. The only reliable focus point is the center dot, which is the only cross type focus point. The outer focus points are not cross type, and have difficulty focusing accurately. I found that shooting with the center dot on the eyes, without recomposing, the shots came out tack sharp. However, when shooting vertical, I like to use the top focus point as it is closest to the eye. I placed the top focus point on the eye, no recomposing, and it's not sharp, it's focus missed.

Your problem is your 5D2 honestly. I upgraded to a 5D3 (which has MUCH BETTER focus points), and my focus problems were gone. I can now shoot at f1.4 with tack sharp eyes. However, if upgrading is not an option, I say the only thing you can do is use the center focus point and take the photo without recomposing. Crop the photo in post, although you lose resolution. That or you shoot with a smaller aperture.