Focusing problems

I just purchased Canons 400mm 5.6 prime lense. I have a T2i body and am haviing a lot of trouble getting the sharp images this lense boasts about. Can any one offer some sugestions?

Post one of your images (with EXIF).

Heya,

Post an image.

Even good lenses have issues with focus depending on the camera. It may not be the lens. It may just be that it needs to be calibrated to that camera body. This is fairly common actually. It's why it's nice to have a camera with built in MFA so you can calibrate it yourself. Rebels lack that unfortunately.

Very best,

What settings are you using? Exposure mode, AF mode, focus points?

Gatorboy how do I post an image ?

jmgollhardt wrote in post #16755955
I just purchased Canons 400mm 5.6 prime lense. I have a T2i body and am haviing a lot of trouble getting the sharp images this lense boasts about. Can any one offer some sugestions?

jmgollhardt wrote in post #16756012
Focusing problems- Gatorboy I am new to this forum stuff, How do I post an image?

use an image hosting site like Flickr, photobucket, etc. Take a pic of something using a tripod and a higher shutter speed (> 1/640)

jmgollhardt wrote in post #16755955
I just purchased Canons 400mm 5.6 prime lense. I have a T2i body and am haviing a lot of trouble getting the sharp images this lense boasts about. Can any one offer some sugestions?

On your camera the minimum shutter speed for handheld use is 1/640 and you have to be strong and steady to make that work. My guess is you need faster shutter speeds or a more stable method of holding it.

gonzogolf wrote in post #16756413
On your camera the minimum shutter speed for handheld use is 1/640 and you have to be strong and steady to make that work. My guess is you need faster shutter speeds or a more stable method of holding it.

Yep, and that's the bare minimum shutter speed. I'd boost that to 1/800 to make sure the weight of the lens isn't causing excessive movement during exposure.

for holding such a heavy lens, try the 'sniper' stance. Stand a bit sideways, left elbow down on your body, cradle the lens with left hand so it's balanced (i.e. no right hand needed to keep it from falling down), turn your head and look through the viewfinder, shoot. Much easier to support a heavy lens (or rifle) that way. Shutter speed I'd not go below 1/800 too.

If I were shooting an unstabilized 400mm lens on a crop sensor camera, I would have to keep my shutter speed at 1/1000 to have any hope of a sharp image. Tripod?