I'm having a problem with my 430EX II and I have no idea if it's me or the equipment. Advise, please

I just can't shoot using my strobe. I have no idea why.

I don't want to get into a debate about off camera strobe, diffusers, and all that. My problem is that I can't get a sharp shot for some reason. It's crazy.

If my camera or strobe is faulty, then I guess I have to figure out why. But I suspect user error of some kind.

The 6D only has a sync speed of 160, but even when I hold as still as possible and use IS on my 24-105 (and previously on my 28-135) I'm still getting very blurry (and frankly ugly) shots. This is during daylight hours when using the flash as fill.

It doesn't seem to matter if I use ETTL or manual. I get crap every time. The other day I even got a blurry shot using a tripod. All are direct flash.

I hold as still as I possibly can, but something isn't working. Thank you for any advice.

Here are some samples with 100% crops. All were at 160 or 180 shutter speed.

Sample 1

Not sure wether this got anything to do with the flash gun. To me it looks like a focus problem. The EXIF on the crops is incomplete and does not tell the focal length (or lens used). But I think either the lens is front focussing (as the kids are sharper than the parents in image #1) or you are using the wrong focus point (or may be all points....)
For this sort of work use just one focussing point and put it on the eye (or like in a group: halfway the front and the back row) and make sure you got sufficient depth of field.

Lighting looks good to me.

(BTW in the last shot the EXIF says "flash did not fire". )

vk2gwk wrote in post #17377580
To me it looks like a focus problem.

Same here. Looks like a focus issue not a flash issue

gremlin75 wrote in post #17377708
Same here. Looks like a focus issue not a flash issue

that makes three of us.

The only way a flash could make things look soft is if you wash out fine details, but that doesn't seem to be the case here.

I agree with gonzogolf - it's not the flash, but it could be the camera's logic in the presence of a flash.

1. The 6D has good forward/back focus adjustment. To find out what is needed for each main lens, use Jeffrey Friedl's focus chart.

2. What camera mode are you using? The camera has different behaviours, and few of them are helpful, IMO. I suggest that you take test shots in Manual exposure mode without flash, at 1/100, 1/160 and 1/250. Then repeat with the flash in E-TTL, using High Speed Sync. How is the focus?

Missed focus and/or flash ghosting from mixing flash w/ ambient light in direct sun.

davebreal wrote in post #17378143
Missed focus and/or flash ghosting from mixing flash w/ ambient light in direct sun.

Thank you. Now that I know the proper term (flash ghosting) I found a lot of resources. Thank you so much.

EOS-Mike wrote in post #17378589
Thank you. Now that I know the proper term (flash ghosting) I found a lot of resources. Thank you so much.

it's a focus issue. Stuff in the foreground is tack sharp, and you're not going to get flash ghosting at 1/160 with subjects sitting or standing still and with modern IS.

Left Handed Brisket wrote in post #17378634
it's a focus issue. Stuff in the foreground is tack sharp, and you're not going to get flash ghosting at 1/160 with subjects sitting or standing still and with modern IS.

Exactly. There would be some pretty significant subject movement or camera shake for ghosting to be an issue.

i took a look at your smugmug page and viewed most of the images. One thing that will help you with sharpness in all images (short of buying a prime lens) is to stop down your zooms a bit. Not only will it give you the increased DOF you need for group shots, it will increase the overall sharpness of the lenses. Both zooms you are using are known to be soft in the corners when wide open.

you should be shooting at a minimum 5.6 and probably f/8. I made a post recently about a studio shot using the 24-105: https://photography-on-the.net …showthread.php?​p=17362168 Soft corners is the reason i never use this lens in the studio, it is strictly a convenience lens.

Thanks, Lefty. That helps a lot. And, yes, I need to get a couple primes in my bag. I'll double check my sig for accuracy. Right now i just have the 24-105L.

Left Handed Brisket wrote in post #17378634
it's a focus issue. Stuff in the foreground is tack sharp, and you're not going to get flash ghosting at 1/160 with subjects sitting or standing still and with modern IS.

But I am holding still, using IS, etc. So are the subjects. In fact, Friday I took a group shot, tripod, IS turned off and ten-second timer. I still got ghosting.

What makes you think its ghosting? Im not seeing it here

EOS-Mike wrote in post #17378872
But I am holding still, using IS, etc. So are the subjects. In fact, Friday I took a group shot, tripod, IS turned off and ten-second timer. I still got ghosting.

None of the pictures you posed show signs of ghosting. They show missed focus but not ghosting.

You're looking for the problem in the wrong place.